The Black Vault

thanks in advance !

specs: 5' baseboard heater.
240 volt
60Hz
1000watts max (unless linked )
4.2 amps
thermostat double pole 16 amp resistance type

Internet q/a recommend 12/ 2 plus ground romex
a couple of 10/2 and corresponding 20/20 or 30/30 duel pole breakers

it's going through an crawl space ( not heated) some moisture (potentially corrosive environment) from the box down into the base plate stud , than
hangers , up from the floor into an small room. less than 100 feet of travel
so, I guess line loss drop is an equation I don't have to worry about ?
conduit I'll avoid if it's still w/in code.

I'm sold on 10/2 UF-B it's grey. for all weather uv corrosive protection.
I was surprised the temp ratings don't exceed 95 degrees.

ideas/ comments welcome.

If it is indeed a 30 Amp heater, which it certainly seems to be and at 240 volts then 10/2 is what you need. As 10 gauge (copper) wire is rated at 30 Amps. Yes you will need a two-pole, 30 Amp breaker so make sure you have room in your outside service panel for one. Under 100 feet you should be fine and won't need to step up the wire size. Check local electrical codes to to determine whether or not you will be required to have a safety disconnect at the unit. Typically required if the unit is not in line-of-sight with the breaker panel. It may require three-conductor wiring, two hot, one neutral and a ground if it has any lighting or LED displays on it.

You should be able to tell in the box where connections are to be made. There will be studs for the wires to attach, usually with lugs. There will be two or three, one with a red wire, one with a black wire(typical two conductor setup) and/or a third with a white wire(usually in the middle) with a fourth marked with a green or bare wire.(ground) Often the ground will be somewhere else, typically called an equipment bond as it is typically found mounted to the casing of equipment, even in the box for connections. Usually there is a green screw or lug, this is the tell-tale sign for ground.

Hope this helps.

my breakers are inside the residence.

will it be hot behind the panel w/ the front plate removed.?

I got it. ( I'll switch both off. ) outside at the meter and inside ' main '

works well . rykuss thanks so much. ( must invest in hot line- terminal tester)

ricardo wrote:my breakers are inside the residence.

will it be hot behind the panel w/ the front plate removed.?

I got it. ( I'll switch both off. ) outside at the meter and inside ' main '

works well . rykuss thanks so much. ( must invest in hot line- terminal tester)

Glad to have helped. Yeah it's always best to locate the main feeding your inside panel and turning it off and nothing wrong with shutting off the main inside either. Always better to be safe than sorry.

You have a 100 foot run from the subpanal to where the heater is? Going to building and safety, may be a good idea. Sounds like you need to wire a separate breaker just for the 220 heater line alone. In California Romex is legal if its in conceiled walls or overhead crawl spaces, but if its in open garage areas it has to be in flex conduit. Anything outside has to be waterproof conduit and componets. 220 is 2 hots and a ground. Some older houses may not even have a 220 box, so be sure yours has 220 and your subpanal has 220. Using bigger wire can not hurt you, using too small of wire can overheat, expecially if you have a long run and voltage drop. BE smart, shut the house down when you are working on it. Better to be safe. Always treat any common or ground as a live wire. Commons are the return line and can be conducting current from another line in a differnt room and live.

Best class I ever had at work was about electical grounding, and it made real believers out you seeing the results of electicution. Its a nasty thing and as easy as turning off all the power, especially fooling with 220.

good advice g2 first thing I did was up to an 220. definitely a work in progress.

(small place. but enough for now). energy effiencies ...

all ' led ' 75% goal is 100%

debated if to bury the hot main- off the mast. (dump- mast-pole) but it crossed

an gas line. may not be worth the re route. the gas co. said they would remove

the pipe, but I decided, potential new residents might want the ' line intact '

expanded the topic to include energy conservation projects or efficiencies .

anything that saves energy, conserves, and reduces the carbon footprint

through an more natural lifestyle.


project and how it saved...

'green' insulation for attic space.
cellulose 'blown in loose fill' -soffit vents secured for additional fill.
( extended)

max rebate for this project is $ 300
labour and materials were < $500 discounted for prior 'foam'
insulation 'spray in place ' under crawl space floor.

< r 20 value w/ pre existing fill. aprox 7 inches.
< r 40 value / aprox 24 inches .( settling not calculated at this time.)

cont...
subjective results
real savings /fuel consumption

thank you mr. president for the energy rebate that paid 75% of my insulation job.
i will have considerable energy savings in heating and cooling costs in the coming years.