Water Heater Wiring?

What would be the result if an electric hot water heater wires were reversed? If the wires going into the hot water heater were red wire to black, black wire to red, what would be the result when the hot water heater was started up?

Reply to
Davy
Loading thread data ...

Assuming they were properly wired in the breaker box, both of them attached to the hot side of the breaker, it would make absolutely no difference. Red and black are interchangeable.

Colbyt

Reply to
Colbyt

No ill effects. It does not matter with 220v each line has 110v nominal.

Reply to
Fred

Your water will be the wrong polarity. When you open both the hot and cold faucets, it will not mix properly. Sort of line trying to get two magnets to stick together when the N & S are reversed. In the washing machine, the agitator may overcome it, but showers will be most uncomfortable.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

If 220V, then no effect but make sure you have the proper ground there. Normally black is the hot wire.

J

Davy wrote:

Reply to
Joey

On a 220 V line both the red and black wires are hot to the neutral wire. There is no differance in the red and black wires except they go to differant sides of the incomming 220 V wiring.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Partially correct. Both red and black are hot, period. It's easy to ignore the current that the neutral carries because the neutral is grounded. Don't forget the neutral does connect to the transformer at a live spot. It is center tapped from a 220 volt split phase (single phase) conductor. Since the neutral is grounded as well you don't feel curent running through you when you touch the neutral and ground, but she's hot too.

Since those wires are hooked to both legs of the split phase 220 at the transformer their alternating currnents appear to be 120 volts AC out of phase with eachother when tested to neutral or ground. If there was no difference between the red and black wires they'd provide no voltage between them.

The OP's water heater should be fine, but I like the reversed-polarity water hypothesis.

Reply to
Olaf

I understand what everyone else were saying on here, and I am not an electrical expert..but.. wouldn't it depend on how the wire is connected at the electrical panel. What would happend if your red is connected to the 'hot' point and the red is wired to the neutral (white)? Can someone else add to this?

Thanks.

Reply to
Dave

If it was connected as you state, the electrician and the inspector should both have their licenses take away.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

According to Dave :

A water heater requires 240V. When correctly wired, the black and red wires supply the 240V. "Correctly wired" means that the black is connected to one side of the hot feed in the panel, and the red is connected to the other side. There's 240V between them, and 120V from either one to neutral (usually white).

It simply doesn't matter "which way around" they are.

There is _no_ neutral needed in a 240V water heater. Just two hots and a protective ground (usually bare).

If, on the other hand, the electrician wired one of the wires of the HWT (red or black) to the neutral (coloured white in cables, one of the busbars in a panel), the HWT is only getting 120V, not 240V. The HWT will work, but it will take a very long time to heat up.

Reply to
Chris Lewis

replying to Edwin Pawlowski, dougofkc wrote: holly hell batman! LOL

Reply to
dougofkc

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.