heater hook up for garage

[rartuin270]

Im not sure how to wire up my 240v 30amp heater. Ive done regular 120 outlets before but this is different. Im using 10/3 with ground. The wire has a red, white, blue and copper ground. Now im not sure which color goes where with these.

 

[pattenp]

Most 240V electric heaters just use wire that is 2 w/ground. The 3 w/ground is usually red, black and white. The white is neutral and gives you a 120V leg to the appliance. Stoves, clothes dryers and such have the third wire to power clocks and timers that run on 120v. The socket in your picture only uses 2 w/ground. Is the wire you have for the cord to the heater? If so, use the red and blue as the two hots. The ground hooks to the round prong of the plug and the white goes unused. This is only if your heater does not use 120V. If it does use 120V too, then the socket you pictured is the wrong type.

 

[-JP]

I don't think I have ever seen 10/3 with a blue conductor. Are you sure it blue or could it be black which is more typical. Maybe you got a 4th of July special run from the factory?

Anyway, you have an extra conductor you don't need for your application. Cap off the white wire at both ends with a wire nut. Connect the red and blue (black) to each of the horizontal connectors and connect the ground to the "D" shape connector. The red and blue (black) conductors each connect to each of the load side terminals on the circuit breaker in your panelboard. Connect the ground to your ground bus in the panelboard.

You have the right outlet and circuit breaker but the cable has a third conductor you just don't need.

Hope this helps.
JP

 

[rartuin270]

that helps alot. thanks guys

 

[rartuin270]

another quick question for you guys. im not sure how much amperage the house gets from outside. is it ok to turn off a 20amp(kitchen outlet for window a/c) and a 10amp(dishwasher doesnt work), that are unused in order to hook up the 30amp for the heater.

 

[mrbreezeet1]

another quick question for you guys. im not sure how much amperage the house gets from outside. is it ok to turn off a 20amp(kitchen outlet for window a/c) and a 10amp(dishwasher doesnt work), that are unused in order to hook up the 30amp for the heater.

Well 1st I would look at the "Main" breaker at the top of your panel, that should tell you the amp size of the service.


Let me back up a second, this is a "Main" breaker you are coming out of, correct, IOW you *DO NOT* have a sub panel correct?

As far as "turning off" those other 2 breakers, Do you mean you want to remove those 2 breakers, and put your 30 amp 220 v breaker in there place,
or do you have room in the main without removing the A/C and D/W breakers?
Either way really, you don't have to worry. The 20 Amp A/C breaker and the 10 Amp D/W outlet's will not be pulling any amps if the appliance's are not running.

As Far as a Sub panel, only reason I ask is if it is a *Sub Panel*, you want to make sure you hook the bare ground to the *GROUND* buss in the sub, and not to the Neutral buss.
The Ground and Neutral should be electrically separated from each other in a Sub Panel,with all white (neutral) wires running to the isolated neutral buss, and all grounds, (bare) running to the Ground Buss.
The Neutral buss should *NOT* be bonded to the Sub Panel case.
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks, Tony

 

[nehog]

In three-phase land, Red, Black and Blue are the hot phases, and white is neutral. It is not uncommon to see blue in some applications, substituted for red.

So Red and Blue to the breaker, white to the neutral bus, and ground (bare/green/green-yellow) to the ground bus. Red and blue to the brass screws, white to the silver screw, and ground to the 'green' screw.

 

[rartuin270]

thanks for the info guys. unfortunately im not going to be able to hook it up. I'm 19 and its not really my garage, its my aunts. She doesn't trust me to hook it up even though its almost done. $200 down the drain.