Water heater wiring kludge

[Squankum]

This weekend, my mission was to make the electric hot water heater make hot water again. Given the low price of parts, I fired the parts cannon at it and changed both heater elements and the upper and lower thermostat.

Since AC electrical is not something I’ve worked with much, I’ve come for advice about one thing I did.


The upper thermostat/switch I got from Home Depot was similar but different. One terminal was just a few inches too long for one of the wires to reach. I zipped off to Lowe’s right before closing time looking to buy just a small amount of thick, unstranded wire.

That took a while to figure out with the wire dept guy, If eventually we figure it out. Got home and the new bit of wire was 2.0mm compared to the black wire I needed to add a few inches to being 1.6mm

(Sorry, I forget the gauge no’s, and just broke out the digital calipers.) Also bought some wire nuts.

In the picture you can see the wire nut at A attaching a new bit of black wire to the old black wire, and B is the terminal it went to.

It’s been making hot water for 24 hours now. Am I going to die in a fire? Or is this an acceptable solution?

The black wire runs down to the lower thermostat and seemed pretty tight under the foam insulation. I didn’t relish the idea of trying to fish a new wire through there.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

The replacement was thicker? should be fine

but you may want to address the wrapping around some of the screws like the one in the top left. you want the wire to wrap around clockwise so it tightens down on the wire in the clockwise direction

 

[Squankum]

When disassembling the factory wiring, I was surprised how much the wire ends were not curled. (Nothing but straight ends.) Sometimes I added a bend or semi curl, sometimes not, always conscious of not letting the screw head push the wire end out from under as it tightened.

It seemed the terminal areas — high sides, wire screws, were geared towards minimal prep on the wire ends.

Yeah, I bought a thicker wire. Before I left for the store I thought my digital caliper’s battery was toast. Used google at the store to see what kind of wiring gauge should be used for this size of water heater.

Kind of impressed how not very heavy duty all these bits were, considering how much work and amperage they do, a decade or two at a time.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

19a is not that much current

 

[Steve W.]

Just a couple of thoughts.

1. Why do you want a heater to heat your hot water?

my mission was to make the electric hot water heater make hot water again

Most people wish to heat their COLD water with a water heater.

2. You wanted hot water. You are getting hot water.

It’s been making hot water for 24 hours now.

What's the problem?

.

 

[Squankum]

I also say “VIN number” and “ATM machine.” :shrug:

I have a shop manual for my VW Golf that calls that belt driven accessory the “coolant pump.” That’s going too far!


My concern was whether that wire nit and bit o’ wire were something hackish and
unsafe.

 

[nadogail]

As long as the water gets hot and the smoke remains inside the wires IMHO you have accomplished what you set out to do.

You may now add waterheater repairtech to your resume.

 

[nsula_country]

Your house is going to burst into flames at 19:49 tonight!

Kidding. I'd slap a wirenut on a short wire in a heartbeat. You did well!

Actually did it this weekend when the toggle switch on my 40 gallon tank sprayer crapped the bed and had to make another switch work.

CT