Electric Baseboard Heater Wiring Help

ryanb4614 · 09-27-2012, 07:19 AM

Hello. We are just finished renovations on the inside of my house that was built in 1953. There is an attached room to my bedroom, this used to be the original garge but the previous owners converted it to a nursery... I changed it to a large walkin closet. We have oil heat. There is a baseboard with oil heat that runs in this room, but it does get cold. My guess is that is why they put a small 4 ft electric baseboard heater in. They baseboard heater looks like it was from the 1970s. So I wanted to replace it. I purchase a new electric baseboard heater with a single pole thermostat that goes on directly to the baseboard heater.

I have from the power, a black, white and ground. From the base board heater I have red, black and ground. From the thermostat I have a black and red.

What I was doing is black with the black wires. Ground with ground. ANd then white with two red wires. The lights flick when I turn up the heat. The line for the baseboard heater is on its own breaker which is a 22 amp (double breaker)... So the power should be no issue.

I have also noticed that the heat doesn't go off. Further reading on this forum I need to return the single pole and get a double pole thermostat so I can turn the heat off. Now I will have two black and two red wires from the double pole thermostat. What is the correct wiring for this?

hammerlane · 09-27-2012, 08:18 AM

Is the baseboard electric heater you first bought suppose to be wired to a 220V supply?

ryanb4614 · 09-27-2012, 08:48 AM

Specifications:
240 volts, 1000 watts, 3413 BTU/HR, 4.1 amps

Links is here: http://www.lowes.com/pd_30054-49285-...ric&facetInfo=

Dave632 · 09-27-2012, 09:11 AM

PDFs of the Instruction manual and the Wiring Instructions can be found here:

http://www.marleymep.com/en/fahrenhe...board-heaters/

joed · 09-27-2012, 09:12 AM

You have wired the thermostat to be a dead short when it comes on. When you turned up the heat did the breaker trip? It should have if you wired it like you describe.
It should be power black to baseboard black.
Power white to thermostat black.
Thermostat red to baseboard red.

You are not required to have a two pole thermostat. Just realize that the baseboard will still have live wires when the stat is off.

ryanb4614 · 09-27-2012, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joed

You have wired the thermostat to be a dead short when it comes on. When you turned up the heat did the breaker trip? It should have if you wired it like you describe.
It should be power black to baseboard black.
Power white to thermostat black.
Thermostat red to baseboard red.

You are not required to have a two pole thermostat. Just realize that the baseboard will still have live wires when the stat is off.

That sound like what I did wrong... Yes when I turned it up the lights would flicker...Probably did trip the breaker. So the single pole there would be constant power... Would it be better to have 2 pole that way in the summer I can just turn it off. Will the single pole act as if its on and just not heat? Basically would I we paying for power when the heater isn't needed?

hammerlane · 09-27-2012, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryanb4614

I have from the power, a black, white and ground.

deleted

joed · 09-27-2012, 02:27 PM

The single pole stat will still turn the heater off and on with no power being used when it is off. It just leaves a live wire in the heater when the stat is off and you must be aware of this. If you go to work on the heater you need to turn it off at the breaker not at the stat.

ryanb4614 · 09-27-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joed

The single pole stat will still turn the heater off and on with no power being used when it is off. It just leaves a live wire in the heater when the stat is off and you must be aware of this. If you go to work on the heater you need to turn it off at the breaker not at the stat.

Thank you for the clarification! I will re wire this when I get home today and see how it turns out. You were a great help!

ryanb4614 · 09-27-2012, 05:27 PM

Okay I did the wiring as recommended. Through the breaker and and heat is coming out of the baseboard heater on the lowest setting it feels hot..... Turned it up and the break did not trip and no lights flickered.

Is it normal for heat o be coming out of it on its lowest setting? I know you said it will have a live wire but the thermostat is turned all the way down and it's 71 degrees in the room Sony Sony know why heat is coming on

joed · 09-27-2012, 07:54 PM

The thermostat should be an on and off setting. When you turn it up and down do you here the switch clicking on and off? Maybe the stat is bad?

ryanb4614 · 09-27-2012, 08:03 PM

I don't really hear any clicking. I did

Black power to black baseboard
Red baseboard to red thermostat
White power to black thermostat

Of course grounded the wires

I let it go for 2 hours and my house is roosting. I thought it may heat up for the first time and then function how it should but it didn't.

Maybe I'll just go with the 2 pole so there is a shut off. What would be the wiring pattern?

kbsparky · 09-27-2012, 09:50 PM

You probably fried the thermostat when you incorrectly wired it the first time.

Throw it away and buy a new one.

kbsparky · 09-27-2012, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joed

The single pole stat will still turn the heater off and on with no power being used when it is off. It just leaves a live wire in the heater when the stat is off and you must be aware of this. If you go to work on the heater you need to turn it off at the breaker not at the stat.

There is no "off" position on a single pole stat. You can set it to "low" but it's never "off"

Protocol. · 09-28-2012, 12:26 AM

That doesn't make any sense. Thermostat would have to switch off. If not it would then be a resistor wired in series (rheostat).

I don't agree with having a single pole stat though. Double pole will be better IMHO as the unit won't be potentially live when the thermostat is open.