Installing a 220volt circuit breaker.

luweee

I am finishing my basement and am trying to draw out my plan to wire in some base board heating. Its 220volt. I will have a home run to my Cutler Hammer 3040b200 BOX. Should be 12-3 right. 2 hots (black) and a neutral (white). My question is... can i use a BD2020 circuit breaker? the neutral will tie into its own bus then the 2 (essentially 110v) black wires go to the BD2020 right? Also do i need to tie the switches together on the outside?
Your is greatly appreciated thanx.

JGarth

That breaker will not provide 230v for your heater(s). It is a tandem 115v brkr.

Speedy Petey

You can use 12/3, but it is a waste of money. The neutral has NO place to terminate in the heaters as they are straight 240v. NO neutral is used for this circuit.
You CAN use 12/2 and re-mark the white wire with a permanent marker. This is completely standard trade practice.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! You MUST use a BR or CH220 (depending on which C-H panel you have. A 2020 is a "twin" breaker and will NOT give you the 240v required for the heater to work.


I have NO idea what this means.

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Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

AllanJ

>>> tie the switches together
The breaker for the 220 volt circuit must be a double wide breaker that snaps into two consecutive slots in your panel, and the two breaker handles must be tied to each other.

You do not use a pair of ordinary wall switches, one for each leg of the circuit with no neutral, up near the heater or other appliance. But you can use a double switch, usually in its own metal box, designed for 240 volt circuits and with the two handles tied together or with one lever controlling both switches and coming out of the box. It is more usual to run the 240 volt cable directly to the heater or other appliance, connecting it up according to the instructions, where the switch (thermostat) is built in.

luweee

Thanks to all who have replied... you all seem to be very knowledgeable.

I have a couple more questions... What are those markings... BD .. BRD .. BRS .. CH on the circuit breakers?

Also speedy petey I have 3040B200 cutler hammer circuit box. what do you recommend doing.. im trying to save space.... the BD2020... is that considered one slot? IF so do they make a single slot ckt breaker for 220 - 20 amp?

what I meant by tying them together.. is.. the bd2020 has 2 switches.... "I thought i could just run the 2 hots out this breaker and tie the switches together... there is a hole in each one almost like you could run a bolt through it"....

I am listening to what you all said.. dont want to do anything stupid (or against code) so your suggestions are welcome. I guess If I have to use up 2 slots for this .. so be it..

Thanks again to all of you!!

Speedy Petey

Not only would it be a violation to use a twin breaker in this instance, it will (electrically) never work.

Is you panel a BR series or a CH series?

They do make "quad" breakers. This is basically two twins tied together with the inner two handles being a 240v circuit and the outer two being a 240v circuit. THIS will work and be legal in your panel if the breaker is installed at or near the bottom.
You can move an existing 240v circuit to the other half of the breaker.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

luweee

Thanks for enlightening me Speedy

I believe I have a BR sereies my panel # is br3040b200
I had them install a 200 amp ckt brkr when i built the house so i could finish the basement later on. they left all the middle bays 5 on each side open for me about 10 total.. this is where i will put my additions for my basement putting the 220 in amongst the 110. is that code? or is there a code?

Whats the difference between br and ch?

I plan on putting 3 baseboard heaters in my basement 1 4footer and 2 9 footers... how many can i put on one ckt? btw thanx for the info on just using 12-2 that will save me big bucks. (250ft 12-2 $60 250 ft 12-3 $105)
another question.... my house has 2 sump pumps. they put them on 2 separate 15 amp ckt brkrs.. this is fine. but to save space can I buy one of the bd1515's and move both to that freeing up another bay for me?

The example you have shown will take up 2 bays.. however it will provide 2- 240 volt ckts. correct? my open bays in the middle of my box will it work in there?

Thanks speedy... btw where you from? I live in Omaha NE

AllanJ

>>> guess I will have to use up two slots...
>>> electrically it [a single width twin breaker] will never work

Each slot in the panel delivers 120 volts to neutral. In at least some part of the panel, two adjacent slots have opposite 120 volt to neutral hot feeds, and 240 volts between those feeds.

I'm pretty sure the code has been updated since my house was built (20 + years ago) since I have double wide breakers in random places in the panel. They'll provide 240 volts anywhere in that panel.

luweee

Thank Alan J

luweee

speedy how bout the bq220220 with this work?

http://www.bestcircuitbreakers.com/C...Q/BQ220220.asp

check it here.

i have been giving the wrong number of my box it is a br3040b200 as opposed to the bd that i was quoting b4


I am adding on to my post here speedy.. I found the manual for my br3040b200 box.

I can use the bq220220 ckt brkr. i just can not exceed 40 circuits. i also called cutler hammer (EATON) for the information. This solves a lot of my problem.

what you think speedy

Speedy Petey

That's the one! You found it.
That will give you two 20A 240v circuits in two panel spaces.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

luweee

So

The circuit breaker issue is solved.

Speedy now this is the easy part for you.

I want to run 3 baseboard heater total. 2 -1500 watt and 1-1000 watt.

Can I run 2 ckts ... 1 carrying 2 heaters 1500 +1000 = 2500 watts on 12-2 wire? then just put the other 1500 watter on the other circuit?

P= ExI 240vX20 amps = 4800 watts X 80 % = 3840 watts should be handled right? I will only run 2500 and could actually put all 3 on one ckt. correct?
Thanks speedy... and you havent told me where your from in NY? R U a giants fan?

Speedy Petey

The first part is correct.
With electric heat you are limited to 80% of a circuit. So putting all three at 4000 watts is no good. You will need two circuits as you said.

I am from lower upstate NY. About 2 hrs north of the city.

Sorry not a football fan at ALL.
"Foos-ball? Buncha overgrown monsters man-handlin' each other..."

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

luweee

Speedy Petey

You live up to your name

YOU reply quick thanks.

Okay so 2-220 volt ckts using 12 guage wire it is then.

Thanks a bunch man. Yeah football is overrated anyway. I like using my mind working on my house. Dont get to watch much football other than my Cornhuskers.

Thanks speedy

luweee

Speedy one last question then ill quit bothering you.

if i change my mind and want to run 2-1000watt heaters and 1 1500 watt heaters. this will work on one ckt right?
My wattage number from before was right on? 3840watts on a 12-2 20 amp ckt?

Thanks speedy