240V, Three-phase water heater - convertible to single phase?

[JohnnyPElec]

General question for the forum. My team has received a 240V, 3-phase water heater spec for a large project where there will be several and we of course only have 240V, single phase services. The cut sheet states that

120, 277 single phase and 208, 240 and 480V unbalanced three‑phase delta; easily converted to single‑phase at terminal block with limited exceptions.
Single element heaters, single‑phase only.

So it seems the manufacturer designed the product such that the heating elements (assuming there are 3) aren't wired in a wye or delta config between the phases and they can be reconfigured at the terminal block so that all the elements run on a single phase. Is this typical for residential water heaters? I was initially going to push back and ask for a spec that doesn't require such modification post-factory but don't want to create a hub-bub if this is standard practice

 

[augie47]

Seemingly typical for the three phase units I have seen.
Many heating appliances have that feature

 

[roger]

Is this typical for residential water heaters?

No, three phase water heaters are not typical for residential.

 

[winnie]

I agree with @roger

A three phase heating device that can be converted to single phase is not surprising. I've seen this for things such as bakery ovens and the like.

What is uncommon is a three phase _residential_ water heater. I guess reasonable for a shared occupancy such as a dorm or hotel, but you won't see three phase water heaters for individual homes.