Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

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rruark

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I am a homeowner finishing my basement (with NJ building/electrical permits) and the way the space is partitioned I am going to need 3 baseboard heaters. They are 240 V and calculated total amperage (based on product spec sheets) is 12.75 amps. Can I feed all three units off a single 20 amp 2 pole circuit or do they each need a dedicated 15 amp circuit? I have not been able to find anything on it.
Thanks - Rob
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

Please don't take this wrong but you need to hire an electrician for your safety as well as your family.This is a DIY and we cant help you
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

Rob, Jim is correct.

From the front page of the forum.

* This NEC? Forum is for those in the electrical and related industries.
Questions of a "How-To" nature by persons not involved in the electrical industry will be removed without notice.
Please read our rules and disclaimers.
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Roger
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

The state of NJ requires electrical work to be permitted and installed by a licensed electrician.
Are you concerned because the electrician not doing what you think he should be doing?
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

This could make one 70% more cynical. is this not a diy post
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

Originally posted by pierre:
The state of NJ requires electrical work to be permitted and installed by a licensed electrician.
Are you concerned because the electrician not doing what you think he should be doing?
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This is only partially true. A homeowner with no knowledge of the electrical trade or the NEC can file for a permit and perform the work. The only requirement is that the proper inspections take place after the permit is issued and the work is complete.
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

Under an owner/builder permit one can do everything he wants from framing to electrical and in Florida he can sell it after 1 year.I should know as i have done it many many times.Seems wrong but the system permits it.
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

We're a little more restrictive up here. An owner can wire his own single-family detached house only if he homesteads it or is building it with the intention of living in it when it's done. A builder can't wire his own homes because he's obviously not going to be living in all of them then they are done.
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

Almost all of you are incorrect. First off, maybe I should have said this in my original post. I have many years (10+) of professional construction experience including electrical having worked for licensed electricians. I just chose to pursue other career options. Further, NJ allows for homeowners to do any work they chose in their own home as long as they obtain the proper permits and all work is approved for use by the appropriate inspector. The law only requires that a person or organization charging a fee for electrical work be licensed and insured and now, registered as a professional contractor. I chose this forum because of my past experience and knowledge. I am fully aware of the proper way to wire most things in residential and commercial structures, just not some of the finer points of code. Unlike most "homeowers", at least I am asking instead of just doing it how ever I can figure it out If I am wasting some one's time, I apologize. Now maybe one of you would be good enough to answer me rather than just telling me you assume I don't know what I am doing just because I chose not to continue my career in the construction trades.

Let me ask you this - what is the difference between me doing this and one of you doing the same work in your homes 5 years after you retire from full time work? There is none, is there....
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

The way I would calculate is to allow 80% of overcurrent device for loading. Divide the total wattage of the heater by 240 volts, giving amperage. If less than 80%, then proceed under the provisions of the code. the caveat of a licenced electrician is always a given with any job installation. Proper inspections of the work are required for professionals as well as DIYers for good reasons(not just permit fees)to ensure compliance.
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

Originally posted by rruark:
Almost all of you are incorrect. First off, maybe I should have said this in my original post.

Let me ask you this - what is the difference between me doing this and one of you doing the same work in your homes 5 years after you retire from full time work? There is none, is there....


The difference is that none of us are the ones going on a forum stating in our original post that we are a homeowner doing work on our own home, and asking for advice, which is clearly against the Forum rules.
So, please, chill out as they were not wrong in their assumption. :cool:
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Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

424.3 Branch Circuits.
(A) Branch-Circuit Requirements. Individual branch circuits shall be permitted to supply any size fixed electric space-heating equipment.
Branch circuits supplying two or more outlets for fixed electric space-heating equipment shall be rated 15, 20, 25, or 30 amperes. In nondwelling occupancies, fixed infrared heating equipment shall be permitted to be supplied from branch circuits rated not over 50 amperes.
(B) Branch-Circuit Sizing. Fixed electric space heating equipment shall be considered continuous load.
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I feel this is a Do-It-Yourself question but have posted the section that would apply.

I ask the moderators if they think this is a DIY question.
:)
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

To all who provided info, thank you. Sorry about seeming snappy in my previous reply. I should have clarified before hand. I couldn't agree more that permits and inspections are required for a reason - safety. I am strong proponent of licensure for trades and support the efforts of the code enforcement departments fully. I realize not every one feels that way but believe me, I do, especially with something as potentially dangerous as electricity. I can understand your initial reaction as I did not specify anything other than being a home owner. Thanks again for the info.
 
Re: Circuit requirements for multiple baseboard heaters

The following is part of a message that I sometimes send to DIYs who post "how-to" questions on this Forum. It gives an idea of the reason that we cannot give that kind of assistance to a DIY.
Our concern is that you may get only the answer to the question that you ask, and get no answer to the thousand other questions that you should have asked, but did not know that you needed to ask. The thousand of other questions are the ones that electricians, electrical engineers, and other professionals in the electrical industry would have known about, and would have understood the answers to, as part of their years of training.

?A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.? The Owner and Moderators of this Forum do not wish to risk allowing you and your family to be placed in danger, by giving you too little information.
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A person who retires after a career in the electrical installation business will have had plenty of opportunity to learn the "thousands of other questions" to which I refer above. Therefore, a retired electrician who wishes to do electrical work at his or her own home is welcome to post questions on this Forum, and is likely to obtain all the assistance they need.

By contrast, a person who spend some time in the electrical trade, but who then chose a different career path, will not have had the same opportunity. Will that person have learned enough such that he or she would not place their family at risk, if they attempted their own electrical installation work? I cannot say. Nor can anyone else.

Had I not been out of town over the weekend, and had I seen this thread earlier, I would have moved it to the "Relocation Forum" and sent a PM to the original poster. It is too late to take that action, since the OP has already obtained the requested information. But I am closing this thread.

To the OP I offer the following instruction:
You are most welcome to participate in this Forum. You may well find it to be a great learning opportunity. But we cannot help you perform your own electrical work. It is just not safe for us to do so, because we don?t know how much you do know, and what questions you should be asking but haven?t asked yet.
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