Electric baseboard heater missing thermostat

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zappy

Senior Member
Location
CA.
I don't have much info yet.all i know is it's a 8ft electric baseboard heater and it's missing the thermostat on the wall.The wire is there.Not sure if its 120v. or 240v.Dont know the brand.My question is when i see it what should i look for so i can purchase the correct thermostat.I think i've install two t-stats in my career so i'm kinda egnorant about what to do to install this correctly.Thank you for your help.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Is the breaker feeding it a 1-pole or 2-pole?

Also, a 240-v stat would have 4 wires hooked to it. 120v stats have 2.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
What if it is an older building and they just broke 1-leg of the 240-volt circuit? Then it would have 2-wires but be a 240-volt stat?

You should have two sets of hot wires at the stat location....2 line and 2 load. As for the voltage of the circuit, look at the breaker. 1- or 2-pole?
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
I don't have much info yet.all i know is it's a 8ft electric baseboard heater and it's missing the thermostat on the wall.The wire is there.Not sure if its 120v. or 240v.Dont know the brand.My question is when i see it what should i look for so i can purchase the correct thermostat.I think i've install two t-stats in my career so i'm kinda egnorant about what to do to install this correctly.Thank you for your help.

Just purchase a DP wall thermostat and save yourself a trip. The DP will work even if it is 120v. FWIW, I have never seen an 8 foot baseboard heater that wasn't 240V. Usually they are 250 watts per foot. Thus an 8' heater is 2000 watts.
 

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
Just purchase a DP wall thermostat and save yourself a trip. The DP will work even if it is 120v. FWIW, I have never seen an 8 foot baseboard heater that wasn't 240V. Usually they are 250 watts per foot. Thus an 8' heater is 2000 watts.

Agreed, unless as Bryan pointed out there is a relay and 24v tstat. I'd ask the customer what the wire looks like, if there is a box or just wires sticking out of the wall before I made the trip.
 

zappy

Senior Member
Location
CA.
Just came from the job...

Just came from the job...

I saw a 12-2 romex coming in to the t-stat.At the baseboard heater there's two 12-2 romex's,one with 240v. and one goes to the t-stat.It's a honeywell.I saw in the baseboard heater j-box a yellow and red wire that looks like it goes to the element.Then there's this do-dad with two blk wires coming out of it,maybe some kind of relay??So can anyone explain in lameman terms how this works.I'm very curious what the do-dad is and how the t-stat controls the power.It looks like it controls only one leg?Thank you.
 

hardworkingstiff

Senior Member
Location
Wilmington, NC
I'm very curious what the do-dad is and how the t-stat controls the power.It looks like it controls only one leg?Thank you.

The do-dad is probably a thermal cut out safety switch. DO NOT bypass it.

The T-stat appears to be breaking just one leg like you would to a light. One leg of the 240-volt circuit goes to the heater or do-dad and you send the other leg to the switch box (t-stat). Come back from the t-stat to the other lead of the heater or do-dad.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
The do-dad is probably a thermal cut out safety switch. DO NOT bypass it.

The T-stat appears to be breaking just one leg like you would to a light. One leg of the 240-volt circuit goes to the heater or do-dad and you send the other leg to the switch box (t-stat). Come back from the t-stat to the other lead of the heater or do-dad.

Hmmmm. I can't find 'do-dad' in my Codebook. :D
 

zappy

Senior Member
Location
CA.
The do-dad is probably a thermal cut out safety switch. DO NOT bypass it.

The T-stat appears to be breaking just one leg like you would to a light. One leg of the 240-volt circuit goes to the heater or do-dad and you send the other leg to the switch box (t-stat). Come back from the t-stat to the other lead of the heater or do-dad.
but what about the yellow and red wire in the j-box?Thank you.:smile:
 

zappy

Senior Member
Location
CA.
Is there a way to test the baseboard heater to see if it's any good,like with a ohm meter?
 
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