No power at thermostat box for baseboard heat

S

Steel480

Electrician
Location
USA
Occupation
Electrician
I had a call about a baseboard heater with no power, no breakers tripped. I can trace the wire to where it goes under a finished floor in the attic then lose it. Is capping those wires in a jbox acceptable and running a new feed for the heater?
 
I suppose replacing the wire is a good solution if all else has failed. I'm pretty lazy, so I look for easy solutions like junction boxes that could have a bad splice before I run new wire.
 
I am the same way. Im leaning towards somebody disconnected it at some point because what are the odds of two splices being loose in a jb somewhere. I would still get 120 to ground on the other leg. I was just wondering if its acceptable to cap an old feed wire without finding the jbox it is fed from
 
In most cases a 20 amp circuit is large enough to feed at least 2 baseboard heaters. That means after leaving the panel there is likely to be 1 or more splices weather in a junction box or the splice is made in the thermostat box.

Of course, you can have only 1 heater on a 20 A circuit.

I would shut the breaker off and see if any other heaters stop working.

Also a circuit tracer may help you locate the wire.

You can always cap an old circuit as long as it is in an accessible junction box.
 
Eddie702 said:
In most cases a 20 amp circuit is large enough to feed at least 2 baseboard heaters. That means after leaving the panel there is likely to be 1 or more splices weather in a junction box or the splice is made in the thermostat box.

Of course, you can have only 1 heater on a 20 A circuit.

I would shut the breaker off and see if any other heaters stop working.

Also a circuit tracer may help you locate the wire.

You can always cap an old circuit as long as it is in an accessible junction box.
Click to expand...
I understand, im only asking because clearly something happened to make it lose power, whether someone disconnected it or something else. I was never able to locate the jbox where the wires came from. I just dont want to leave any hazards, and capping the feed in the box and running new circuit seemed like the best option.
 
Did it work and now it doesn't?
Or does the owner know?
Is it hot where it goes under the floor in the attic? This is where I'd put a box and cap it off.
Wall mount T'stat or on the heater itself?
My sister had wall mount electric heat and then installed a heat pump.
Several heat circuits were abandoned so the heat pump and air handler could have a space in the full panel.
Could this have happened?
 
Its not live anywhere where i could see to. Wall mount thermostat. Just trying to see what everyone else would do in this situation
 
Steel480 said:
Its not live anywhere where i could see to. Wall mount thermostat. Just trying to see what everyone else would do in this situation
Click to expand...
Do you know which breaker it is definitively? Are there disconnected wires tucked back in the panel? If I couldn't find the problem, I would definitely run a new circuit, being sure to disconnect the old wires from the breaker, leaving them dead no matter where they are.
 
I dont know for certain which breaker it is, there are about 5 labeled electric heat. Im assuming they alsohitother heaters in the house as well.
 
If that's the case, identify what heaters go to which breakers. I'd be looking at the other thermostats as well to see if the problem is in one of those. And as a last resort, abandon the old wire in a box.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top