How to connect wires to a baseboard heater is one of the topics covered in plumbing and heating and airconditioning maintenance.
Unlike the low-voltage thermostats that control central heating and air-conditioning systems, electric baseboard heaters use line-varsity thermostats.If the thermostat is mounted on the wall, the circuit wiring will go through it first before it goes to the baseboard heater.The new thermostat will need to be connected as part of the installation.Thermostats can wear out and need to be replaced.It is easy to connect the line-voltage thermostat to the electric baseboard heater.
There is a variable switch installed along the electrical circuit that runs from the circuit breaker panel to the baseboard heater.It operates the same way as a dimmer switch.Basic line-voltage thermostats use dial controls, but there are more sophisticated electronic models.The wiring of a basic dial thermostat is the same as for a programmable thermostat.
A thermostat can be used to control several heaters.The amount of current that passes through the wires to the heater is controlled by the thermostat.Most baseboard heating systems use 240-volt circuits, but 120-volt heaters are also available, as they are often used to provide supplemental heat in individual rooms that are not served by a central heating system.
There are two types of line-voltage thermostats: single and double-pole.A double-pole thermostat is called a "four-wire" thermostat.Some thermostats can be wired in different ways.
In a single-pole thermostat, only one of the two hot wires enters the thermostat box, and the other doesn't go into the box at all.Current will always flow into the baseboard.
The thermostat box has hot wires attached to it.When the thermostat is off, the current to the baseboard heater is completely interrupted.
The type of thermostat is specified by the manufacturer.Some may allow either type, but most will specify a single-pole thermostat.
The project assumes that the electrical cable has already been routed from the circuit breaker panel to the thermostat location on the wall.The instructions assume that an electrical box has been installed in the correct location.
If you want to replace an existing thermostat, you'll need to run a new cable, install an electrical box, and mount a baseboard heater on the wall.Running new circuits for electric baseboard heaters is done by a professional electrician because it requires specialized skills and involves working at the main circuit breaker panel, where there is a danger of shock.The work should only be done by DIYers if they have a lot of experience.You can easily connect a line-voltage thermostat.
The black and white wires are hot when the thermostat is wired with a 2-wire cable.There are four wire leads in the thermostat, two of which connect to the circuit feed wires that enter the box from the breaker panel.The thermostat's wire leads are often red and black, a color-coding that indicates that all wires carry hot current.
Before you connect the thermostat, you need to shut off the power to the cable.To test for current at the thermostat box, use a non-contact circuit tester, and make sure the circuit breaker controlling the wires is shut off.
Carefully read the instructions and the wiring schematic of the thermostat.Make sure you identify the wire leads marked "Line" and "Load" that are attached to the circuit wires that feed current from the power source.
If necessary, use wire strippers to strip insulation from insulated circuit wire entering the thermostat's electrical box.This usually involves two supply wires from the power source.There will be additional wires if the thermostat is controlling two baseboard heaters from the same location.
The bare copper wires from each cable entering the box need to be joined together with a wire connecter and apigtail wire that links to the circuit grounding wires.A short green or bare copper wire is attached to a metal box with a green grounding screw and the other end of a pigtail is connected to the circuit grounding wires.The thermostat doesn't usually have a grounding connection.If it has a green lead, join it to the other wires.
There are two feed wires entering the box from the power source to the wire leads on the thermostat.In most 240-volt wiring situations, the circuit wires will be black and white; it doesn't make any difference which wire lead gets attached to which feed wire, as both are hot.
To join the outdoing circuit wires to the wire leads marked "Load" on the thermostat, use wire connections.Each lead will be attached to a wire if the thermostat is controlling a single heater.Each lead will be attached to multiple wires if the thermostat is controlling two or more thermostats from the same location.
Attach the thermostat with the mounting screws by Tucking the wires into the electrical box.If the wire connections haven't already been done, complete them.If you want to make sure the heater and thermostat are working, turn on the circuit breaker.
The wiring for a single-pole thermostat is similar to that of a double pole, but in this case one of the hot wires will go to the baseboard heater.
There is no separate neutral wire for the black and white wires in a true 240-volt circuit.Black and white wires are hot in a 240-volt circuit if the thermostat is being wired as a single pole or double pole.The white wire in the circuit is a neutral wire.The white wire won't be connected to the thermostat, but will be used to connect the white neutral wire.
Before you connect the thermostat, you need to shut off the power to the cable.To test for current at the thermostat box, use a non-contact circuit tester, and make sure the circuit breaker controlling the wires is shut off.
Carefully read the instructions and the wiring schematic of the thermostat.Make sure you identify the wire lead marked "Line", which is attached to a circuit wire that feeds current from the power source, and the one mark "Load," which will carry power onward to the baseboard heater.