Electric Water Heater Ground Wire

In the above diagram i shown that the upper water heater element is switched off and lower heater element is switch on.

Electric water heater ground wire.

If the heater is badly installed there may be a short between the live wire and the tank causing a short circuit. The white circuit wire should be wrapped with black or red electrical tape near the connection at both ends of the circuit at the water heater and at the breaker box to indicate that it is a hot wire not a neutral wire. The ground wire is attached to the green ground screw which is in the same wiring junction box compartment which is built into the top of the water heater. At the water heater the black circuit wire connects to the black wire lead on the water heater and the white circuit wire connects to the white wire lead on the water heater.

Connect the water heater to the circuit back within the junction box you will wrap the ground wire around the ground screw and secure it. Connect the other wire from the water heater to the white wire. The two poles means it is a stated 240 volts or an actual 230 volts. A conventional electric water heater will come with a black wire and a red wire which are connected to the wires of the same color as described above.

All very simple and straight forward. By bonding the hot water pipe to the cold water pipe at the water heater it is thought that this helps to ensure that the entire plumbing system will be electrically grounded. Note that these element is 220 volts ratings and you can also 440 volts heater elements but you need to provide the line supply my mean to lines or two hot wires supply 440 volts. The white wire is the hot wire.

Secure them with a wire connector and wrap electrical tape around the connection for additional safety. Take the black wire from the circuit and any wire from the water heater and connect them twist together and secure with a wire nut. Next take the black wire from the feed circuit and one wire from the water heater it doesn t matter which wire and twist them together. Fix the ground wire to the ground terminal and secure it tightly in place.

Cold water is supplied to the heater usually through a pvc pipe. Understanding electric water heater wiring most hot water heaters are on a 30 amp two pole breaker. Take one of the wires on the water heater and connect it to the black wire from the circuit use a wire connector and wrap electrical tape around the wires. Wrap the ground wire around the ground screw and tighten it down securely.

It should be noted that the national electric code does not require a bonding wire on a water heater.