electric baseboard heater

I am thinking of installing three electric baseboard heater in my living room.
They are 240v 1500watt each.

Can I run all three heater from one circuit? 240V 20amp
Or do I have to run three separate circuits?

thanks

1500 / 240 = 6.25 amps each

6.25 * 3 = 18.75 total amps

20 * .8 = 16 amps max for safety

30 * .8 = 24 amps max for safety

With the safety buffer figured in, I believe 18.75 amps would be too much for a 20-amp circuit, so you would have to have a 30. And, your thermostat and/or relay must also be able to handle that kind of load.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by leejosepho

1500 / 240 = 6.25 amps each

6.25 * 3 = 18.75 total amps

20 * .8 = 16 amps max for safety

30 * .8 = 24 amps max for safety

With the safety buffer figured in, I believe 18.75 amps would be too much for a 20-amp circuit, so you would have to have a 30. And, your thermostat and/or relay must also be able to handle that kind of load.

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ok thanks. I forgot about the 20% allow for safety.

use smaller baseboards, and let an electronic thermostat keep them warm all the time. Using the old on-off thermostat, they get turned on full blast and they send hot air up to the ceiling.

It does still warm the place up, but not the best way according to the ASHRAE comfort standard. Heated air rises, while heat in objects radiates wamth in all directions not just upwards. The old way of ON-OFF thermostat made baseboards convectors.

With an electronic thermostat, warm baseboards become radiators, and they can still act as convectors too. Saves money (and that has been proven in the field) because a slight heat continually on is more efficient than a large heat turned on every so often.

David