Electrician Question ?
What I have here is two heating elements of 120 volt wired in series.I want to make two separate heaters of half the wattage.Do I need to add resistance? Or what else do I need to know?
As they are, they produce 1200 watts.I want a 600 watt heater.
As they are, they produce 1200 watts.I want a 600 watt heater.
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A simple analogy here...
Wire two 100w 120v bulbs in series at 120v and you'll get two bulbs burning at half the intended brightness because the voltage will be split. Total wattage will remain the same. Supply 220v in series and both will burn normally.
Wire the same bulbs in parallel at 120v and you'll use 200w at 120v. Both bulbs will burn at full brightness.
Heating elements are just bulbs that don't throw off light. Add extra resistance and all you do is create heat. Your choice whether to heat air or water. Neither are a good choice here.
My guess is that you presently have two 120v elements wired in series on a 220v line. Though unconventional, it will work just fine. If I'm correct, then the solution is so simple it boggles the mind...
Drop power and remove the wire connecting the two elements together. In place of that wire, add a wire to neutral from where you removed the connection on both elements. You now have two 120v 600w heating elements that run independently from each other. Leave one unhooked if all you want is 600w of heat.0 -
your best bet is to go and buy a lower output heater. If you are not careful in changing the wiring around, you'll be calling the local fire department 0 -
If the heater is a 120V heater then all you need to do is disconnect the wire that connects the two. Then make sure you have the black (hot) wire connected to one end of each element, and make sure you have the white (neutral) wire connected to the opposite end of each element.
You do not need to add resistance.0
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