Switching from gas to electric w/h

[Greg L]

Mark, I've decided to switch to an electric water heater. I have purchased a Rheem 50gal. heaterand I'm going to use the 240 dryer line and install a gas dryer. The only thing I'm confused about is the breaker size and wire size. Rheem suggests 8awg wire and a 50 amp breaker for a 9000 watt heater, but the heater I have only uses 4500 watts at a time and for that they recommend 10awg wire and a 30 watt breaker (by what I can tell wattage used, mine is a nonsimultaneous). I have a 30 amp breaker and 10awg wire already. Should I run new wire(8awg) or will the 10awg be sufficient and should I put in a 50amp breaker(which would give it 100 amps total?) or will the 30 amps(60 amps total?) I already have work?

[Mark Bower]

I'm not an electrician, but let me vent a little on hooking up an electric water heater. For good reasons I'm sure, owner manuals call for bringing a big heavy wire to your water heater. Let's say you bring in a 10awg wire. Then when you get to the water heater, you connect into about a 14awg wire. What gives with that?

Most of the water heaters I've hooked up call for a 10awg wire and a 30 watt breaker. I see no reason to go over that. Definitely don't go 50 amp or you'll lose much of your electrical protection because it won't blow as easy if your having a problem.

Mark
You gotta see my repair manual!