Can the Eaton PT18M-W-K (1800-Watt 15 Amp) timer be used for a 1500-Watt baseboard heater? According to the specs, the answer appears to be "yes". However, "heater" is conspicuously absent from the list of devices that can be connected to it.
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Curious... why would a person use a timer as opposed to a thermostat? – isherwood Jan 30 '18 at 14:27
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Is the baseboard heat operating on 120v or 240v? If you don’t know that, does the breaker have a single or double handle? I agree with Isherwood tho, use a thermostat instead. Perhaps you’re planning on using both, and the thermostat is already present? – Tyson Jan 30 '18 at 14:35
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@Tyson 1500W is a common value for 125V heaters because they just fit on a 15A circuit. (Notice the part where they are 12*5* volt). – Harper Jan 30 '18 at 18:15
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@Harper many inductive baseboard heaters can be wired either way, the end user may make assumptions which is why I asked for clarification. – Tyson Jan 30 '18 at 18:17
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The device is rated at 1800w or 1/4 HP motor loads so I would say it should be fine. I like to have a higher rating if possible but this is rated for halogen lighting. It's basically the same as a resistive load like the nichrome wire used as an element in most electric heaters.
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You need a higher rating for halogen lighting due to inrush current. It's crazy all the wattage certs you see on relays, one number for well-behaved resistor loads, another for "tungsten" that being yours, another for motor, another for HID lighting (due to the inductive kick on interruption of those big ballasts on 400/6000/1000W sodium lights). Electronic ballasts use the tungsten number because they have inrush. – Harper Jan 30 '18 at 18:13
