Circuit Breakers for Electric Baseboard Heaters

Question

Living in an apartment for a few years and just now tried to label the circuit breakers. Everything is electric. There is no gas in the building. Oven/Range, Water Heater, Baseboard Heaters, in-wall panel heater in the bathroom, fridge, Air Conditioner,... I have no to little knowledge about this stuff, so please correctly me if I am using terminology incorrectly or if I am wrong about anything.

No numbers so I'm using what I think is conventional labeling. #1 is Top Left, #2 is Top Right. Odds on Left, Evens on right. #13 is Bottom Left, #14 is Bottom Right

*#5 is a 15Amp single pole that controls the lights and outlets in both the bedroom and adjoining bath as well as the bathroom exhaust.

#6 is a 15Amp single pole that controls the outlets in the living/dining room area.

#7 and #9 make a 60Amp double pole that controls the oven/range.

#8 and #10 make a 30Amp double pole that I'm guessing controls the water heater.

#12 is a 20Amp single pole that controls the lights and outlets in the kitchen as well as the fridge/freezer.

#13 is a 20Amp single pole that doesn't seem to do anything (that I have found yet).*

That leaves the wall unit air conditioner, the three electric baseboard heaters, and the bathroom heater. Each baseboard heater has its own wall mounted thermostat. The bathroom heater just has a power knob.

**#1 and #4 need to be BOTH ON for either the bedroom heater or bathroom heater to work. Both are single pole 20Amp breakers on opposite sides of the panel (diagonal).

#2 and #3 need to be BOTH ON for the dining area heater to work. Both are single pole 20Amp breakers on opposite sides of the panel (diagonal).

#11 and #14 need to be BOTH ON for either the living room heater or the air conditioner to work. Both are single pole 20Amp breakers on opposite sides of the panel (diagonal).**

? Does this mean those heaters are wired for 240V and 20Amps? Or 120V and 40Amps? Or does each heater require TWO DIFFERENT 120V 20Amps circuits to work? Is is safe to be wired like this? Flipping either breaker OFF will shut down the heater, but is the whole circuit dead- or will the other breaker still provide half the voltage (or current)?

p.s.
? Is it likely that the 30Amp double pole (#8 and #10) IS the water heater? And is it likely that there is a 20Amp breaker (#13) that doesn't do anything?

Answer 1

It sounds like you have the numbering correct.

240v is the result of any L1 and L2 connection, the NEC requires the handles be tied, so a two pole breaker or adjacent breakers are required.

1 and 2 are L1 connections, 3 and 4 are L2 connections. I think it is possible somebody reversed the wires that are on #3 & #4. Swapping those two from the current position would make the breakers feeding 240v adjacent, and able to be connected (as required by code) with handle ties or preferably two-pole breakers. Why they aren't on handle tied breakers is less clear, may somebody removed the ties after finding they didn't properly disconnect the misaligned connection. The 11/14 connection would create 240v also, but an explaination of why misswired is less clear, maybe another 240v 12/13 was removed.

A typical 120/240v service is created with two opposing 120v legs, L1 and L2, and are built in a typical residential panel fashioned as two interlocking combs feeding horizontal breakers with the same leg. So when you look at the panel 1 and 2 are on L1, 3 and 4 are on L2, 5 and 6 are on L1, 7 and 8 are on L2, etc..

Any place you mount a two-pole breaker by design terminates in two side by side buses, and automatically attaches to the opposing legs.

P.S. The two-pole 30 could be a water heater. The amperage marking on the handle is the rating for maximum current (amps), it does not double for a two-pole connection. Amps are kinda like lanes of traffic. When you make a higher voltage (which is pressure/force) you essentially speed up the flow of electrons within the existing lanes, so you get more work done without needing to increase the wire or breaker size. If you need to use a breaker that allows more amps then you have to use thicker wire. It is also possible #13 is not connected now, my suspicion is it should go to the kitchen since you only show one of the two required 20A circuits that the code requires to feed kitchen countertop work surfaces.