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I am looking to install 240v electric baseboard heaters which will be fed with 12-2 on 20 amp breakers. I did my amperage calculation 4000/240v = 16.6 amps. So with that said I can run all my heaters on one 20 amp breaker considering you are allowed 18 amps on a 20 amp breaker per IRC 2009 code.

1st question: However, does anyone know if there is code against feeding from one room to another (piggyback) my feed from the thermostat to the next room.

These heaters will be installed in 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and a walk in closet.

2nd question: Is GFCI circuit breakers required for these heaters? From what I gather from the IRC 2009 Code any equipment ran with 220v does not need GFCI breakers. Or am I wrong? Thank you in advance.

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  • @ChiefTwoPencils Yes you can, you can get a 2 pole GFCI breaker. Although I'm pretty sure you don't need one for this application.
    – Ariel
    Jan 22, 2015 at 0:34
  • @Ariel, I didn't say they don't have 2-pole GFCIs, I haven't used or come across one that's strictly 240V only 120/240; I found one though - thanks.
    – ChiefTwoPencils
    Jan 22, 2015 at 4:12
  • @ChiefTwoPencils I don't understand your distinction. To get 240V you just have two 120V breakers. You can use this GFCI either as 240V (between hots) or 120V (hot to neutral) and the GFCI function will work correctly.
    – Ariel
    Jan 22, 2015 at 6:59
  • @Duane No one answered you. I don't know code well enough to answer you, but from a safety point of view what you describe sounds fine, and you don't need a GFCI. Just make sure your thermostat is rated for the amount of power you are going to put into it.
    – Ariel
    Jan 22, 2015 at 6:59
  • One thing that is not clear is if the the four heaters are a total of 4000W or if they are 4000W each. If each heater is 4000W then you will need a separate wired circuit for each heater.
    – Michael Karas ♦
    Jan 22, 2015 at 12:15

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