How do i wire 2pole sqare d breaker for 240v water heater?

Question

do i have the right wire? i dont know. breaker has two connector screws for red and black wires. And the box has a bus bar and a ground bar. Thats 4 wires right? the water heater has a black and red wire and a ground s***w. that equals 3. i dont get it. which wires go where. I have the right breaker and the wire is rated 600v romex. do i just use 3 of the 4 wires. which and how. I dont want to fry anything. and yes i turn all the power off at the box under the electrical meter outside. I'm thinking that i wire red to red. black to black. and (green)ground to ground. will that do it. what about the white and bus bar. confused?

Answer 1

the neutral bus bar is used to attach a neutral wire coming from the breaker. if it doesn't have one, you don't attach to neutral bar. the 3 connections are made as you said: red to red, black to black, ground to water heater ground, and ground bar in panel.

Answer 2

I can't picture exacty what your looking at but to be sure get a meter and make sure the correct voltage exists where it should,the ground is connected,and the breaker opens the voltage to the water heater.Two hots and a ground is all that is required for the water heater to work and be safe.

Answer 3

The heater is a 240 volt unit and has no neutral (white) wire. The red and black wires go to the breaker. The bare wire goes to the ground buss in the service panel (the buss with all the other bare copper leads attached.) At the heater end you can connect red to red, black to black and the bare copper to the heater ground or frame. You don't say what wire guage you plan to use. Usually a domestic water heater requires #10 AWG copper wire