Servicing should only be performed by a Qualified Service Agent
17
OPERATION & SERVICE
Heating Element Wiring
This section will provide more detailed information on heating elements and how they are
wired in single phase, three phase Delta and three phase Y configurations. See “Single And
Three Phase Power” on page 12.
Six and Three Wire Heating Elements
Depending on how a water heater is ordered and factory configured it will be equipped with
heating elements that have six wiring leads or three wiring leads. Six wire elements can be
used with single or three phase power. Three wire (also called Y configured) heating
elements are used with three phase power only.
Each heating element has 3 loops, each loop is a resistive circuit see “Heating Element
Construction” on page 16. Six wire heating elements have a wire lead connected to both
ends of the three loops. Three wire heating elements (Y configured) have a metal bar that
joins or splices together one end from each of the three loops and a wire lead connected to
the remaining end of each loop. See the illustrations below.
See also pages 18 - 22 for details on wiring between the heating elements and contactors.
Six wiring leads,
one at both ends
of each loop.
Three wiring leads,
one at one end
of each loop.
Metal bar that joins
or splices together
one end of each loop.
Six Wire Element
Single & Three Phase Power
Three Wire Element - Y Configured
Three Phase Power Only
Metal bar that joins
or splices together
one end of each loop.
Three wiring leads.
Six wiring leads.
