Wiring Multiple Heaters To One Thermostat
Understanding How It Works.
Can I Use Multiple Heaters With Just One Thermostat?
The short answer is YES, you can wire multiple heaters to one thermostat, but it depends on several factors to ensure your circuit can handle the load. Most of the time people want to wire multiple heaters to one thermostat because they have a larger room with multiple heaters in it or maybe an open-concept living space where a living room and dining room are one large area. Having one thermostat to control both heaters will work just fine because you’re heating one larger space. However, it is important to keep in mind it is not recommended to connect more than one heater from different rooms to a single thermostat because the temperature in both rooms would be determined by the temperature of where the thermostat is located, which is not ideal. Doing so would defeat the advantages of creating the zone-based heating that electric heat is known for. With zone-based heating you heat each room independently, which maximizes individual comfort and minimizes the electric bill. So how do you hook up multiple heaters to one thermostat?
IMPORTANT: The number of heaters you can connect to one thermostat depends on your circuit size and wiring
The number of heaters that you can safely wire to one thermostat will depend on the size of your breaker in the electrical box, what type of wiring you are using and the wattage of the individual heaters. Typically 240V circuits are recommended for connecting multiple heaters one thermostat because 240V operates at lower amperage. A 240-volt circuit running on a 20-amp, double-pole breaker, can have any combination of heaters up to 3,840 watts. For example, using just one thermostat, you can install:
- Two 1,500 watt heaters, or
- Three 1,000 watt heaters, or
- Five 750 watt heaters
Refer to the chart below for other circuit breaker sizes and the maximum wattage allowed.
All heaters must be wired in parallel. You can either do that by connecting each heater to the thermostat directly, or by connecting each heater to the next — just be sure that each heater is connected to the source wires. Refer to the wiring diagram above.