What Size Wire And Breaker Needed For A Heat Pump

Heat pumps and central air conditioners (Air conditioning) are excellent systems to relieve on energy within your dwelling house. They save you lot a ton of space, provide condolement and convenience, and are efficient units.

It is no wonder people opt to buy them in the first identify. However, one might wonder how many amp breakers you need for a heat pump.

A split heat pump or air conditioner has two separate electrical circuits, one for the outdoor unit (condenser) and the indoor unit (air handler or furnace). In that case, the chief electric panel contains two different amp breakers. Ane is for the indoor unit of measurement and the other for the oestrus pump condenser or air conditioner. Manufacturers listing the maximum breaker size on the data plate located on the side of both units.

Keep reading to observe out more information and what wire and breaker sizes are needed for your central cooling system. Y'all'll notice a lot of knowledgeable details from this article!

What is a Excursion Breaker?

Suppose you are unsure of what a circuit breaker is. In that case, a excursion breaker essentially puts safety on your device to forbid the motors and wiring from dissentious upwardly.

It becomes a cardinal hub for all the electric connections within your domicile.

A primary circuit breaker's power supply ranges from 100 to 200 amps and passes from a meter. You lot should run across a disconnection switch between the meter and the electrical panel.

Having a circuit breaker prevents the overload from occurring, making it safer of a domicile for you to alive in.

In other words, before an backlog corporeality of power happens, the excursion billow turns the power on and off, protecting many switches and devices that a circuit is on.

The only exception is the disconnection switch that turns the ability off and on to a machine or control panel.

A modern circuit breaker is within a metal box, and typically, the location is inside your home. However, sometimes they are outside of your firm.

If the breaker has a location within your residence, you might only see the door to the box because it is inside the wall.

How Many Breakers will You Need?

It is essential to know how many breakers yous volition need for a split heat pump or central AC in the first place. A regular heat pump requires 2 separate branch circuits: the condensing or AC unit and the air handler.

Given that data, the main power panel has two divide breakers for the air handler and the other one for the heat pump condenser.

What Size Breaker to use for a Heat Pump? (Tonnage Chart)

Depending on the size wire, you'll need to detect the breaker's size, which gives y'all the specific rating.

Not only that, but the amount of voltages the heat pump needs as well determines the size of the breaker.

If you are still unsure how to follow this guide, yous can apace look at the nameplate data on the outdoor unit.

In return, it makes it much easier to decide what size breaker you lot will need.

That information as well provides you with the maximum overcurrent protection or MOP rating.

Let the states say you have a 2-ton heat pump at domicile. In that instance, if yous have your boilerplate 240 volts 2 kW air handler, y'all will demand a 30 amp billow and a #10 electrical wire.

Wire gauges are measured in bore based on the American Wire Approximate (AWG) nautical chart.

The outdoor unit should specify the MCA (Minimum Circuit Ampacity) and MOCP (Maximum Overcurrent Protection) on its plate. The minimum ampacity helps decide the minimum gauge wire you demand to use.

Furthermore, nosotros accept provided tonnage tabular array charts below if y'all are a visual person and need a better reference.

AC Size	BTU	American Wire Gauge (AWG) Size	Billow Size
1 ton	12,000	14 gauge	15 amp
ane.5 ton	18,000	12 approximate	20 amp
2 ton	24,000	10 guess	25-30 amp
3 ton	36,000	eight gauge	30-40 amp
iv ton	48,000	6 gauge	fifty-60 amp
5 ton	sixty,000	iv gauge	60-70 amp
6 ton	72,000	2 gauge	eighty-xc amp
vii ton	84,000	1 estimate	100-125 amp

Breaker sizes and wire gauges vary depending on the manufacturer and model.
Residential systems are frequently limited to a maximum of v tons or lx,000BTU.

Why is Wire Size Important?

The wire size is essential because an overload can occur if it is not sized appropriately. If electrical wires become also hot, the insulation can cook on the inside, leading to a fire happening.

For example, suppose y'all have a relatively large heat pump with 24,000 BTU, nevertheless your wire is only a 12 gauge. In that case, this is a safety take chances.

Overload is ane of the many possibilities if you don't utilize the proper wire size, and incompatibility issues can be just as obvious. Yous can also throw unnecessary costs into the equation even more to the point.

For all these reasons, and more than, you'd want to attach to a mensurate twice cutting once mentality, peculiarly when safe and financial stability are the cost.

When calculating the wire size you need, don't forget to determine the voltage drib and wire chapters. Voltage driblet occurs across the length the electric current has to travel. On a 240-volt circuit, the voltage drop should non exceed 3% or near 233 volts.

In other words, the wire is slightly larger than the electrical current rating. For a 35-amp breaker, the running amps should exist effectually a maximum of 28 amps.

The amperage should not exist greater than 80% capacity. Breakers trip at around 125% of the amperage, so why is wire size such a big deal? In virtually cases, it's easier to replace a breaker than it is to pull a new wire. A wire with the more than electrical current than it'south rated for will get hot and trigger the breaker's thermal switch to trip, even at normal operating ranges.

As circuit breakers age and begin to wear out, the breaker tripping threshold erodes dorsum toward 100% of the breaker amp load and mayhap less. Replacing the breaker can be done relatively apace.

In the photograph case above, electrical requirements for this iii-ton American Standard unit require a minimum amperage rating of 25 Amps. Based on the above chart, this 3-ton air conditioner unit of measurement requires an eight-gauge wire and a maximum size of 35 amp circuit breaker.

Both the wire and breaker size fall within the parameters outlined above. Using a xxx-amp billow, eighty% of the amps is 24 running amps. So, you could get by with a 30 amp breaker. However, I'd still recommend the 8-gauge wire.

Using a 25-amp billow would likely trip frequently because the 80% dominion allows 20 running amps. The maximum load the 25-amp circuit breaker can handle is 31.25 amps (125% of the breaker amperage), likely to trip the billow frequently.

How Many Amps Does a Oestrus Pump or AC Use?

Equally we mentioned previously, it truly depends on the size of the rut pump. Here, we have created a nautical chart to help y'all better understand based on 1 to 5 heat pump unit draws.

This chart is based on a 230 volt and sixteen SEER. One affair to keep in mind is BTU / ((SEER*0.875) 10 Volt) = Amps.

Air-conditioning Capacity (Ton)	BTU	Amps
1	12,000	iii.73
1.5	18,000	5.59
2	24,000	seven.45
2.five	30,000	9.32
3	36,000	11.xviii
3.5	42,000	xiii.04
4	48,000	14.91
v	threescore,000	18.63

Air conditioners and heat pumps are necessary equipment in many homes to make things comfortable. When wiring them, it's crucially important to get things right for safety reasons and to reduce the number of electrical problems you'll have downwardly the road.

For a standard 3-ton residential air conditioner or heat pump, you'll need a twenty amp breaker with 12-gauge wire. Air conditioners smaller than 3 tons frequently employ a xv amp breaker with 14-gauge wire, while larger units can apply up to 60 amp breakers and 3-approximate aluminum wire or four-approximate copper wire.

There are many variables to consider when choosing a breaker and wiring an air conditioner (AC) in your home. It tin quickly become overwhelming if you're inexperienced in this sort of thing. Beneath we'll take a closer look at the unlike types of ACs and heat pumps to help yous choose the correct breaker and wire size.

Figuring out precisely how many amps your heat pump will use is a tricky question to reply. Unlike sized heat pumps generally volition provide y'all with varying amounts of amps used.

Withal, the easiest way to break downwardly these numbers would come down to what type of zone you are using.

The amps will change because of the different units and measurements used and accounted for. Even so, the numbers do remain relatively the same.

Given that information, a single zone estrus pump uses effectually 15 to 20 amps while a dual or tri-zone uses 20 to 30 amps or more.

Still, you may be wondering what exactly a single and dual-zone is in the first place. Let united states intermission it downwardly for you lot earlier we go any further.

Single zone: This oestrus pump is for using the machine for one outdoor or single condenser to the indoor head.

Multi-zone: Every bit you may accept already guessed, a multi-zone heat pump uses multiple indoor heads that connect to the outdoor condenser. These heads vary in size and create a comfort zone that allows you to absurd or heat specific spaces within your home or area.

Is the Circuit Breaker Size Listed on the Data Tag?

If you are like me and despise doing math on your own to notice out what breaker size you will need for your heat pump, the first place yous want to check out is the data tag.

Since tags provide a lot of data, you may be wondering if the breaker size is on it in the first place.

In that case, then yep, the correct breaker size amount has been listed on the information plate. The information in itself would be on the side of the condenser.

Some manufacturers provide minimum wire size and maximum breaker sizes, while others offer the maximum fuse or billow size y'all can utilise.

It'southward worth noting in that aforementioned regard that not all manufacturers are created equal, and as such, you may have boosted steps and information to sort through to detect that precious heat pump data tag.

Doing a quick search on the manufactYou'ds website might yield the answers you are looking for a footling shorter, merely put in the extra effort to ensure you have the exact name, brand, and model before going on your journey for clarity.

How to Read the Heat Pump Label?

At offset glance, sorting through the seemingly countless amounts of the information displayed on the label may look daunting.

Still, it gets much easier when you come up to the understanding that a vast majority of it isn't intended for your typical homeowner to grasp.

When looking at the label itself, there are truthfully merely near 9 of those labels that may be of any employ, assuming, of grade, you are non a certified electrician anyhow.

Below, we volition get over each of those nine dissimilar categories and explain their importance to you and why yous would need to accept that information on hand in the kickoff place.

1. Series Number

While initiallIt'spearing to be a cord of numbers, this sequence provides a few essential bits of information.

Still, the near notable of them would be that about manufacturers offer the manufactured year your condenser here.

In virtually cases, that number just so happens to exist the starting time or second pair of numbers appearing in the sequence.

However, some manufacturers employ letters and numbers instead. Building-Center.org is a skilful resource for determining the age of your HVAC and other mechanical equipment.

2. Model Number

Making its grand advent side by side would be the model number, which thankfully is made more evident than another more reclusive bits of information we will go over. From the model number, we can determine the size of rut pump y'all have.

The model number allows us to gleam the cooling chapters of this item heat pump by using two specific numbers located in the eye of this cord of numbers.

These two particular numbers are always divisible by six. They indicate the cooling chapters of your heat pump in tons, so hypothetically speaking, if that number were to say 24, pregnant that the BTU of your heat pump is 24,000.

You'd want to remove the thousands portion of the number and remember that every 12,000 BTU of cooling chapters equals precisely 1 ton. This tells us that the hypothetical 24,000 BTU heat pump has a cooling chapters of 2 tons.

Usually, you can also estimate the SEER rating from the model number as well.

iii. Whether or Not it is Factory Charged

On the smaller side of applied cognition, but it is readily bachelor too, this line indicates whether or not your pump is using the old R-22 refrigerant, which is slowly pulled from apportionment, or the newer, industry-standard R-410A.

four. Running Load Amperage, or RLA for Brusk.

In this part of the characterization, y'all get told just how many amps volition be pulled when you lot initially beginning your compressor's motor.

5. Locked Rotor Amperage, or LRA for Short

Hither you lot'll find out just how much electricity is required to offset the compressor itself.

While it may seem unimportant at first, the number itself is needed to know just how much electricity you would demand to run your entire arrangement off of a generator should the need arise.

It's imperative to note that you lot will need a generator that tin can handle several times the average amount of current required to kick kickoff things in the beginning identify.

In most cases, five times the average generated corporeality is sufficient only refer to your owner's manual for specific details regarding your estrus pump specifically.

Next, we will discuss the max billow size for a estrus pump or air-conditioning unit.

6. Maximum Amp Excursion Breaker or Fuse Size

Finally, nosotros come effectually to some static (no pun intended) consistent information, this indicates the maximum rating amount of electricity your amp circuit billow can handle before tripping, and this number is ever precisely double the amount of your RLA.

Fortunately, the max billow size (or information technology may say max fuse size) is included on the label. Some manufacturers include this for both US and Canada. Often the US and Canada maximum billow sizes are the same.

7. Date of Manufacture

Few times in life are the answers given to us chop-chop. When your manufacturer makes the oestrus pump, information technology tin very well be handed to you on a silvery platter without going through the tedious process of decoding those two seemingly random numbers in the serial number we discussed.

Should you lot be lucky enough to have a estrus pump with merely such a characterization, and so count yourself lucky. More frequently than not, this data is located directly below a barcode for reference, merely this may not always be the case. Most manufacturers insert the twelvemonth in a ii-digit form in the serial number.

eight. Cooling Air Conditioner or Oestrus Pump

Fifty-fifty if you are a master electrician and tin distinguish between the ii with a passing glance, having the title given to y'all is always pleasant.

Here your labeling volition tell you whether or non the unit you are looking at is an Air-conditioning, or its slightly more than free energy-efficient cousin, the oestrus pump.

You lot can also peer within the condenser to see if the reversing valve is there. If it has a reversing valve, it is a estrus pump. Air conditioners do not take a reversing valve.

9. Name of the Manufacturer

Bringing things total circumvolve, we come to the last bit of info required, and sometimes the easiest to institute, merely who built the production yous are looking at.

Typically this is in tiny print and can either exist the full name or something abbreviated, merely you will have some style of indication every bit to who made the product here.

Circuit Breaker Requirements Based On Unit Tonnage

It is standard to measure out air conditioner and heat pump size based on tonnage. When choosing a unit for your home, you'll often see ACs and estrus pumps ranging from 0.v tons up to 5 tons, and sometimes fifty-fifty larger. But what exactly does information technology mean when an Air conditioning unit of measurement is "one ton," and how does that assistance choose breaker size?

Regarding HVAC units, a ton refers to the amount of air a organisation tin can absurd in a single hour. In regards to rut, one ton equals eleven,917 British Thermal Units (BTU) per hr, oft rounded upwardly to a flat 12,000 BTU/60 minutes. 12,000 BTU/hour can more often than not cool 500 to 600 square feet.

Now that you know a little nigh how to measure air conditioner and heat pump capacity, let'due south look at the different common tonnages for these units and what breaker size each requires.

Unit Size (tons)	Draw (Amps)	BTU/Hour	Cooling Surface area (sq. ft)	Breaker Size (Amps)
1	4-8	12,000	500-600	15
i.5	6-12	18,000	750-900	xv
2	8-xvi	24,000	i,000-one,200	fifteen-twenty
ii.5	10-20	thirty,000	one,250-1,500	20-30
3	12-24	36,000	1,500-i,800	20-30
three.5	14-28	42,000	1750-2,100	30-40
four	fifteen-xxx	48,000	ii,000-ii,400	30-forty
v	xix-38	60,000	2,500-3,000	forty-60

Breaker Sizes for Different Size AC and Estrus Pump Units

At that place are a wide variety of air conditioners and heat pumps on the marketplace, so it should come every bit no surprise that at that place are many variables to consider when choosing a billow size for your unit. There are iii main types of air conditioners and heat pumps used in residential buildings:

Central
Mini-divide
Window

Each air conditioner type has unlike power requirements. Central systems frequently require the most power, while window units require the least.

Unit Type	BTU/Hr	Billow Size (Amps)	Typical Voltage
Cardinal AC	24,000-60,000	20-lx	220V
Mini-Split Air conditioning	12,000-24,000	15-20	220V
Window AC	6,000-12,000	15	110V

Primal Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps

Most modern homes built in the last few decades accept a central ac arrangement or estrus pump. A primal organisation cools or heats air at a central compressor unit and then distributes the cooled air throughout the residence through ductwork.

Central air conditioners and oestrus pumps are some of the largest units that you'll find in a residential home. They typically range from 2 tons (24,000 BTU/hour) to 5 tons (sixty,000 BTU/hour), though some larger and smaller units are available. About central units run on 220V or the equivalent.

The circuit breaker requirements for cardinal air-conditioning systems vary widely depending on the unit'south size. For a typical central air conditioner or heat pump, await to need a breaker between 15 to 60 amps. Smaller two-ton key units need a 20 amp breaker, while larger 5-ton units often require a 60 amp billow.

The exact billow size that you demand primarily depends on your air conditioner, so make sure to check the requirements usually printed on the compressor unit of measurement or consult the tabular array above.

Mini-Split up Air Conditioners and Rut Pumps

Mini-split air conditioners and estrus pumps are very pop and excellent at cooling a relatively minor infinite, at least compared to a primal Air-conditioning system. Mini-separate ACs have an outdoor compressor unit of measurement and an indoor evaporator unit, with refrigerant and electrical lines running between the two.

Mini-split air conditioners and heat pumps come up in various sizes, only you can more often than not find units betwixt 1 ton (12,000 BTU/hour) and 2 tons (24,000 BTU/hr). They don't have about the capacity of a central air conditioning unit, but a 2-ton mini-split up can still cool areas up to almost 1,200 square feet. Most mini-dissever units run on 220V or the equivalent.

While at that place are modest and larger mini-split units, most fall into the range of i to 2 tons. Subsequently, you can utilize a 15 amp excursion breaker for nearly mini-splits, though you may need to use a 20 amp billow for some of the larger units. You can oft observe verbal requirements for breaker size printed on your mini-carve up compressor unit.

Window Air Conditioners and Estrus Pumps

Window air conditioners and heat pumps are incredibly portable, easy to install, and free energy-efficient, so it's no surprise that they are very pop. Most of the time, you'll find a window unit prepare in a window opening and plugged into a regular 110V/120V outlet.

Window units are some of the smallest air conditioners and heat pumps that you lot can purchase, excluding portable units, of course. Window air conditioners and heat pumps can typically manage up to 500 square feet and range from 0.five tons (half-dozen,000 BTU/hour) to ane ton (12,000 BTU/hr).

With a power draw of near iv-eight amps, you don't need a large circuit breaker for window units. A standard 15 amp billow is sufficient for a window air conditioner or heat pump in almost every case.

Wire Requirements for Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps

Every bit of import every bit choosing the right breaker for your air conditioner or heat pump is choosing the correct wire gauge. You typically measure out wire guess according to the American Wire Estimate, often abbreviated to AWG.

Below is a quick reference table to aid you decide what wire gauge is best for your situation based on your circuit breaker size:

Breaker Size (Amps)	Aluminum Wire Size (AWG)	Copper Wire Size (AWG)
15	#12	#fourteen
twenty	#ten	#12
30	#8	#x
twoscore	#half-dozen	#8
50	#6	#8
threescore	#iv	#6

The to a higher place table is by no means a definitive guide to which wire approximate you should employ, merely it is a good dominion-of-thumb. If yous're e'er unsure, error on the side of caution and utilize a larger wire gauge than you lot recollect you need to exist on the safe side.

Small mini-split systems and window units oft require a 15 amp breaker, then a 12-approximate aluminum wire or a xiv-gauge copper wire is usually suitable. Larger mini-split systems and key air conditioners or rut pumps utilize much larger breakers, so make sure to apply an appropriately smaller wire gauge.

If you're unsure whether the wire you're using is copper or aluminum, wait at the wire'southward outer insulation, where it's frequently labeled. You tin as well cutting the ends of the wire to bank check information technology visually: copper wire is gold dark-brown, while wire made from aluminum is ho-hum grayness. Ever cheque the inside of the wire and not the outside to see past any blanket or wrapping.

How to Detect Your Air conditioning or Heat Pump'due south Ideal Billow and Wire Size

So far, we've discussed the general breaker and wire sizes that yous should employ for unlike air conditioners and heat pump units. But what about your specific unit of measurement and situation? Luckily, y'all can observe this out pretty quickly with all of the higher up information and past looking at a label on your compressor unit.

Notice Your Unit'south Minimum Ampacity – There should be a white characterization with black lettering on your air conditioner or heat pump's compressor unit of measurement (the outdoor unit). Check the label to find your specific unit's minimum ampacity. It's ofttimes given in amps and labeled "Minimum Circuit Ampacity."
Observe Your Unit'southward Maximum Ampacity – Again, wait on your AC or heat pump's compressor unit for the label to find the minimum ampacity. Information technology'southward often given in amps and labeled "Overcurrent Protective Device Max."
Choose the Correct Billow Size – Choose a circuit breaker that tin can handle more than amps than the minimum ampacity but non one that'southward over your unit of measurement's maximum ampacity.

For case, suppose that a unit'due south minimum ampacity is 42 amps and its maximum is 60 amps. In this example, you should utilise a 50 amp breaker because it is the next step higher up the minimum ampacity merely still below the maximum ampacity. Use 6-judge aluminum wire or 8-gauge copper wire.

Practice Air-conditioning Units and Heat Pumps Need Double-Pole Breakers?

Double-pole circuit breakers often look similar two single-pole breakers fused together. A double-pole billow has two hot wires with 1 neutral wire. If either of the hot wires causes the circuit to trip, both switch off. A double pole breaker can handle 2 120V circuits, only you use them more than oftentimes for a single 220V circuit.

Most large air-conditioning units and rut pumps run on 220V and require their own circuit with a double-pole excursion breaker. Smaller window units can run on 120V, so you could put one on a single-pole breaker using only 1 of the hot wire slots.

What If You Don't Use the Right Size Breaker or Wire?

Now that you know a trivial nigh wiring air conditioners and heat pumps using the right size wire and circuit breaker, you're probably wondering: "What if I don't do it correct?" This question is a valid concern for many amateurs working on their home's electric, so let's take a look.

Incorrect Wire Size

Choosing the correct wire gauge for the amount of power going to your air conditioner or rut pump is crucial to get right. Information technology can go confusing if yous're not careful considering lower gauge wire tin handle more power than higher guess wire.

Lower

If you apply a lower gauge wire for an air conditioner or heat pump, everything should exist completely fine. Information technology'south better to use a lower judge wire over a higher one because it can handle more current than necessary and keeps things running smoothly.

For instance, if your unit's minimum ampacity markings say it needs 35 amps, half-dozen-approximate aluminum or 8-gauge copper wire would be sufficient. Withal, using a smaller 4-gauge aluminum or 6-gauge copper wire would exist just fine.

Higher

Using a college gauge wire for an air conditioner or heat pump tin be catastrophic, and y'all should avoid making this mistake at all costs. A college judge wire that cannot handle the supplied current is a significant fire adventure.

For example, if a unit's power needs require you to use 8-gauge wire, but instead you use 12-guess wire, it can cause severe problems.

Incorrect Breaker Size

Whether it's accidental or you simply don't take the proper hardware on mitt, here is what happens if yous put in an improper breaker when wiring an air conditioner unit.

Lower

If yous install a circuit billow with a lower amperage capacity than your air conditioner or heat pump requires, information technology can be a massive headache. While installing a lower amp breaker usually doesn't present a prophylactic issue, information technology will cause the breaker to trip virtually constantly.

For example, if your wiring and unit require yous to install a 30 amp breaker, but you lot install a 20 amp one, information technology will continuously trip and make using your air conditioner most incommunicable.

College

Using a higher amp breaker than the recommended size can cause serious problems. Information technology will allow more than power than expected before tripping, causing your wiring to melt and potentially start a fire. Withal, if your wiring is the correct judge to handle the power and your unit has congenital-in overcurrent protection, things should be fine.

For example, suppose your wiring is 10-gauge, and yous're supposed to install a 20 amp billow, but instead, you put in a 50 amp one. The wiring is not strong enough to handle the added electric current and can be a astringent burn down gamble.

Decision

Understanding the intricacies of your HVAC system, the wiring, and the subtle other nuances that make information technology work can be complicated and far as well much work for some people.

If you e'er feel overwhelmed or simply out of depth, consider consulting a professional for fifty-fifty more in-depth guidance.