Wiring Electric Baseboard heater

I see someone else had this same question a while back. I am replacing a thermostat for my baseboard heater. I thought I connected the wires the same way the other thermostat was wired, but when I turn up the thermostat the breaker trips. Inside the electrical box the wires are marked correctly (line & load). Now my question. Which wires go where? I have two black and two red on the thermostat. Where should the line wires go? Where should the load wires go? Red or Black?

Thanks in Advance

PM Steve

Is the heater 240v?

You should have two wires coming in from the breaker (black and red for 240v or black and white for 120v..."line") and those get hooked up two wires on the thermostat and then the other two wires from the thermostat should get hooked up to the two wires on the heater ("load"). Pretty simple. But it sound like maybe you got the wrong thermostat? Sounds like maybe you got a 240v thermostat and you need a 120v thermostat. Need more info. Is the breaker a double pole or single pole? What color wires come out of the breaker which goes to the heater?

If the heater is 220V, and it sounds as though it is based on the wire colors, the red and black from the breaker panel go on the terminals marked LINE. The red and black from the heater element go on the terminals marked LOAD.

You should have one of EACH color on each set of terminals.

I'm trying to help a cousin out. He has some 240 volt baseboard heaters installed and wired--incorrectly. He has 12-2 run from the panel to the heater and then 12-2 run from the heater to the thermostat box located by the light switch. I cannot think of any way to make this work--aside from re-pulling wire from the panel to the thermostat switch box. Any ideas?

Is there a way to pull another set of wires from the heater to the themostat?

You could then connect one set from the thermostat to the ones running from the breaker, then use the other set to run from the thermostat to the heater.

I wonder if anyone makes wireless thermostats? Put a contol box at the heater and control it with a wireless connection from the remote thermostat.

Gary,

Thanks for your reply. After talking it around today with some other electricians, I'm going to go ahead and just break one leg at the thermostat. I'd rather break both legs but it's fairly common practice around here to do just one. I'd have wired it differently--but alas, I wasn't there for the rough-in. Thanks again.

Gregg

Gary, I have seen wireless thermostats but they were 120 not 240. Of course a good relay powered by the output of the 120VAC t'stat would make it capable of handling 240VAC. Wireless T'stats are often used in conjunction with gaas log sets. There is a "wand" (remote control) for turning the fan off and on and for turning the heater on and off. The wand is the thermostat and so yo have to be smart about where you put it down when not actually in your hand making a change.

A 240VAC baseboard would not be difficult to control with one of the wireless kits as used with the gas log sets If the DIY person is electrically savvy and can add a relay with contacts sized for the load.

Pat