ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Hot water heater with one wire!

Long shot, but if the element(s) were served at 120V, they would operate at ¼ power {E²/R} so for a 4500W element, you’d see 1125W. It would heat the water, but take a lot longer. {I remember removing an ancient 500W storage water heater a few decades ago. The home had been served 2-wire 120V. Guess it was never considered a “fast recovery” unit.}