I just received a message in my Messenger from a known friend. She is worried about the outlet of her single point, wall mounted Water Heater.that just got burned. She called an electrician to check the problem and the electrician suggested replacing the burnt outlet with a circuit breaker.,
What is the problem?
Water Heater consumes a higher load compared to other common appliances or utility equipments in our home. Because of this, a higher rating of wires, outlet devices, and overload protective devices or circuit breakers are required enough to carry the current and ensure safety upon its use. In this case, I suspect that the outlet device used is underrated. It won't burn or melt instantly because the time of use for the water heater is intermittent. It takes time to for the element plate to deteriorate until it can no longer handle the heat produced in it.
It is also possible that there is loose contact between the terminal and the inserted wire. It may also be possible that the strand of wires was lessened just to be able to insert the wire easily, which is not permitted. Correct installation and good workmanship are very important in electrical installations. Safety of an electrical system relies on this, in addition to proper material specifications.
Outlet devices to be used for water heaters must have a rating capable of carrying the current drawn by the appliance.load. Using an underrated device will surely cause a problem anytime and the worst thing is that it can be a possible source of fire.
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