How to Install an Electric Baseboard Heater

Baseboard heaters are more productive and less expensive than furnaces. Baseboard heaters can also cut down on heating costs. They are not difficult to install if you carefully follow the steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver
• Wire snips
• Thermostat for each heater
• 220 wire
• Tape measure
• Drill
• ½-inch wood bit for drill
• 30-amp breakers for each heater
• Pencil
• Screws
• Level

1. Shut the power off at the breaker box. Use a tape measure to find the center of the wall where the heater will be installed. Use a pencil to mark the center of the heater and check the balance with a level.

2. Attach the heater to the wall and then attach the thermostat by matching the color-coded wires. The color coding is black for hot, white for negative and copper for the ground wire.

3. Drill with a ½-inch wood bit into the floor closest to the thermostat. Measure the wire from the heater to the breaker box. Cut wire by the measurement. Run the color-coded wires to the breaker box.

4. Attach the color-coded wires and the ground wire into the breaker box.

5. Turn off the heater's thermostat and then set the breaker to the On position.

Tips & Warnings

• It is best to install your electric baseboard heater under a window. The cold air from the window mixes with the warm air from the heater and circulates throughout the house.
• If you are installing your electric baseboard heater under a window, keep all furniture and drapes a minimum of 12 inches away from the heater to prevent fires. Make sure there are no electrical receptacles above the heater.

Resources

• Easy DIY Electricity