Electric hot water tank wiring


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Old 03-04-15, 08:14 AM
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Electric hot water tank wiring

My mother lost her free gas, so I bought an electric hot water heater for her. I ran the 10-2 from the box, went to wire it up, and when I opened the metal plate covering the wires on top of the heater, I found 2 green wires instead of one. One is screwed into the metal dish where the wires come out of the heater, the other goes down through the grommet into the heater, along with the red and black wires. I haven't seen this before...just want to get the wires hooked up correctly. The manual for the heater only shows one green ground wire...
Does one get attached by screw to the metal cover that goes over the wires, and the other attached to the ground from the box?
I have a pic, but don't know how to attach it here, if that's even possible.
thanks!
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:17 AM
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Ok, here's a picture

Name:  elec tank.jpg
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Old 03-04-15, 08:18 AM
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All of the grounds should be connected together with a wirenut and the one should be connected to the metal frame / box.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:26 AM
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So I'm clear... I just wire nut the 2 green wires shown, and the bare ground from the breaker box gets screwed to the metal plate that will cover the dish?
Thanks!
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:31 AM
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Was that green ground maybe originally a single wire that someone cut for some reason? Is that why I don't see a diagram showing 2 green wires?
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:34 AM
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Was that a used heater?
Geo
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:38 AM
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Yes, but in great shape, only about 2 years old.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 10:25 AM
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I just wire nut the 2 green wires shown, and the bare ground from the breaker box gets screwed to the metal plate that will cover the dish?
No, read IBPooks statement again.

ibpooks
All of the grounds should be connected together with a wirenut and the one should be connected to the metal frame / box.
ALL the grounds are connected together; that's 2 green and 1 bare.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 10:26 AM
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Wire ALL the grounds together under one wire nut. You do not need to make a separate connection to the tank as the ground wire does that for you.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 10:47 AM
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It's hard to see in your picture but the green tail is already attached to the metal cup.

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Old 03-04-15, 02:22 PM
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One wire is already connected for you connect it and the other green going into the heater with the ground in the feed cable.
Geo
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:10 PM
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Got it. Thanks for the advice guys.
 
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Old 03-04-15, 08:51 PM
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So you are now up to your knees in hot water?
 
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Old 03-05-15, 04:05 AM
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Only when I stand in the bathtub.
:-)
 
 

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