Intermatic WH40 Timer and Clock Motor 240v to 120v

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Bill Berry

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I bought and installed a 20 gallon Whirlpool water heater with a 1500 watt heating element. I successfully converted the existing wiring in the panel from two poles to one pole, made the change in the WH40 timer, everything in regards to the water heater works great. Short of changing out the clock motor is there a way for the clock motor to run successfully with the conversion to 120 volts? I have the WH40 (104) with the manual lever..."The Little Gray Box". Thank you!
 

Reach4

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There are step-up transformers/converters that will convert 120 to 240.
 

Bill Berry

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There are step-up transformers/converters that will convert 120 to 240.

I've made the change from 240 to 120 from the panel to the timer and the timer to the water heater; it's the clock motor that won't work. Do I need to change the motor for one specific for 120 or can the 208-277 motor work with 120; I'm aware the timer can be found on eBay for about $20 and Amazon for about $25. Doesn't make sense to replace the whole darn thing mechanism to accommodate the clock. Just trying to save about $35 to $40 here. But I'm also trying to save electricity; the timer on the old system saved me a solid $40 a month on power. I grant you 1500 watts is a good bit less than the old 3500 watt heater I had, but I do my level best to save power the old fashion way. Thanks!
 

Reach4

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I was only focusing on how to make a 240 volts AC clock motor work from available 120 volts AC.

I don't understand the rest of the project.
 

Bill Berry

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Buy a suitable timer. IOW, replace the one you have.[/QUOT

I have a WH "Little Gray Box" Water Heater Timer; it has a WG1573 clock motor that runs on 208-277 volt; can the motor be made to accept 120 volts or do I need to replace it with a 120 volt compatible clock motor; is this my only option short of replacing the whole thing. I understand the motor costs about $20. I just want to know can the motor run on 120 volts; thanks!
 

Bill Berry

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I think I have a solution....I wire the water heater timer like the old one...on 240 volts and dual pole; that way the clock motor will work on 240 volt, but the water heater will be wired on L1, Neutral, and Ground, no L3. That should work, yes?
 

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I think I have a solution....I wire the water heater timer like the old one...on 240 volts and dual pole; that way the clock motor will work on 240 volt, but the water heater will be wired on L1, Neutral, and Ground, no L3. That should work, yes?
Yes. What is your reason for wiring the WH heating elements with 120 VAC to begin with?
 

Bill Berry

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Yes. What is your reason for wiring the WH heating elements with 120 VAC to begin with?
I have a Whirlpool 20 gallon 1500 watt water heater. I simply removed the 2nd hot from the circuit breaker in the panel to the neutral bar and did the same thing on the timer end. There's no way within code to wire a timer for 240 and go out it on 120; the only thing I can do is change the clock motor so it will run on 120 or change the entire mechanism out which includes a clock or buy a brand new one for $50 or so bucks at Home Depot or Amazon.
 

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I figured it out...I do NOT want to have to buy a 120 volt water heater timer or a new 120 volt clock motor. The 23 year old water heater I removed is a 240 volt tank; thus from the service panel to the timer and then to the tank was wired 240. I discovered over the past few days, there are a number of options available. One, was to buy a 120 volt water heater timer like the Intermatic T101 or just the WG1570 120 volt clock motor or re-run a 10-3 wire to the timer which has a neutral and that's the key to all of this. One web site suggested run a single neutral wire from the neutral bar to the timer and while that works, what I don't know is whether that's code. I temporarily took some 10-2 peeled back the hot and the ground and screwed the white neutral into the panel at the neutral bar and ran it loose to the "A" tab on the timer, turned everything on...I have 240 going to the clock motor and 120 going to the water heater; problem solved! It's just a question of how to run the wire. Do I run a new 10-3 to the timer through the wall or under the house and back in or take only the white neutral wire and run it from the neutral bar that basically goes from 10-2 to 10-3; I just don't know if that's code, which I've got bets it's not. It does work, I have 120 volts going to the water heater; I just need to know; thanks!
 
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