Which wire is hot on a water heater?

Electric hot water heaters typically require a dedicated 30-amp, 240-volt breaker. The wire supplying power from the breaker panel to your water heater will usually be a 10/2 Romex cable (Blk wire- hot, Marked White wire – hot, Bare copper wire – ground).Click to see full answer. Hereof, does it matter which wire goes where on a hot water heater element?Reconnect and secure the electrical wires to the new heater element terminals. No, it does not matter which wire goes to which heating element terminal in this case – electricity can flow in either direction.One may also ask, does a hot water heater need a neutral? At this time, the conventional hot water heater does not require a neutral, however that will most likely change. Neutral wires are required for other 220volt and 240 volt appliances that have electronic controls that require a dedicated neutral, which is included with the 4wire cord. Also question is, can I use 10 3 wire for a hot water heater? With a 10/3 conductor. But there’s no neutral connection on the water heater just a ground. In a cable assembly it is still code compliant to re-identify the white as a hot conductor. In conduit you would need to use the proper colors for the hots.What happens if you wire a water heater backwards?If it is piped backwards, the dip tube will take the water from the bottom of the tank. This will be hot to begin with and then it will be cool as soon as the cooler heavier water coming into the top of the tank to replace the hot water gets a chance to descend to the bottom.