[rovo]

I'm thinking of rewiring some old baseboard electric heaters that were damaged during a recent flood (hurricane Sandy). I had to remove the heaters to get behind them to replace the wallboard. These are circa 1960 baseboard heaters and I very much like the construction of them but the wiring is shot.

Each baseboard unit consists of two or three heating elements wired in parallel and sourced by 240 VAC. The ratings are 1150 watts for the two element units and 2200 watts for the three element units.

I have resistance checked the elements and they all appear to be in good order. By this I mean the resistances all match and are about what one would calculate for the rated wattages.

The wiring of concern is used to connect the multiple heating elements within the metal case. I can not read any wire ratings on these wires. They appear to be 12 awg which would make sense. My concern is about the temperature rating of the wiring I use to replace the broken, frayed, destroyed OEM wiring.

Does anyone know the code requirements for wiring used within a baseboard heater?

[tkrussell]

Any electrical equipment or wiring that has been soaked in water cannot be re-used, or re-wired, and need to be replaced with new.

[hfcarson]

Along with TK's concerns, I would be surprised if there was any actual data available for a 50 year old appliance. I would be hesitant to do anything without the manufacturer's recommendation for the wire type appropriate for replacement.
I you wish to accept this liability, there are conductors available and rated for many very severe heat and corrosion applications...
I expect a few new heaters to be far less expensive...

[rovo]

Along with TK's concerns, I would be surprised if there was any actual data available for a 50 year old appliance. I would be hesitant to do anything without the manufacturer's recommendation for the wire type appropriate for replacement.
I you wish to accept this liability, there are conductors available and rated for many very severe heat and corrosion applications...
I expect a few new heaters to be far less expensive...

Thank you for your input. New heaters would be the less expensive route to take but these old units are really built very well with cast aluminum heating elements instead of the paper thin fins on the new units. They take a while to heat up but also take a while to cool down, thus giving fewer cycles and a nice even temperature within the room.

[tkrussell]

Use the old flooded heaters at your own risk.