If a technician reads 70 amps to a single-phase heater with a supply voltage of 230 volts AC, approximately how many BTUs is the furnace producing?

To calculate the BTU output of an electric heating system, the formula used is:

[ \text{BTUs} = \text{Volts} \times \text{Amps} \times \text{Efficiency Factor} ]

For electric heating, the efficiency factor can typically be considered as 1 because electric heaters are nearly 100% efficient in converting electrical energy into heat.

In this case, using the provided values:

• The voltage is 230 volts.
• The current is 70 amps.

Plugging these values into the formula gives:

[ \text{BTUs} = 230 \text{ volts} \times 70 \text{ amps} ]

Calculating this yields:

[ \text{BTUs} = 16,100 \text{ watts} ]

Since 1 watt is equivalent to approximately 3.412 BTUs, you should multiply the wattage by this factor:

[ \text{BTUs} = 16,100 \text{ watts} \times 3.412 \text{ BTUs/watt} \approx 54,949 \text{ BTUs} ]

This calculation shows that the furnace is producing approximately 54,949 BTUs, making