60 amp circuit breaker with 14-50?

[ChrisianZ]

One more question: How do you calculate how many amps your breaker panel can hold? The main breaker says 200 amp. I just went down and looked. I have:
15 15amp breakers, 6 20amp breakers, 1 30amp breaker, 1 40amp breaker, and 1 50amp breaker right now.

 

[brkaus]

One more question: How do you calculate how many amps your breaker panel can hold? The main breaker says 200 amp. I just went down and looked. I have:
15 15amp breakers, 6 20amp breakers, 1 30amp breaker, 1 40amp breaker, and 1 50amp breaker right now.

Google “electric load calculator “ or “home electric load calculator “

It’s dependent on appliances, house size, etc.

I found this one -

Electrical Load Calculations for Residential Panel - Online Load Calculator

I do not vouch for its quality or accuracy.

 

[cct3]

If 40 amps went through it (which wont happen) it would be unsafely hot

 

[TexasEV]

One more question: How do you calculate how many amps your breaker panel can hold? The main breaker says 200 amp. I just went down and looked. I have:
15 15amp breakers, 6 20amp breakers, 1 30amp breaker, 1 40amp breaker, and 1 50amp breaker right now.

Google “load calculation”

 

[hacer]

I am going about 60 feet from the 200 amp panel to the garage. Can someone share the speed/charge difference between the Nema 15-50 mobile solution (without the $520 adapter) and the Wall Connector on a 60 amp line?

Using the cable supplied with your car you can charge at 32A. The Wall Connector with a 60A breaker will let you charge at 48A, which is the highest AC current that the car can take. It charges 48/32 = 1.5 times faster with the wall connector. Getting the $520 UMC would get you 40A, half way between the other two. Unless you have a long commute, the increased charging speed will rarely matter; but there is value in always having the UMC in the car with you without unplugging it all the time from the 14-50 outlet (which is not designed for thousands of insertions).

 

[SSedan]

Faster charging rarely matters at home, but when you need it you are glad you have it.
My Dad ended up in the hospital while I was on vacation, rushed home dropped off the wife and kids unloaded car while car was connected to 30amp circuit. Charge was so low the round trip to hospital would have left me with 5% so I went out of my way to hit a supercharger breifly. Got my Mom back to my place very late got a few hours sleep woke up to a car still charging and needing to run back up to the hospital my Dad was in, ended up hitting the supercharger again that day.
Two weeks later I ordered the wall connector. Had I had it earlier I would have avoided 2 supercharger stops while I wanted to be at the hospital.

This also gives you a backup charging solution. If you only have the supplied UMC and it is damaged or fails you have to come up with a solution fast. Wall connector fails you can still plug the UMC into an outlet of whatever sort is available.
120volt 15amp isn't a lot but it might get you by till the wall connector problem is sorted or maybe you can use a public 14-50 somewhere.

 

[ewoodrick]

Is it okay to put in a 60 amp circuit breaker with 14-50 and plug in a NEMA until I get the Tesla Connector for my long range M3?

This is a hell no situation. The breaker is sized to always be smaller than the weakest link in the system.

 

[cct3]

Have 14-50 outlet 50amp breaker. Am thinking of buying "corded mobile connector" for $520 which LR M3 will use for in garage charging so I always have the bagged UMC in car. Also wont be unplugging "corded mobile connector". Thinking "corded mobile connector" will allow M3 to charge at 40 amps. With UMC, charge current max is 32amp. Once I unplug UMC, can bring charge current up to 48amp max (no cables connected). My guess would be the cable connection speaks to the car telling it max charge rate so if I was instead to use "corded mobile connector" it would tell the car max is 40 amp. Hope my thinking isn't flawed

 

[brkaus]

Have 14-50 outlet 50amp breaker. Am thinking of buying "corded mobile connector" for $520 which LR M3 will use for in garage charging so I always have the bagged UMC in car. Also wont be unplugging "corded mobile connector". Thinking "corded mobile connector" will allow M3 to charge at 40 amps. With UMC, charge current max is 32amp. Once I unplug UMC, can bring charge current up to 48amp max (no cables connected). My guess would be the cable connection speaks to the car telling it max charge rate so if I was instead to use "corded mobile connector" it would tell the car max is 40 amp. Hope my thinking isn't flawed

Correct. The “connector” (which ever flavor) tells the car the maximum amount that can be used. The car then decides exactly how much to take, up to that maximum.

Personally, it get a WC over the corded connector. There is, of course, some disagreement this is allowed - but could add a 2ft properly rated pigtail to it and set it to 50a breaker.

The WC just has more future flexibility. I’m planning on adding a second for our second Tesla. Will share the same 50a breaker and auto adjust between the two cars.

 

[TexasEV]

Have 14-50 outlet 50amp breaker. Am thinking of buying "corded mobile connector" for $520 which LR M3 will use for in garage charging so I always have the bagged UMC in car. Also wont be unplugging "corded mobile connector". Thinking "corded mobile connector" will allow M3 to charge at 40 amps. With UMC, charge current max is 32amp. Once I unplug UMC, can bring charge current up to 48amp max (no cables connected). My guess would be the cable connection speaks to the car telling it max charge rate so if I was instead to use "corded mobile connector" it would tell the car max is 40 amp. Hope my thinking isn't flawed

The only flaw in your thinking is you’re wasting $520. There is no reason to keep the UMC in the car. Tens of thousands of Model S owners have had it plugged in and hanging in the wall of the garage for years, and only take it with them on long distance trips. There is no conceivable situation when you would need it in your car around town.

 

[cct3]

The only flaw in your thinking is you’re wasting $520. There is no reason to keep the UMC in the car. Tens of thousands of Model S owners have had it plugged in and hanging in the wall of the garage for years, and only take it with them on long distance trips. There is no conceivable situation when you would need it in your car around town.

I'm just thinking about the trips. And with supercharger, I am pretty sure I don't need anything extra. Only time it would come in handy would be if I went to visit somebody..

"Hi. Do you mind unplugging your dryer so I can park in your hallway to be close enough to plug in? Thanks!"

$520 for 20% faster charging and leaving UMC in trunk likely never to see the light of day is something I have to think about. Only a day in so still like a deer in headlights trying to figure out what to do.

 

[ucmndd]

I'm just thinking about the trips.

It’s very easy to unplug the UMC and take it with you for trips. I’ve done it probably 4 times in 2 years. The rest of the time it stays plugged in at home. At $500 for a second UMC, it surely isn’t worth $125 per trip for me to not have to go through the hassle of unplugging it.

 

[roblab]

Faster charging rarely matters at home, but when you need it you are glad you have it.

Yeah, but sometimes the cost/expense isn't worth the "fast". I have 32 amp and 24 amp outlets, WOOHOO, for my two Teslas. They take all night. For those who worry about having to make a second run to the hospital, I recommend Buy A Second Tesla. The scenario you paint is one in many thousands, and there's no charger closer than 30 miles from me. One car out of two is always charged enough to get most anywhere and back.

If I'd truly needed a quick lift to the hospital and both cars were empty (unlikely), we've got neighbors, friends, taxis or hitchhiking right outside my driveway. Rarely are both cars down to even 50%, and the 3 has a range of over 310 miles. Not many people use half that a day.

 

[TexasEV]

$520 for 20% faster charging and leaving UMC in trunk likely never to see the light of day is something I have to think about.

More specifically, it’s 20% faster charging when you don’t care about how long charging takes to finish because you’re asleep. It’s not like it would be 20% faster when you’re waiting for the car to charge, except in unusual circumstances of arriving home with an almost depleted battery and having to go out on a long trip again. I can’t say that’s ever happened to me in six years of owning Teslas, and if it did I could stop at a supercharger on the way.

 

[roblab]

Yeah, but sometimes the cost/expense isn't worth the "fast". I have 32 amp and 24 amp outlets, WOOHOO, for my two Teslas. They take all night. For those who worry about having to make a second run to the hospital, I recommend Buy A Second Tesla. The scenario you paint is one in many thousands, and there's no charger closer than 30 miles from me. One car out of two is always charged enough to get most anywhere and back.

If I'd truly needed a quick lift to the hospital and both cars were empty (unlikely), we've got neighbors, friends, taxis or hitchhiking right outside my driveway. Rarely are both cars down to even 50%, and the 3 has a range of over 310 miles. Not many people use half that a day.

If I only had one car (like I had for 6 years), it would be charged every time I pulled into the garage. Never had a reason to let it get to "10%".

 

[xcat]

Don’t see the issue with the 60 amp breaker on 50 amp outlet if all that is being plugged is the 32 amp UMC.

With the 60 amp preinstalled, adding the wall connector later down the road becomes DIY

 

[brkaus]

Don’t see the issue with the 60 amp breaker on 50 amp outlet if all that is being plugged is the 32 amp UMC.

With the 60 amp preinstalled, adding the wall connector later down the road becomes DIY

I know it’s unlikely, but if there is a short or something goes wrong with the UMC and it draws 55a. It could melt the outlet before the breaker trips.

If everything always worked as expected, we wouldn’t need breakers at all.

 

[cct3]

Based on feedback from more experienced people than I, Looks like I will stick with the UMC, no additional cord and just hope I remember to pack it on my first trip. Might not even need it on the trip but better safe than sorry. Thanks all for the feedback!

 

[brkaus]

@cct3 i think that’s a good choice. I’d just make sure to put wire in that would support 60a in the future. If installing wire.

 

[cct3]

@cct3 i think that’s a good choice. I’d just make sure to put wire in that would support 60a in the future. If installing wire.

House came pre-wired with 40amp breaker and place to install the 14-50. Electrician said wires could support 50 amp breaker so had him install it and the 14-50. Only cost me $250 and could have done it myself, but even though the job only took him less than 10 minutes, I had him order everything and put it in. Better safe than sorry. If new wire would have been needed to run, would have opted for the higher capacity, but as it is and with the decision not to go with the "corded mobile connector", I could have just left the 40 amp breaker there and then I probably would have wired the 14-50 outlet myself for about $15.