8/3 8AWG solid wire

[alexcheng]

Anyone knows where I can find 6/3 or 8/3 solid wires? Most supply house only carry stranded wire, not solid

 

[MattM24]

Not sure that exists. What for?

 

[gr8tdane24]

Same - never seen wire with solid conductors of that gauge other than uninsulated grounding wire. I checked McMaster Carr and if they don't have it, nobody probably does. I imagine it would be quite unmanageable to pull/route due to how stiff it would be.

 

[Ogre]

I've seen it. Can't say where to buy it or why you'd want it for other than the shortest runs.

As above, seems like it would be super hard to work with unless it was very short.

 

[alexcheng]

Not sure that exists. What for?

Home charging for Model Y. Have NEMA 14-50 wall outlet.

 

[alexcheng]

I've seen it. Can't say where to buy it or why you'd want it for other than the shortest runs.

As above, seems like it would be super hard to work with unless it was very short.

Yes I have a super short run, like 3 feet

 

[alexcheng]

Same - never seen wire with solid conductors of that gauge other than uninsulated grounding wire. I checked McMaster Carr and if they don't have it, nobody probably does. I imagine it would be quite unmanageable to pull/route due to how stiff it would be.

Thanks, and you're right, it may be too hard to work with. I just thought it might be easier to go through those holes in the NEMA 1450 outlet.

 

[MattM24]

Home charging for Model Y. Have NEMA 14-50 wall outlet.

What’s the concern with stranded wire? 6/3 is fine for that. 8/3 doesn’t have the capacity for 50A. 6/3 does and depending on the country involved is good for 55/65 amps in a 75C application. Not sure if a 14-50 is 60C or 75C rated. Electricians know all this. I would suggest checking with one.

 

[Watts_Up]

I used this store to get specific Solar Panels wires which are UV resistant (PV RHW-2/USE-2 ).
So may be try contacting them: Wire and cable your way

Also, when I'm looking for heavy duty electric wiring stuff, that you don't find at your local harware store,
I get often more lucky by adding the word 'Marine' in my seach.
I used in particular this retail place: West Marine which sell online Blue Sea Systems components.

Note: It is recommended to have about 6" of free conductor wiring inside a junction box or a receptacle.
(See #02 under: Receptacle Boxes and Cable Installation Codes).
So this will be quite difficult to do when using solid copper compared to stranded wires.

 

[nate704]

you can contact your electrician and ask them to buy some for you. They might charge some fee, but at least you can buy some.

 

[terranx]

It would be much harder to work with. At these sizes, the wire being stranded isn't difficult to work with.

 

[Daekwan]

6/3 stranded is what should be used here. There's no physical reason to go with a smaller wire for a 14-50R install or *most* currently available EV wall chargers. If you are doing this yourself, someone else pointed out in another thread that buying stranded 6/3 MC (metal clad) by the foot is the best way to go. Be advised 6/3 is actually 4 wires as it includes your two hots, neutral and ground. This + 50A breaker is exactly what you need for a 14-50 install.

More importantly, because it's metal-clad.. it is rated up to 75A. This means if you ever wanted faster charging, then you could swap out the 50A breaker for a 60A breaker.. then swap out the 14-50R outlet for the Tesla Gen3 Wall Connector. The 60A breaker + Tesla WC combo would be able to charge your Model 3/Y/S/X at 48A. 48A charging will be 50% faster than the 32A limit you will get with the Tesla mobile connector + 14-50R combo. There's also a good chance your utility company offers rebates.. and/or cheaper off-peak rates when using a wall charger they approve or can monitor. So it's certainly worth consideration.

As far as were to buy the stranded 6/3MC wire by the foot.. here you go: 6/3 Copper MC Cable w/ Ground - By The Foot

Also, if going with a 14-50R.. then use an industrial 14-50R. Don't get the cheap one at Home Depot. The industrial outlet will hold up much better as the years pass by.

 

[gr8tdane24]

Quote

Also, if going with a 14-50R.. then use an industrial 14-50R. Don't get the cheap one at Home Depot. The industrial outlet will hold up much better as the years pass by.

What Daekwan said. Commercial/hospital rated receptacles are designed for thousands of usage cycles and are usually domestically produced to a much more stringent spec. I won't touch the outlets commonly available at the local BORG.