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Alternative power when 240 is not available - are Quick 220 good?

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#3
Do you have two different circuits, on opposite phases in your panel, that you can pull from in your garage?

The quick 220 is an interesting kludge that you might want to use here and there in a real pinch. It’s not a permanent charging solution.
 
#5
I charge at 120v 10A everyday and yes it works no its not even close to ideal. But my office is only 2 miles from the house so unless i go into town my battery stays full'ish. It takes about 4 days of charging at that speed to get from 20% to 90% but that also includes the car being unplugged from like 9-5 each day.

I cant vouch for things like quick 220 but I made a similar creation for my homebrewing setup, i got 2 extension cords and a 240v outlet and wired the plugs to that and plug each cord into a circuit on a different bus bar. (if they are on the same bus bar then you can only get 120v it has to be on a different leg to get the second 120v line to make 240v). It works great but i only use it for about 6 hours every few weeks.

My old house i installed a 240v 14-50 outlet in my garage and it was pretty nice, at my moms house i installed a HPWC so i can charge at 240v 80A when i visit her. I can say from experience of using all 3 of the main home power options that 120v is the worst and it really sucks. I only do it (120v) now because the house is a rental and my Bitcoin miners are using the 240v dryer outlet.
 
#6
I spend lots of time at a house that has only 120/15a; it is slow but when I'm at that house I don't do much driving; after a couple days I'm fully charged. i haven't had an issue, though to be fair there are 3 superchargers between there and home, so if I need to turn around and head home quickly before fully charged I can charge at one of those places without issue.

At home, I switched a NEMA 5-20 (20a 120 v) to a NEMA 6-20 (20a 240v) -- its a circuit next to my air conditioner and was a dedicated run so was trivial to change.

Even in the winter in Boston, driving 20-40 miles a day, it hasn't been an issue. If I had a 120 mile commute, or if I had variable rate / time of use rate, it may make a difference, but maybe not. In my case, getting a "big" circuit (30-40a) would probably involve swapping my breaker panel, a new feed from the utilities, moving my meter, and so on -- a big PITA and not worth it.

I'd recommend first seeing if you can get by with 120; and failing that look for a dedicated line (only one outlet on it) and see if you can switch that one to 240; ideally a 20a circuit (12 gauge wire not 14).
 
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#7
I have a Quick 220 for AirBNB use. Be advised that Quick 220 will not work with GFCI receptacles; this is advertised. Be also advised that Quick 220 will not work with GFCI breakers. I did not know the later until I tried (for testing) like almost all the plugs in my newly built home. GFCI breakers are required at homes since the 2000s (I think). For most part, the Quick 220 has been pretty useless for me. I have to stay at an older AirBNB for it to be useful.

For my last few AirBNB/AvantStays, I used a combination of NEMA 14-30 (dryer) and NEMA 5-20 (20A that's somewhat common around the house).
 
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#8
jeffgrice said:
I do not have an S yet but starting to plan. Getting 240 into my garage maybe a problem. While I know I can charge on 120v, I read about these units: 110-120 and 220-240 Voltage Converters & Accessories

Does anyone have experience with the Quick 220 units for charging a Tesla?
Click to expand...
There have been several threads on it here on this forum (You should have tried searching.).
wornout said:
For most part, the Quick 220 has been pretty useless for me.
Click to expand...
Overall, yes, it's going to be useless for almost all cases.

The main reasons are that you can't use it from any garage or outdoor outlets, because those are all required to be GFCI, and it can't work from those. So you would have to find indoor outlets and string extension cords through your house and then out a doorway or window or something, and it's just bad.

You will generally be better off if you can just get a real circuit that is 240V, even if it's a small amount of amps, like 15 or 20.
 
#9
Rocky_H said:
There have been several threads on it here on this forum (You should have tried searching.).

Overall, yes, it's going to be useless for almost all cases.

The main reasons are that you can't use it from any garage or outdoor outlets, because those are all required to be GFCI, and it can't work from those. So you would have to find indoor outlets and string extension cords through your house and then out a doorway or window or something, and it's just bad.

You will generally be better off if you can just get a real circuit that is 240V, even if it's a small amount of amps, like 15 or 20.
Click to expand...
Yep, in retrospect, I shouldn't have bought the Quick 220 (even for the 'just in case' AirBnB use). Majority of the AirBnB's that I stay at are nicer and newer properties. I don't even take the Quick 220 with me to my AirBnB trips. Also "wasted" money on 4x 50 feet of 10 AWG extension cord for Quick 220.

Best plug-and-play bets are:

* NEMA 14-30 / 10-30 (240V, 30A) dryer receptacles. I have like 90 feet of a modified NEMA 14-50 extension cable (minus neutral plug) to plug into NEMA 14-30 and adapt to 10-30 receptacles. I just used this at an AirBnB and it worked beautifully. Got me 22 miles/hour for my 2021 MS LR.
- Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50 extension cord for EV, 30 ft. – EVSE Adapters

* NEMA 5-20 (120V, 20A) that is common in garages, dryer, garbage disposal, bathroom receptacles for hair dryer, etc... Obviously, you will have to take care in not running multiple devices on the same circuit that will trip the breaker. I have like a 4x 50 feet of 10 AWG for that. This gets me like 6-7 miles/hour for my 2021 MS LR. I noticed in freezing temperatures, it's closer to 6. For hot weather, it's closer to 7.
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NMQJN5T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- I have the above adapters for NEMA 5-15 receptacles that I have confirmed that are on the 20A breaker. When I mean confirmed, I found the breaker and flipped it on/off to make sure it's actually on the 20A breaker.
 
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#11
If you have a 120V circuit in your garage that is only for a few outlets that you can spare, you may be able to convert it to 240V. The outlet can be converted to a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20, depending on the wire gauge. Other outlets on the circuit would have to be removed. Talk to an electrician. It's an easy upgrade without running new wires.

I am charging using a 6-20 now and it is quite a bit faster, probably 4x faster than 5-15. Totally fine for most users.
 
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#12
wornout said:
Yep, in retrospect, I shouldn't have bought the Quick 220 (even for the 'just in case' AirBnB use). Majority of the AirBnB's that I stay at are nicer and newer properties. I don't even take the Quick 220 with me to my AirBnB trips. Also "wasted" money on 4x 50 feet of 10 AWG extension cord for Quick 220.

Best plug-and-play bets are:

* NEMA 14-30 / 10-30 (240V, 30A) dryer receptacles. I have like 90 feet of a modified NEMA 14-50 extension cable (minus neutral plug) to plug into NEMA 14-30 and adapt to 10-30 receptacles. I just used this at an AirBnB and it worked beautifully. Got me 22 miles/hour for my 2021 MS LR.
- Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50 extension cord for EV, 30 ft. – EVSE Adapters

* NEMA 5-20 (120V, 20A) that is common in garages, dryer, garbage disposal, bathroom receptacles for hair dryer, etc... Obviously, you will have to take care in not running multiple devices on the same circuit that will trip the breaker. I have like a 4x 50 feet of 10 AWG for that. This gets me like 6-7 miles/hour for my 2021 MS LR. I noticed in freezing temperatures, it's closer to 6. For hot weather, it's closer to 7.
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NMQJN5T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
- I have the above adapters for NEMA 5-15 receptacles that I have confirmed that are on the 20A breaker. When I mean confirmed, I found the breaker and flipped it on/off to make sure it's actually on the 20A breaker.
Click to expand...
This is some great info. Just received my Model Y Performance a week ago... Was considering a quick 220, since we are in a rental and don't want to install a Nema 14-30 or 14-50. After reading this thread I've decided to just try to use a 20 amp outlet. We have some inside the house, but I noticed some outlets in the garage are 20 amp breakers, including the garage door opener, but the outlet is a 15 amp style. I will order the adapters you linked to, and the Tesla 5-20 mobile connector Nema adapter, plus a 5-20 extension cord. Some questions though:

  1. Are 20 amp circuits supposed to be run on heavier gauge wiring in the walls? If so, how do we know the 15 amp outlet isn't wired with a lighter gauge? Or is a a no-no with a 20 amp breaker?

  2. The 20 amp circuit/15 amp outlet garage opener outlets are GFCI... will they still work okay?

  3. Is a 12 AWG extension cord acceptable for shorter runs, say 6-10 feet? Or should I still to 10 AWG?

Thanks to wornout and to anyone else who can share any info on this.

Worst comes to the worst, I can run a cord inside the house for when I need a faster charge. There are some true 5-20 outlets in the kitchen for the Microwave, disposal and dishwasher.
 
#13
tidmutt said:
Are 20 amp circuits supposed to be run on heavier gauge wiring in the walls? If so, how do we know the 15 amp outlet isn't wired with a lighter gauge? Or is a a no-no with a 20 amp breaker?
Click to expand...
If code was properly followed when those were installed, then that problem wouldn't happen, so I would trust it. Specifically, the code says that if it's a 15A wired circuit, it must ONLY have 15A outlet types on it, so it's not overdrawn. If it's a 20A wired circuit, then it is allowed to have a mix of the 15 or 20A outlet types on it. So if you do see that the outlet is the 5-20 type with that T shaped slot, then yes, I would trust that it's really a 20A circuit.

tidmutt said:
The 20 amp circuit/15 amp outlet garage opener outlets are GFCI... will they still work okay?
Click to expand...
Should usually work most of the time. It may be twitchy, though, sometimes. The charging cable does a test to check the ground connection by trickling a little bit of current onto the ground pin to see if it's floating or tied down. That's exactly the kind of thing GFCI is looking for and trying to prevent, so if it's a little out of spec, it may trip on that, when it's supposed to be low enough that it would be below that threshold.

tidmutt said:
Is a 12 AWG extension cord acceptable for shorter runs, say 6-10 feet? Or should I still to 10 AWG?
Click to expand...
Yes, 12 gauge would definitely be fine for that.
 
#14
Rocky_H said:
If code was properly followed when those were installed, then that problem wouldn't happen, so I would trust it. Specifically, the code says that if it's a 15A wired circuit, it must ONLY have 15A outlet types on it, so it's not overdrawn. If it's a 20A wired circuit, then it is allowed to have a mix of the 15 or 20A outlet types on it. So if you do see that the outlet is the 5-20 type with that T shaped slot, then yes, I would trust that it's really a 20A circuit.


Should usually work most of the time. It may be twitchy, though, sometimes. The charging cable does a test to check the ground connection by trickling a little bit of current onto the ground pin to see if it's floating or tied down. That's exactly the kind of thing GFCI is looking for and trying to prevent, so if it's a little out of spec, it may trip on that, when it's supposed to be low enough that it would be below that threshold.


Yes, 12 gauge would definitely be fine for that.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the feedback!

I think the only thing hanging off that 20A breaker in the garage is the garage door opener outlets. They are about 15 feet off the ground, so I don't want to have to reset them on a regular basis! They are also 15A outlet types, I don't think there are any 20A outlet types on that circuit, hence my concern. It could be 20A breaker on a 15A wired circuit...

If I instead use a 20A outlet inside the house, I'll need a 25 foot extension cord, I'm assuming I should go to 10 AWG for that length of a run?
 
#15
tidmutt said:
I think the only thing hanging off that 20A breaker in the garage is the garage door opener outlets. They are about 15 feet off the ground, so I don't want to have to reset them on a regular basis! They are also 15A outlet types, I don't think there are any 20A outlet types on that circuit, hence my concern. It could be 20A breaker on a 15A wired circuit...
Click to expand...
Well, no, that wouldn't be following code. If it's only got 15A capable wire, then it can't use a 20A breaker.

tidmutt said:
If I instead use a 20A outlet inside the house, I'll need a 25 foot extension cord, I'm assuming I should go to 10 AWG for that length of a run?
Click to expand...
25 feet still just isn't very long, so 12 gauge should still be fine.
 
#17
Rocky_H said:
Well, no, that wouldn't be following code. If it's only got 15A capable wire, then it can't use a 20A breaker.


25 feet still just isn't very long, so 12 gauge should still be fine.
Click to expand...
Learned something new: If it's only got 15A capable wire, then it can't use a 20A breaker.

I totally didn't think about that when using the 5-20 adapter in an AirBnB garage.
 
#18
tidmutt said:
This is some great info. Just received my Model Y Performance a week ago... Was considering a quick 220, since we are in a rental and don't want to install a Nema 14-30 or 14-50. After reading this thread I've decided to just try to use a 20 amp outlet. We have some inside the house, but I noticed some outlets in the garage are 20 amp breakers, including the garage door opener, but the outlet is a 15 amp style. I will order the adapters you linked to, and the Tesla 5-20 mobile connector Nema adapter, plus a 5-20 extension cord. Some questions though:

  1. Are 20 amp circuits supposed to be run on heavier gauge wiring in the walls? If so, how do we know the 15 amp outlet isn't wired with a lighter gauge? Or is a a no-no with a 20 amp breaker?

  2. The 20 amp circuit/15 amp outlet garage opener outlets are GFCI... will they still work okay?

  3. Is a 12 AWG extension cord acceptable for shorter runs, say 6-10 feet? Or should I still to 10 AWG?

Thanks to wornout and to anyone else who can share any info on this.

Worst comes to the worst, I can run a cord inside the house for when I need a faster charge. There are some true 5-20 outlets in the kitchen for the Microwave, disposal and dishwasher.
Click to expand...

At my parent's house, I have a NEMA 14-50 setup outside. (When I get to my parent's house in LA from SJ, my car is at 15%). But during the week where I need minimal charging, I charge with the NEMA 5-15 GFCI @ 12A. GFCI outlet is 30 years old and it's been perfectly fine. I think the breaker is rated for 20A as there's a 5-20 in the garage (less convenient location).

I also use a 10 foot 10 AWG extension cord to make things more convenient. I figured thicker is always better. However, thicker is heavier and sorta pulls down (weight) on my parent's 30 year old 5-15 GFCI. I might replace the GFCI with a newer one to make sure the connection is perfect/tight.

From my limited experience troubleshooting power, I'd keep a close eye on heat. I like to just touch the cables and outlets. If it's not hot, you're good to go. If it feels hot, something is wrong. When it gets too hot, it'll trip/fire. (I'm not an electrician!!)
 
#19
#20
wornout said:
When I got my NEMA 14-50 installed, it was $500. I supplied this to the electrician.


It was a pretty easy/clean because I got installed next to the breaker box outside. It might not be a bad idea to ask the landowner if you can install it. Landowner comes up for future tenants and you get a charger. Or perhaps you can split the charge with him.
Click to expand...
I have the home depot (midlands) version of this, and it works very well. Is mounted on the outside of the garage and provides power to my tesla daily.
 
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