Best 14-50 Extension

[linkster]

That cable is 20 ft vs. 30 ft on the other reference cable.

As for what will happen if you don't dial down the amperage? That will depend on the wiring on the circuit, the size of the circuit breaker, the age of wiring and possibly some other things. Scenarios range from:

- Burning the house down

- Personal injury
- Death

anytime (except for start-up equipment and accepted equipment with low duty cycles) one overloads a circuit, the results can be beyond catastrophic

 

[TexasEV]

Model S won't pull more than 80% of the breaker capacity. If there's a 40A breaker the car maxes out at 32A.

I'll pile on and to try to make sure people who read this see this is NOT TRUE. Nigel, you may want to delete this so as not to misinform new owners.

What the Model S pulls with the UMC is set by the adapter. It doesn't know what the breaker is. If it sees the 14-50 adapter it will try to pull 40A. This is why when someone uses a 14-50 to 14-30 connector he has to manually set the car down to 24A. The car doesn't know there is a 30A breaker, it sees the 14-50 adapter and will try to pull 40A. Same if a 14-50 adapter is plugged into an outlet that has a 40A breaker, it just knows to pull 40A it doesn't know it should only pull 80% of that. It would have to be set manually to 32A.

 

[linkster]

I'll pile on and to try to make sure people who read this see this is NOT TRUE. Nigel, you may want to delete this so as not to misinform new owners.

Good Idea and -rep pts. for the mod as well :biggrin:

One of the reasons I continue to mention the 50' UMC is for safety. It removes 90% (except charging on a oven 14-50 as one of them) of the guesswork and remembering to manually dial down the amp draw out of this most important equation especially for owners who are not familiar with safe (constantly monitoring equipment temps, use of proper connections, safe wire gage sizing, checking breaker size) extension cord charging practices.

 

[ChrisPDX]

Thanks again all. What about this extension? Anyone tried it? Seems lighter. And yes, I'll take the advice and dial down amperage to be safe (though what happens if I don't?).

Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50 extension cord for Tesla, 20 ft.

I have something similar that I built myself. Eliminating the neutral wire makes it much lighter and more flexible while removing the neutral prong makes it universal between 14-30 and 14-50. I even used mine for daily charging until I got a HPWC. Just make sure you label it well with "Tesla Charging ONLY, NO RV USE" all over the place.

As others have mentioned, be careful on the 14-30 dryer outlets! Check it regularly for excessive heat is always a good idea. Same when using RV parks. Their outlets can be a bit worn down. If you have time, dial down the amperage to be extra safe.

 

[Rocky_H]

I have something similar that I built myself. Eliminating the neutral wire makes it much lighter and more flexible while removing the neutral prong makes it universal between 14-30 and 14-50. I even used mine for daily charging until I got a HPWC. Just make sure you label it well with "Tesla Charging ONLY, NO RV USE" all over the place.

As others have mentioned, be careful on the 14-30 dryer outlets! Check it regularly for excessive heat is always a good idea. Same when using RV parks. Their outlets can be a bit worn down. If you have time, dial down the amperage to be extra safe.

Yeah, this. I had seen a lot of people recommending the Camco extension, so I got one. I had heard that the 50 foot one was really really heavy, so I went with the 30 foot. I’ve used it once now, and it’s pretty good. It’s bulky, though, and I did end up wishing I had about another 10 feet. I wish I had looked into this more, because it is almost a pound per foot of length, and realizing that it has an extra neutral wire in there that goes entirely unused irritates me some. I could have made a 40 foot that weighed about the same and was a little thinner and easier to work with.

 

[NigelM]

I'll pile on and to try to make sure people who read this see this is NOT TRUE. Nigel, you may want to delete this so as not to misinform new owners.

Not gonna argue. It's a safety issue I'm happy to delete the original post, I don't want to risk giving wrong guidance. Thanks.

For the sake of completeness, and I know that Tesla needs to cover themselves in the event of mis-use, let's note that the user manual contains warnings not to use an extension cord and not to modify or alter the UMC; both potentially invalidate the warranty.

 

[FlasherZ]

mk

Flash will be more specific, but it doesn't have to follow the the same rules since it is outside (cools better) the wall with its (4) 12 ga. and signal wires. I think the HPWC only has 6 ga. for L1 and L2 (correct me if i'am wrong) but we all know its not just about the gauge but also the jacket material (and if it's liquid cooled :biggrin.

The NEC governs infrastructure wiring and delivering electricity to appliances, but doesn't govern the appliances themselves. Appliances are typically tested and listed by national testing labs (think Underwriters' Laboratories). The UMC's construction is a bit questionable, in my opinion, with parallel sets of smaller conductors.

Long ago, I made up a $350, 75' 6/4 extension cord that can be used for either RV or Tesla use. It's HEAVY. I've used it exactly one time.

 

[Oba]

Good Idea and -rep pts. for the mod as well :biggrin:

One of the reasons I continue to mention the 50' UMC is for safety. It removes 90% (except charging on a oven 14-50 as one of them) of the guesswork and remembering to manually dial down the amp draw out of this most important equation especially for owners who are not familiar with safe (constantly monitoring equipment temps, use of proper connections, safe wire gage sizing, checking breaker size) extension cord charging practices.

it would appear that if you absolutely need a longer length cord than what the UMC provides, you're going to extend it in some manner.

With a bulky extension cord, none of the safety of the electronics in the UMC are present. But, if you extend the UMC, then all the safety is present (including not being able to overload the circuit being plugged into). Where can I get my UMC extended, or get an extension cord AFTER the UMC ?

 

[Cosmacelf]

Thanks again all. What about this extension? Anyone tried it? Seems lighter. And yes, I'll take the advice and dial down amperage to be safe (though what happens if I don't?).

Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50 extension cord for Tesla, 20 ft.

Looks like a nice extension cord. Cons are it is only 20', and you can only use it for Tesla charging. Pro is that it is lightweight.

 

[sefs]

I purchased this 50 foot 14-50 extension cord. It is 6 AWG and works great. I've never even felt it get warm pulling 40A.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rodale-50-ft-50-Amp-RV-Extension-Cord-with-LED-RV50A50WL/202669075

 

[wycolo]

> safety of the electronics in the UMC [Oba]

I think we have a winner here for oxymoron of the month! :biggrin:

If you rarely use the UMC - use it with FEAR.
If you use the UMC daily - still use it with fear.

As an EVSE the UMC is marginal at best.
--

 

[RiverBrick]

Where can I get my UMC extended, or get an extension cord AFTER the UMC ?

I would like a Tesla male to Tesla female extension cord for use with UMC and which might also work (up to 40A) when HPWCs are ICEd.

Having your UMC permanently extended by a place like quickchargepower.com may be fine if you live in Virginia, but I don't recommend it if you frequently use your UMC outside where the Winters are very cold. I don't think the UMC is built for extreme cold, so you end up getting it replaced under warranty, except the guarantee will not be honored if the cable has been modified.

 

[linkster]

Where can I get my UMC extended, or get an extension cord AFTER the UMC ?

UMC Extension

EV (Electric Vehicle) Charging Products

- - - Updated - - -

As an EVSE the UMC is marginal at best.
--

Agreed. I have charged at a "cool" 24A (14-30) for 52K miles.

 

[steilkurve]

Looks like a nice extension cord. Cons are it is only 20', and you can only use it for Tesla charging. Pro is that it is lightweight.

I don't mind the 20' length so much. Willing to trade off a bith of length for reduced bulk. I'm a novice on electrical stuff. Should I be worried about the lack of neutral on this extension?

 

[pgiralt]

I don't mind the 20' length so much. Willing to trade off a both of length for reduced bulk. I'm a novice on electrical stuff. Should I be worried about the lack of neutral on this extension?

Not if you're using it for charging your car. The Neutral is completely unused. Just be sure to never use it as an extension for an RV or some other appliance.

 

[steilkurve]

Not if you're using it for charging your car. The Neutral is completely unused. Just be sure to never use it as an extension for an RV or some other appliance.

Ok. Thanks. I don't own an RV nor do I plan on owning one so I should be good. ;-)

 

[FlasherZ]

Ok. Thanks. I don't own an RV nor do I plan on owning one so I should be good. ;-)

But others who come across it might not know. Label it with "TESLA CHARGING ONLY" a few times.

 

[smilepak]

Heavy-duty NEMA 14-50 extension cord for Tesla, 20 ft.