Best option to charge in a rented home

[abhijithasok]

Hey everyone. I have a Long Range Model 3 on its way, which is expected to get to me sometime in the next 2 months. I was trying to figure out my charging situation before that. For now, I live in a rented apartment within a pretty nice community and I can have parking something like 15 feet or so from my patio, but the problem is that a large part of this 15 feet isn't covered and is exposed to weather. Right inside my patio door is a regular 120V outlet. My washer/dryer is another 5-10 feet inward, which I am guessing might have a NEMA 14-50 plug in there.

I was originally thinking about getting a long enough, weather-resistant heavy duty extension for the 120V, but with how slow that charging is, I'm looking at options. Since it is a rental in a managed community, getting a new 14-50 outlet installed is a whole giant process so I am trying to find options to work around the existing situation I have, potentially using that dryer plug point somehow. The closest supercharger is 5 miles away which isn't bad at all if it comes to that, but I'm trying to see whether I can make home charging work safely.

Any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

 

[jjrandorin]

The dryer plug wont be a 14-50.

I also imagine that the 15 feet parking space from your patio also includes some public walkway space? You should not plan on draping an extension cord across any public walking space.

You run the risk of someone tripping on it, or unplugging it in spite, or otherwise.

You could theoretically get a dryer buddy or something like that, but the external run over public space is going to be the issue.

 

[abhijithasok]

The dryer plug wont be a 14-50.

I also imagine that the 15 feet parking space from your patio also includes some public walkway space? You should not plan on draping an extension cord across any public walking space.

You run the risk of someone tripping on it, or unplugging it in spite, or otherwise.

You could theoretically get a dryer buddy or something like that, but the external run over public space is going to be the issue.

Actually the walkway space is in front of the apartment. The patio is in the back and there's just some soil and bushes between the patio and the parking space. There's no walkway there. I confirmed with the leasing office that I can make charging work in that parking spot if I can figure out how to do it.

Dryer buddy is interesting. I didn't know those existed.

 

[jjrandorin]

If there is no walkway space, and your dryer is an electric dryer, I believe that is one of the safest ways to use a dryer plug. The actual outlets used for dryers tend not to do well with repeated plugging and unplugging of equipment, since a typical dryer gets plugged in and left there for several years until it no longer works and is replaced.

A dryer buddy and an appropriate sized extension cord could work, since you mention there is little to no concern about it being tripped over.

 

[abhijithasok]

If there is no walkway space, and your dryer is an electric dryer, I believe that is one of the safest ways to use a dryer plug. The actual outlets used for dryers tend not to do well with repeated plugging and unplugging of equipment, since a typical dryer gets plugged in and left there for several years until it no longer works and is replaced.

A dryer buddy and an appropriate sized extension cord could work, since you mention there is little to no concern about it being tripped over.

This is great advice. I'll look into this. Thank you so much!

 

[Sandor]

If there is no walkway space, and your dryer is an electric dryer, I believe that is one of the safest ways to use a dryer plug. The actual outlets used for dryers tend not to do well with repeated plugging and unplugging of equipment, since a typical dryer gets plugged in and left there for several years until it no longer works and is replaced.

A dryer buddy and an appropriate sized extension cord could work, since you mention there is little to no concern about it being tripped over.

I'd also check with the management/lease office (if it's an apartment building) or with the Landlord/HOA (if rented condo) to see if a buried PVC conduit in the soil can be used. Less risk of someone tripping over it while landscaping or even cutting the extension cord. But again that may just make it more complicated and prone to approvals from up the chain....

I assume you pay for the electric otherwise that's a whole new food-fight coming your way.....

 

[abhijithasok]

I'd also check with the management/lease office (if it's an apartment building) or with the Landlord/HOA (if rented condo) to see if a buried PVC conduit in the soil can be used. Less risk of someone tripping over it while landscaping or even cutting the extension cord. But again that may just make it more complicated and prone to approvals from up the chain....

I assume you pay for the electric otherwise that's a whole new food-fight coming your way.....

This would definitely be more complicated. I do pay for the electricity from my apartment which is why I thought it's just more convenient to figure out a way to extend it directly from my apartment. But that is a good point regarding accidents during landscaping. I guess I might have to just not charge while they are landscaping. If I was living there for a long time, maybe getting a whole new permanent process done might have been worth it but given that I'll probably move in the next couple of years, doesn't seem worth it!

 

[iaflyer]

I'd also check with the management/lease office (if it's an apartment building) or with the Landlord/HOA (if rented condo) to see if a buried PVC conduit in the soil can be used. Less risk of someone tripping over it while landscaping or even cutting the extension cord. But again that may just make it more complicated and prone to approvals from up the chain....

I assume you pay for the electric otherwise that's a whole new food-fight coming your way.....

I'd avoid this - there is no situation where this would be helpful. If it's buried, he'd have to dig up the ground to access it, break into the PVC, disturb whatever is in the conduit, then dig and break into the conduit at the other end. All for 15 feet of burying it? It would complicated the charging for little benefit.

Since it seems like he's got Patio -> bushes -> grass > parking lot. I'd just get a quality extension cord, plug it into the Dryer buddy and stretch it to the car. Perhaps a dark green plastic box to put it away in the bushes would help.