Charger- switching a 5-20 outlet to 6-20

[Whiskecgee]

I have a single outlet outside that has a 5-20 outlet. It is wired to a 2 pole 20a breaker in a 100a panel. Can I simply switch the outlet outside from the existing 5-20 to a 6-20? Or is it more complex than I think

 

[XHabjab]

I assume that you want this for a Tesla HPWC? This would work for the charger but it does not meet code properly. A 5-20 outlet is for 120V 20A circuits, while a 6-20 is for 240V 20A circuits. Your car will run on just about any voltage but that is not universally true for other things.

If you run 240V from the breaker box on existing wiring, that would work better. You'll need a different circuit breaker. I'd get an electrician to do that properly.

 

[ucmndd]

I have a single outlet outside that has a 5-20 outlet. It is wired to a 2 pole 20a breaker in a 100a panel.

This description doesn’t make sense. A 5-20 outlet is 120v. A “2 pole 20a breaker” implies 240v. Those two things shouldn’t be true at the same time.

Can I simply switch the outlet outside from the existing 5-20 to a 6-20? Or is it more complex than I think

Usually, you can switch a 5-20 to a 6-20 by replacing the single pole breaker with a double pole breaker of the same amperage, re-using the white neutral wire as a second hot wire (mark it at each end with some red electrical tape), and replacing the outlet itself.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

@ucmndd is correct. You can simply exchange your existing "single pole" breaker for a 2 pole.
But - you need to be absolutely certain that there is nothing else on this circuit, you should verify that it has the proper AWG 12 wire needed, and you should put red tape on both ends of the white (formerly) neutral wire to document your hack.

Also note that a double pole breaker requires 2 slots. If you don't have that space available or convenient then you can use a tandem breaker to consolidate it with the neighboring circuit. This may be complicated if you also want the breaker to include a GFCI for code compliance and safety.

 

[arnolddeleon]

I concur with @ucmndd and @Gauss Guzzler . I'm a little nervous for you though. Can you identify which phase a given breaker is on your panel? If you can't then you probably want to hire a professional or do some more reading.