Charging model 3 with dryer outlet(Nema 10-30p) using 50ft extension cord at an apartment complex

[Sukjung Lim]

Hello.

I greatly appreciate your help in advance!

I recently moved to a very rural area where there are not many charging options for my tesla model 3 2020, so I decided to charge at home.

I am renting an old second floor apartment. It has a dryer outlet (Nema 10-30p) in the laundry room which is in the patio. I bought a Nema 10-30p adapter from tesla website and a Nema 10-30p 50ft heavy duty extension cord. I am planning to charge my tesla in a parking lot which is fairly close to my unit. I am planning to charge this way once every 2 weeks or so. I attached pictures to help you understand the setting.

Is there any safety concern I should be aware of?

Also, do I have to use the splitter or can I just disconnect dryer whenever I need to charge my tesla?

Thanks a lot,

 

[Tam]

Hello.

I greatly appreciate your help in advance!

I recently moved to a very rural area where there are not many charging options for my tesla model 3 2020, so I decided to charge at home.

I am renting an old second floor apartment. It has a dryer outlet (Nema 10-30p) in the laundry room which is in the patio. I bought a Nema 10-30p adapter from tesla website and a Nema 10-30p 50ft heavy duty extension cord. I am planning to charge my tesla in a parking lot which is fairly close to my unit. I am planning to charge this way once every 2 weeks or so. I attached pictures to help you understand the setting.

Is there any safety concern I should be aware of?

Also, do I have to use the splitter or can I just disconnect dryer whenever I need to charge my tesla?

Thanks a lot,

1) Since the cord is exposed with public traffic, it's a safety issue.

I guess you can build a ramp to protect it from foot traffic and make sure wheelchairs can run over it.

2) Repeated plugging and unplugging is not ideal due to wears and tears. You should get an electronic splitter that only allows power to only 1 device at a time and not 2.

 

[jjrandorin]

Is there any safety concern I should be aware of?

1. Ensuring that the extension cord is actually a quality one for the specified power delivery

2. The fact that you will be draping an extension cord across the grass, and liable for anyone who trips over it, or otherwise pulls / plays with it.

3. The fact that the management of the apartment complex will probably disallow this once they see it, because of point 2 above.

4. Disconnecting and re connecting a dryer outlet will likely lead to premature wear on it, since the typical outlet used for a dryer is not of a kind / quality that can tolerate repeated "plug / unplug" cycles. Typical appliance outlets are ment to be plugged in once, and unplugged "later, when you replace the appliance", so the springs in the outlet are not usually ones that do well with repeated plug cycles. You can buy a higher quality outlet, but its an apartment, so you dont have control over the outlet, or power delivery to it so cant just replace it at your whim, most likely.

5. Usually, using an extension cord bypasses the checks the mobile connector does for safety (like heat sensors at the outlet).

6. Using a regular "splitter" would mean that you potentially could turn on both devices at once, which would (hopefully) pop the breaker, or if less lucky and the breaker doesnt pop, cause heat issues / a potential fire hazard. You could use a splitter dedicated for splitting a dryer outlet like you propose, but those are not cheap, and likely not the type of splitter you are talking about.

I certainly wouldnt buy the appropriate splitter for this situation because of point 2 and 3 above. You likely wont be allowed to do this more than a couple times before someone from management comes knocking on your door to tell you to stop.

 

[kavyboy]

Looking at PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge, there are now quite a few charging options in College Station. They're maybe not low-cost or convenient, but better than nothing. Please don't use something like a motel's charging without asking and offering to pay.
I've used Homewood Suites by Hilton College Station | PlugShare and the desk staff has always been very accommodating. I always buy something to eat or drink there to kind of pay for charging since I'm sure their "Little Market" mark-ups are insane. If you don't want to hang out in the lobby, there are lots of places to eat and waste time within walkable distance.

 

[davewill]

It's possible to buy a cord that can work, but between hanging that heavy cord over the balcony, and the trip danger of stringing it through the yard, I wouldn't do it.

P.S. even if you don't do this, make the landlord put that outlet in a proper box attached to the wall. It's an accident (shock, fire) waiting for a time to happen as it sits.

 

[ambudriver03]

It's possible to buy a cord that can work, but between hanging that heavy cord over the balcony, and the trip danger of stringing it through the yard, I wouldn't do it.

P.S. even if you don't do this, make the landlord put that outlet in a proper box attached to the wall. It's an accident (shock, fire) waiting for a time to happen as it sits.

Definitely should be in a box, if you wanted to jam up the landlord, I suppose you could, but that might inconvenience whomever is using the laundry room.

Also a 10-30 extension cord is going to have limited utility once you do end up moving. If you have to use an adapter, you're better off adapting the 10-30 to something more useful, and then buying an extension cord in a common format (either a 14-50 or L14-30R would be the most common for this situation) you'd still have to use adapters, but at least you could sell the cord when you're done. 10-30 cord is going to have very little resale/appeal to anyone else, unless they chop off the ends to use for something else.

All of this ignores the trip hazard of a common walkway, parking area...

I was able to do this at an airbnb that my girlfriend was renting for 2 months, and we had full permission to use the power as needed, but the only way to make it work was to hang it out the window... Luckily our balcony was directly over our parking space/garage and I had just enough cable to fit. (strain relief was using one of those giant hang-alls (velcro straps with a carabiner type attachment)

 

[jackmott]

Yeah this can work fine, I do it at my mother in law's house when we visit, but at an apartment complex it is either going to actually cause a problem, or someone will freak out about it potentially causing a problem. Maybe a solution you can do occasionally in a pinch while you sit where you can keep an eye on it.

 

[EfficientWatts]

For the outlet I suggest getting something like a NeoCharge or dryer buddy. There are models that will do the auto-switch so that you don't have to worry about accidentally turning on both, plus this will prevent wear and tear by constantly unplugging and plugging in the charger & dryer.

 

[STS-134]

Definitely should be in a box, if you wanted to jam up the landlord, I suppose you could, but that might inconvenience whomever is using the laundry room.

Also a 10-30 extension cord is going to have limited utility once you do end up moving. If you have to use an adapter, you're better off adapting the 10-30 to something more useful, and then buying an extension cord in a common format (either a 14-50 or L14-30R would be the most common for this situation) you'd still have to use adapters, but at least you could sell the cord when you're done. 10-30 cord is going to have very little resale/appeal to anyone else, unless they chop off the ends to use for something else.

Don't use a 10-30 outlet and adapter to go to a 14-50 extension cord and then plug the UMC into the 14-50 extension cord. This will cause the UMC to advertise that it has 32A or 40A (for the older generation) of available current and the vehicle could overdraw. You should always use the UMC connector that causes it to advertise the proper amount of current based on the circuit you are using.

 

[ambudriver03]

Don't use a 10-30 outlet and adapter to go to a 14-50 extension cord and then plug the UMC into the 14-50 extension cord. This will cause the UMC to advertise that it has 32A or 40A (for the older generation) of available current and the vehicle could overdraw. You should always use the UMC connector that causes it to advertise the proper amount of current based on the circuit you are using.

Agree.