Charging Plug Question

[asterothe]

Hi everyone, I'm a new Tesla owner. Good to be among you. I'm still trying to finalize home charging.

Is the plug for dryer at garage good for charging (picture below)? It seems like NEMA 10-30.
So the adaptor in the link would be OK?

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/asterothe/media/IMG_9327.jpg.html

https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-s_x-nema-...

Thanks!

 

[boaterva]

Adapter in the link (on the store page) is a 14-30, which isn't a 10-30.

See here for a complete list (and of things that aren't Tesla-compliant, also!)

NEMA Straight Blade Reference Chart

If that is a dryer plug, it's probably one or the other (10-30 or 14-30), and that's a little hard to make out in that pic, but since it has the L-shaped bottom and slanted sides, it's a 10-30, which isn't the one you linked to.

Try this one:

Model S/X NEMA Adapter


Edit: I see when you go to that page it defaults to the 14-30 no matter what dropdown we take the URL from! Great... so, we're both right!

 

[asterothe]

Try this one:

Model S/X NEMA Adapter

Thank you boaterva. . It's not the optimum and the tech is depreciated compared to 14-30 but if I get that adaptor would it be OK for a while it seems. Is there anyone using it?

 

[boaterva]

There's nothing *wrong* with it, I have the same plug on my dryer. It's just that houses made before about 1997/1996 have 10-30s and those after have 14-30s. Both do 30 Amps (24 for a Tesla, normal 80% for continuous charging load...).

Which is why it's a good idea to have both the 14-30 and 10-30 adapters if you go places (beach houses, friends' houses, etc.) where you might need to plug into a dryer socket.

I, personally, have an extension cord (14-50), which can use the 14-30 directly, and an adapter for *that* to plug into that makes it work with a 10-30, which means about the only adapter I need for the UMC is the 14-50 that comes with it to connect to the extension cord.

Big fan of the cords and adapters from EVSE Adapters here: Adapters for Tesla

Only thing to remember when using the UMC with the 14-50 and their adapters on the extension cord is that you do need to manually adjust the car to whatever the actual max load is (24 Amps here), as using the 14-50 plug on the UMC tells the car you have 40 Amps, when you might not.

As for your personal dryer socket being 'obsolete', I'd just plug in your UMC with the adapter, and start charging at 12 Amps or so, and increase it a bit at a time up to 24 and be sure nothing gets warm and the UMC doesn't complain, to test it out.

But for a permanent setup, a longterm overnight charge of 12-15 Amps should be enough to fill you up!

 

[Rocky_H]

Thank you boaterva. . It's not the optimum and the tech is depreciated compared to 14-30 but if I get that adaptor would it be OK for a while it seems. Is there anyone using it?

There are many Tesla owners who do use 30A circuits for charging, and it works fine. It's a bit slower than the 50A outlets, but if that's just changing charging time from 3-4 hours overnight to something like 5-6 hours overnight, it's still not that big a deal. And yes, your outlet is a 10-30, and it's good that Tesla has a real adapter for it again. They were out of several kinds of adapters for quite a while.

 

[gregd]

Yes, 10-30 is what you have, but from the looks of it, the contacts are a bit corroded. I'd recommend you have it changed out for a new outlet, if for no other reason than to assure that you have a good connection for charging. Corrosion leads to heat, which leads to more corrosion, etc. Eventually the outlet will fail, and that never ends well.

Depending on how your house was wired, you might be able to swap it out for a 14-30, but the lack of the 4th wire (separate ground from neutral) will probably prevent it. Just get a real 10-30 Tesla adapter, and the car will adjust to the proper 24 amps charging rate. If that's not available, try for a generic 10-30 to 14-30 adapter, and then the Tesla 14-30 adapter. (Failing all that, perhaps get a wall charger of some kind, and connect that into the outlet with, say, a dryer replacement cord.)

I charged my Roadster on a 10-30 dryer plug for several years, and never had a problem getting the car charged in time for the next use, nor any issue with the older style outlet. I did use a proper Tesla adapter for the car.

 

[brucet999]

Hi everyone, I'm a new Tesla owner. Good to be among you. I'm still trying to finalize home charging.

Is the plug for dryer at garage good for charging (picture below)? It seems like NEMA 10-30.
So the adaptor in the link would be OK?

Photo by asterothe

https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-s_x-nema-...

Thanks!

There's nothing wrong with a NEMA 10-30. I have been using mine safely, charging at 17mph for almost two years now. The adapter is available on the Tesla Shop page:
https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/produc.../model-s_x-nema-adapter.html?sku=1014355-10-B

Click on the down arrow and select 10-30 in the drop-down box.

Since your house has a 10-30, it means that it is older than about 1990. If you are worried about old wiring, just make sure that all of the terminals are nice and tightly connected. Copper wires themselves are good for centuries of service unless the conduits are full of water from the last tsunami that hit San Diego.

 

[FlatSix911]

Hi everyone, I'm a new Tesla owner. Good to be among you. I'm still trying to finalize home charging.

Is the plug for dryer at garage good for charging (picture below)? It seems like NEMA 10-30.
So the adaptor in the link would be OK?

Photo by asterothe
https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-s_x-nema-...

Thanks!

You need the older version ... NEMA 10- 30 Model S/X NEMA Adapter

 

[Rocky_H]

(Failing all that, perhaps get a wall charger of some kind, and connect that into the outlet with, say, a dryer replacement cord.)

This is probably the one bit I would disagree with. If you're going to get some kind of wall mounted unit, I wouldn't want it plug connected with those other sets of contacts. Just get it hard wired the way it's supposed to be.

 

[gregd]

This is probably the one bit I would disagree with. If you're going to get some kind of wall mounted unit, I wouldn't want it plug connected with those other sets of contacts. Just get it hard wired the way it's supposed to be.

Hardwired would definitely be best for charging, no question there. But I was thinking of the situation with an older home and potentially limited options for messing with the wiring, so I thought it might be worth raising awareness to the option. My own charging setup, for example, has a 14-50 outlet and an OpenEVSE connected to it with a pigtail, giving me the option for disconnecting the EVSE if I need access to the outlet. The OP didn't discuss it, but there might be a need to retain the original outlet for a real dryer hookup (e.g. for resale), or if the home is rented, that they may not have the option to make changes.

But, given the option, sure. A dedicated high current wall mounted EVSE is generally best if you can swing it.

 

[roblab]

Yes, 10-30 is what you have, but from the looks of it, the contacts are a bit corroded. I'd recommend you have it changed out for a new outlet, if for no other reason than to assure that you have a good connection for charging. Corrosion leads to heat, which leads to more corrosion, etc. Eventually the outlet will fail, and that never ends well.

I thought it was moisture that led to corrosion. Never knew it was heat. Probably plugging it in a few times will rub the corrosion off. Plug it in, start charging, and feel with your hand if it gets more than just warm.

OR, if you're any kind of handy to pull an outlet out, why not just rub the "corrosion" off with fine sand paper? or a screwdriver. Horrors! I'm sure there will be some who wonder how I survived this long. But it saves a bunch of messing buying a new one, etc. Tighten the wires, too, while you're at it.

 

[gregd]

I thought it was moisture that led to corrosion. Never knew it was heat. Probably plugging it in a few times will rub the corrosion off. Plug it in, start charging, and feel with your hand if it gets more than just warm.

OR, if you're any kind of handy to pull an outlet out, why not just rub the "corrosion" off with fine sand paper? or a screwdriver. Horrors! I'm sure there will be some who wonder how I survived this long. But it saves a bunch of messing buying a new one, etc. Tighten the wires, too, while you're at it.

Given the power involved, best to just replace the outlet. You need a large flat area of contact with good pressure between the plug and socket. If there is a small bump taking the current, it will heat up and "burn" (oxidize), increasing the resistance, leading to a rapidly degrading contact. In no time you could have a melted socket. If you are lucky, the car will notice the voltage drop and back off or stop charging. If not, it could start a fire.

Our house was originally wired incorrectly, using simple ring clamps instead of wire nuts for wire junctions. I have no idea how it was inspected and signed off. The electrician must have used his savings to pay off the inspector. But, essentially this was the same issue: limited contact area. Every single one of the junctions failed within a few years. The first one, my wife noticed a wall switch was warm. The wire was corroded, and the tape covering it was charred. Fixed that. Second failure was fortunately in the junction box behind the smoke alarm in the hallway. Set off the alarm one evening. Same problem. Given that this was now a "fool me twice" situation, I went around the house and re-did every connection in every wall switch and outlet. Found several more that were about ready to go.

My suggestion, don't skimp on this stuff. Get a new outlet.

 

[boaterva]

A commercial 14-50 (Hubbell) on Amazon is about $80. A cheaper one is about $15.

An HPWC or 1772 normally should be hardwired but many do use a pigtail for many reasons (such as access to socket, as noted). If you are going to plug it in and not be removing it daily to use for something else, a lower cost socket will work fine. The higher priced ones are made for where people are connecting and disconnecting all the time.

See the FAQ in my sig for a lot more detail!

 

[roblab]

I hope your experience is on the rare side of the coin. I have never had any of these problems. As I said, plug it in a few times, hold your hand on the plug/outlet to feel for heat. Simple. Or, replace outlet, hope you got the wires tight, hope there's no corrosion on your "new" outlet, and STILL feel the outlet/plug for heat. Expensive, time consuming and over cautious in my experience. And yes, I have wired about a dozen houses and a warehouse, and I am not an electrician. None have ever burned. But you have to do what you are comfortable with. I personally wouldn't drive an internal combustion engine car. They burn for no reason.