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Electrician installed wall connector using Romex 8/3 + 60A breaker
- Thread starter explosive0
- Start date
I went with similar 6/2 UF from Lowe's - half the price of 6/2 Romex. Check Lowes https://www.lowes.com/pd/6-2-UF-Wire-By-the-Foot/3345386
My electrician stated it's perfectly fine as a substitute as it has indoor/outdoor use. The casing is a bit stiffer to work with as its rated for outdoors.
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nassaunationalcable.com
Not yet. A percentage drop shouldn't be critical given what it will do and the lower amperage requirements, but you never know. It was getting too cold to finish the job so I simply decided to wait until Spring.
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The topic of this thread is astounding to me. We have this recurring thing with a lot of threads on it, where some "electrician" is trying to use 6 gauge Romex for a 60A circuit, which is already wrong. Trying to use 8 gauge Romex is TWO steps below what is required!
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
I think it's good we have people here who say #6 is ok, but keep adding those caveats. #6 is ok "if". Hopefully most here who know nothing about it will hire an electrician, but geesh some electricians even seem to be clueless. Are they sometimes going to #8 to shave something off of their bottom line at the expense of the user? Sure seems to be the case. I would check to see if the company logo is on a magnetic sign
Luckily my charger run is only about 40-50 ft.
howardnj
Member
When researching NJ licensed electricians, I decided to use one on the Tesla recommended list. When I asked if I could purchase all the hardware at Home Depot because I get a 10% military discount. The electrician told me they do not purchase their supplies at Home Depot but purchase all their materials at a local electrical supply house. They did take 10% off of their quote to give me a military discount. It then occurred to me that a qualified electrician is not going to use some the of the cheap made in china electrical components and risk a fire for their customers. Yes the cost is a little higher but I would rather sleep soundly when my Y begins charging at 48 amps at midnight than trying to save a few hundred dollars by using a handyman/electrician that neglects to file for the necessary permits and inspections and poses a possible fire risk to the customer.
That doesn't necessarily help anything. I've seen plenty of these same kinds of horrible code violating things from ones that were "recommended" too.
All resolved. #6 MC cable installed today. My electrician saw this thread too after going to do some research of his own 
davewill
Active Member
Well, he can't be all bad, then.All resolved. #6 MC cable installed today. My electrician saw this thread too after going to do some research of his own
The two main components sold at Lowes/HD are the wire and the breakers. Southwire is made in USA and so is Square D breaker. Even the PVC pipes are made in USA. So not sure what cheap part is made in China? Maybe you mean the Tesla wall connector itself? That is made in China.
That is simply wrong. The Home Depot/Menards stuff is no different than from any electrical store. It's approved to use and products made in the US.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
This notion that 'US made' is high quality and 'China made' is poor quality is a vast over-simplification, even before you realize that that much of 'US made' has MIC components.
There is high quality, and lesser quality. Lowes and HD tend to carry low/er quality stuff but it varies. Supply stores carry what electricians want to buy and is most profitable to them. E.g. 14-50 receptacles are $10 - $20 at HD/Lowes and are low quality. You can probably buy the same crap at an electrical supply store, but they are more likely to also inventory Bryant or Hubbell.
There are other $money parts to Electric Supply houses. They offer a personal relationship, credit, delayed payment, volume discount; and perhaps most problematic from the homeowner's POV, invoices are billed at cost + for materials so there is a disincentive to price shop.
Magnetic Flux
Member
The 2017 NEC does require a readily accessible disconnecting means that is lockable in the open position for EV charging systems MORE THAN 60A or more than 150V to ground (this part isn't applicable for standard 240/120V circuits).
A standard 60A circuit COULD use #6 NM in the US following some of the NEC exceptions depending on the circuit configuration and use case. However, Section 625 - Electric Vehicle Charging System, requires that the feeders and overcurrent protection be rated for continuous duty and shall have a rating not less than 125% of the maximum load of the equipment. If the maximum load of the Tesla Wall Connector is 48A, you would need 60A rated cable and circuit breaker.
And as everyone here can likely agree, not all electricians are qualified depending on the installation, and home inspectors, especially, are not well versed on nuances in the electrical code. Most residential inspectors and county offices don't have the time or ability to be a master of all applicable codes for residential houses considering they are often looking at construction, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, foundations, etc. I would never expect them to be a master of all.
Even in commercial work where things are much more thoroughly reviewed and inspected, I see things that don't meet code plenty of times that went right past the permitting officials and inspectors.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
There might potentially be cases where a 60A breaker might be used, but it still wouldn't actually BE a 60A rated circuit.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
Magnetic Flux
Member
The NEC Section 240.4(B) has some definitions for overcurrent devices rated 800A or Less. It states:
"The next higher standard overcurrent device rating (above the ampacity of the conductors being protected) shall be permitted to be used, provided all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The conductors being protected are not part of a branch circuit supplying more than one receptacle for cord-and-plug-connected portable loads.
(2) The ampacity of the conductors does not correspond with the standard ampere rating of a fuse or a circuit breaker without overload trip adjustments above its rating (but that shall be permitted to have other trip or rating adjustments).
(3) The next higher standard rating selected does not exceed 800 amperes."
The basic example would be a dedicated piece of equipment that is not considered a continuous load, but has a full load ampere rating of 52A. The conductor rating would need to be a minimum of 52A, so a #6 NM cable could be used (55A at 60C). The next breaker size larger that correlates with a 52A load would be a 60A breaker (since a 55A breaker does not exist). In this specific scenario, you could follow the rule above and use #6 NM on a 60A circuit breaker.
The second example could be for a continuous load of a dedicated piece of equipment that is 43A. The NEC requires a safety factor of 125% on continuous loads, thus 43A x 125% = 53.75A rating for conductor and breaker. Here a #6 NM cable would work for the load. The next available breaker size that corresponds with that load rating would be a 60A circuit breaker.
Again, I am making these fairly simplistic for the sake of describing where it could be used. Typically, the better design solution is to simply provide a conductor with a rating equal to or greater than the circuit breaker size as it is a better all-around solution.
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