Tesla Motors Club
My house was built in 1969 and has the dreaded Zinsco circuit breaker panel. As an aside, I think the house also has aluminum wiring. Anyway, as a result of the Zinsco panel, Solar City wouldn't install a Nema 14-50 outlet without replacing the panel.
Probably not a bad idea to replace it, but since I have an unused Nema 10-30R (receptacle) dryer outlet in the garage, I'd like to adapt it to charge my to-be-delivered-this-Spring Red Tesla S.
The existing outlet is 250v 30A, controlled by 2 ganged 30A breakers. I used my multimeter and the outlet tests fine.
I called Tesla, thinking I'd just get the Nema 10-30 adapter instead of the 14-50, but was told the 14-50 comes standard and I'd have to buy the 10-30 adapter for $100. Rather than going that route, I'd like to convert the 10-30R to 14-50R by creating an extension/conversion cord. The extra ground wire from the 14-50R would run to a copper cold water pipe.
My idea is to extend my power by buying a 10-30P (plug) and wiring it to a 14-50R. My wife doesn't want it on the garage floor, so I plan to run it over the ceiling of the garage and down the wooden center post.
So my questions are:
1. Does the Tesla S automatically sense the incoming voltage and amperage and adjust it's charging accordingly? I know the 10-30R only supplies 250V @ 30A, but I think that will be plenty for the small trips I normally take. But will the 14-50 adapter cause the Tesla to "look for" 40A?
2. The existing 10-30R is about 34 feet from where I need the power. What gauge wire should I use to extend the 250v 30A receptacle 34 feet? Can I use 10/3 with ground (Home Depot said this should work) or should I use 8/3 with ground?
P.S. I know this isn't to code and would take it down when I sell the house.
Probably not a bad idea to replace it, but since I have an unused Nema 10-30R (receptacle) dryer outlet in the garage, I'd like to adapt it to charge my to-be-delivered-this-Spring Red Tesla S.
The existing outlet is 250v 30A, controlled by 2 ganged 30A breakers. I used my multimeter and the outlet tests fine.
I called Tesla, thinking I'd just get the Nema 10-30 adapter instead of the 14-50, but was told the 14-50 comes standard and I'd have to buy the 10-30 adapter for $100. Rather than going that route, I'd like to convert the 10-30R to 14-50R by creating an extension/conversion cord. The extra ground wire from the 14-50R would run to a copper cold water pipe.
My idea is to extend my power by buying a 10-30P (plug) and wiring it to a 14-50R. My wife doesn't want it on the garage floor, so I plan to run it over the ceiling of the garage and down the wooden center post.
So my questions are:
1. Does the Tesla S automatically sense the incoming voltage and amperage and adjust it's charging accordingly? I know the 10-30R only supplies 250V @ 30A, but I think that will be plenty for the small trips I normally take. But will the 14-50 adapter cause the Tesla to "look for" 40A?
2. The existing 10-30R is about 34 feet from where I need the power. What gauge wire should I use to extend the 250v 30A receptacle 34 feet? Can I use 10/3 with ground (Home Depot said this should work) or should I use 8/3 with ground?
P.S. I know this isn't to code and would take it down when I sell the house.