Hey Tesla, there is a need for that NEMA 14-30 adapter still!

[Tazman]

Interesting. I have heard of the 14-50 being associated with house fires (recall in 2014: Tesla Recalls 29,000 Model S Chargers Over Fire Concerns), but never the 14-30. Please correct me if I am wrong.

It would make sense that Tesla would prefer everyone to use their HPWC or have a certified electrician put in a 14-50 (especially since they now have a dedicated 14-50 UMC) to minimize risk of house fires.

Just going by what I heard, but I think you are right that essentially they have a strong incentive to have everyone install via a licensed electrician as long as the added total cost of ownership don't scare customers away.

 

[FlatSix911]

Interesting. I have heard of the 14-50 being associated with house fires (recall in 2014: Tesla Recalls 29,000 Model S Chargers Over Fire Concerns), but never the 14-30. Please correct me if I am wrong.

It would make sense that Tesla would prefer everyone to use their HPWC or have a certified electrician put in a 14-50 (especially since they now have a dedicated 14-50 UMC) to minimize risk of house fires.

Agreed ... keep in mind that the "recall" was a simple software fix.

01.14.14 Tesla is recalling 29,000 Model S charging adapters over concerns about potential fire hazards. In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the company noted its NEMA 14-50 adapters could overheat while charging, potentially leading to the melting of the adapter, cord, and socket—or "in a worst-case scenario, fire." Tesla's solution to the voluntary recall is an over-the-air software update that will reduce heat generated in high-resistance connections. The company says the issue affects less than 3% of its chargers. With the update, the onboard charging system will be able to detect unexpected fluctuations in input power and respond by reducing the charging current by 25%. Though Tesla says the update will fully address the issue, it is also engineering a new adapter plug with a thermal fuse to improve reliability. The chargers will be mailed to customers for free when they become available.

 

[neroden]

The software "fix" was nonsense and was panned by the electrical engineers on here. It suffers from false positives and false negatives.

 

[FMR3]

Great topic! 14-30 charging critical to me and my Model S. Currently making use of unused dryer relocated to garage. Don’t believe upgrade to 14-50 is easily and cost effectively doable. Worked great for 2 years, until yesterday, when I went to charge with 10 miles of range left, and nothing. No lights on charging cable, yet breaker didn’t trip and outlet had power.

Tesla service tech came out late yesterday on his way home from work, but didn’t bring 14-30 adapter, and otherwise couldn’t diagnose. Said it wasn’t the cable, probably not the adapter, and that it looked like the power source. (Currently charging at 120V/4MPH and still troubleshooting. Swapped out 14-30 outlet, and still nothing. Any help here would be appreciated.)

Also learned yesterday from Tech that 14-30 adapters no longer being made available. Why? Did searches but can’t find specific reason. Not sure why Tesla would nix these when 14-30 charging appears to be an ideal main and/or back-up charging solution for many owners.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

Great topic! 14-30 charging critical to me and my Model S. Currently making use of unused dryer relocated to garage. Don’t believe upgrade to 14-50 is easily and cost effectively doable. Worked great for 2 years, until yesterday, when I went to charge with 10 miles of range left, and nothing. No lights on charging cable, yet breaker didn’t trip and outlet had power.

Tesla service tech came out late yesterday on his way home from work, but didn’t bring 14-30 adapter, and otherwise couldn’t diagnose. Said it wasn’t the cable, probably not the adapter, and that it looked like the power source. (Currently charging at 120V/4MPH and still troubleshooting. Swapped out 14-30 outlet, and still nothing. Any help here would be appreciated.)

Also learned yesterday from Tech that 14-30 adapters no longer being made available. Why? Did searches but can’t find specific reason. Not sure why Tesla would nix these when 14-30 charging appears to be an ideal main and/or back-up charging solution for many owners.

As I looked at my 10-30 drier plug....it did not have the fourth wire for Ground. Extending the drier wire into the garage for the Tesla would have resulted in a ungrounded receptacle. This seems to be the same issue as the 10-30 to 14-50 adapters - no ground.

 

[TexasEV]

Also learned yesterday from Tech that 14-30 adapters no longer being made available. Why? Did searches but can’t find specific reason. Not sure why Tesla would nix these when 14-30 charging appears to be an ideal main and/or back-up charging solution for many owners.

It's still a mystery why Tesla discontinued the 14-30 and 10-30 adapters, but then came out with the 6-15 adapter which is in much less demand.

 

[FMR3]

It's still a mystery why Tesla discontinued the 14-30 and 10-30 adapters, but then came out with the 6-15 adapter which is in much less demand.

As mentioned just today to Tesla Devon SC personnel, it's generally not comforting when no specific reasons are given for such things, which leads owners to draw their own conclusions, some of which may not be accurate.

An update to my situation: Had an electrician out today who found breaker good, wiring good (I have four leads, including neutral and ground), the 14-30 outlet good, but Tesla's 14-30 adapter BAD (with continuity/open circuit issues). Unusable after only two years of use. Told by Tesla Devon today that no 14-30 replacements in stock (either there or in my "region"), that national search must wait until Monday, that the part is no longer under warranty and if a replacement is located I would need to pay for it again. Dead in the water for now, relegated to 120V at 3-4 MPH as my main/home charging station.

There could be known production issues with the 14-30 adapters and that they're all living on borrowed time, but this is admittedly speculation. I hope that Tesla eventually discloses the details behind the 14-30's disappearance, and if there are known issues, that the company endeavor to get these fixed ASAP and once again make the (new and improved) 14-30s available to owners who want and need them.

 

[dgpcolorado]

As I looked at my 10-30 drier plug....it did not have the fourth wire for Ground. Extending the drier wire into the garage for the Tesla would have resulted in a ungrounded receptacle. This seems to be the same issue as the 10-30 to 14-50 adapters - no ground.

I don't think that's quite right. A 10-30 has a ground but no dedicated neutral; the ground is used as a neutral for 120 volt needs. This was replaced in the '90s by the 14-30, which has a separate ground and neutral.

For making a 10-30 to 14-50 adapter one connects the ground/neutral wire in the 10-30 to the ground wire in the 14-50 and the neutral in the 14-50 is left unconnected. I built one — my parents have a house that was built in the last few months that 10-30 drier outlets were still being installed — and it works fine. The downside of a DIY approach, of course, is that one must remember to dial the current in the car down to 24 amps (my car "remembered" this setting for the five days I was charging on a 10-30 circuit, which was helpful).

It would be nice if Tesla would make both 10-30 and 14-30 adapters or some sort of universal adapter that has an adjustable current setting that will tell the car what current is safe to draw. Perhaps Tesla discontinued the 240V/30A adapters because they were concerned about liability issues with substandard house 30 amp circuit wiring. Although if that was the case why offer the 120 volt adapters (substandard 120 V circuits are not uncommon)? I don't know.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

I don't think that's quite right. A 10-30 has a ground but no dedicated neutral; the ground is used as a neutral for 120 volt needs. This was replaced in the '90s by the 14-30, which has a separate ground and neutral.

For making a 10-30 to 14-50 adapter one connects the ground/neutral wire in the 10-30 to the ground wire in the 14-50 and the neutral in the 14-50 is left unconnected. I built one — my parents have a house that was built in the last few months that 10-30 drier outlets were still being installed — and it works fine. The downside of a DIY approach, of course, is that one must remember to dial the current in the car down to 24 amps (my car "remembered" this setting for the five days I was charging on a 10-30 circuit, which was helpful).

It would be nice if Tesla would make both 10-30 and 14-30 adapters or some sort of universal adapter that has an adjustable current setting that will tell the car what current is safe to draw. Perhaps Tesla discontinued the 240V/30A adapters because they were concerned about liability issues with substandard house 30 amp circuit wiring. Although if that was the case why offer the 120 volt adapters (substandard 120 V circuits are not uncommon)? I don't know.

So if I connected the l-shaped spade to the rounded Ground of a 14-50 socket, and the two other spades to the outward 14-50 slices. and left the center slot unconnected, I have just made a successful and safe adapter?

 

[dgpcolorado]

So if I connected the l-shaped spade to the rounded Ground of a 14-50 socket, and the two other spades to the outward 14-50 slices. and left the center slot unconnected, I have just made a successful and safe adapter?

Yes.

Do be aware that you will have to dial the current drawn by the car back to 24 A (and check to make sure that it stays that way each time you charge).

Any such adapter should be marked as being "for Electric Vehicle use only, no neutral connection" since it would not be suitable for RV or other use.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

Yes.

Do be aware that you will have to dial the current drawn by the car back to 24 A (and check to make sure that it stays that way each time you charge).

Any such adapter should be marked as being "for Electric Vehicle use only, no neutral connection" since it would not be suitable for RV or other use.

I can build this for under $50. A full 40 foot trench install of a textbook 14-50 is $1000+. Also, I see that Tesla supplies sells a kit of about a 1/2 dozen adapters - one of which matches my needs. These might be better built than my DIY.

 

[dgpcolorado]

For those who wonder what we are talking about:

The "neutral" (actually ground) in the 10-30 is connected to the ground in the 14-50 and the neutral in the 14-50 is left unconnected because it isn't used by Tesla (or other EVs, such as a LEAF).

 

[dgpcolorado]

I can build this for under $50. A full 40 foot trench install of a textbook 14-50 is $1000+. Also, I see that Tesla supplies sells a kit of about a 1/2 dozen adapters - one of which matches my needs. These might be better built than my DIY.

Ah, this is the point of this thread: Tesla no longer sells a 14-30 adapter (I'm not sure if they ever sold a 10-30 adapter, but think they did). If you could get your hands on an actual Tesla 30 amp adapter it would be a great help. The reason is that a Tesla 30 amp adapter signals the car to automatically limit the current to 24 amps (80% of the circuit maximum). This is a convenience and safety feature.

Folks here have managed to find the older adapters at Tesla stores or buy them from eBay and places like that. A Tesla adapter fits to the end of the UMC and makes charging very simple.

 

[FlatSix911]

This has been mentioned previously ... you can just mod your 14-50 plug for the 14-30 receptacle as recommended below.
Keep in mind that you should reduce your amp setting to 24A on the Tesla display, and remember to check it regularly.

Ingineer said: ↑

You can literally just cut the neutral prong off the 14-50 adapter, then it will work in 3 outlet types; 14-30, 14-50 and 14-60. The neutral is not used in the UMC, and it's just a dummy pin. Just be sure to set your max current to 24A when using it on a 14-30 or you will trip the breaker. View attachment 110270
I grabbed the pin with vise grip pliers and ripped it out, then just filled the hole with sealant. I use it all the time and it works perfectly.

 

[FMR3]

This has been mentioned previously ... you can just mod your 14-50 plug for the 14-30 receptacle as recommended below.
Keep in mind that you should reduce your amp setting to 24A on the Tesla display,

Implemented this fix and workaround today and it worked like a charm. Back to getting 17-18 mph, vs. 3-4. Label outlet and plug to serve as reminder to check amp setting at car. If there are defects in Tesla's 14-30 adapter, this may be the better fix, as opposed to buying defective adapters.

 

[FlatSix911]

Well done!

Implemented this fix and workaround today and it worked like a charm. Back to getting 17-18 mph, vs. 3-4. Label outlet and plug to serve as reminder to check amp setting at car. If there are defects in Tesla's 14-30 adapter, this may be the better fix, as opposed to buying defective adapters.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

This has been mentioned previously ... you can just mod your 14-50 plug for the 14-30 receptacle as recommended below.
Keep in mind that you should reduce your amp setting to 24A on the Tesla display, and remember to check it regularly.

So simple it is elegant.

 

[jerry33]

Implemented this fix and workaround today and it worked like a charm. Back to getting 17-18 mph, vs. 3-4. Label outlet and plug to serve as reminder to check amp setting at car. If there are defects in Tesla's 14-30 adapter, this may be the better fix, as opposed to buying defective adapters.

The only trick is you need to check it every time you plug in to insure it didn't go back up to 40 amps.

 

[dgpcolorado]

... If there are defects in Tesla's 14-30 adapter, this may be the better fix, as opposed to buying defective adapters.

Are there reported defects in the 14-30 adapters? Haven't been paying much attention since I don't use any 14-30 outlets.

 

[TexasEV]

Are there reported defects in the 14-30 adapters? Haven't been paying much attention since I don't use any 14-30 outlets.

No.