Home Charging Question on Using Electric Dryer Outlet 10-30A

[Big Earl]

I have a 32 amp Nema 14-30 dryer outlet in my garage. I also didn't want to plug and unplug my car and dryer all the time, so I bought this splitter on Amazon for $69. Parkworld 88603 NEMA 14-30 Splitter. It works like a champ.

a NEMA 14-30 is a 30 amp outlet capable of sustaining 24 amps continuous load, not 32 amps.

 

[Juleeh222]

Okay, so I received the 10-30 Tesla adapter. I am halfway there. Now I need another adapter to plug into my Tesla charger?? Isn't there an extension cord that can connect the two?

 

[Dmagyar]

You removed the top connector into the module, and replace it with the 14-30 adapter.

 

[Juleeh222]

Thanks for the visual! That set up would be ideal if my Tesla and my dryer were in closer proximity. I need an extension cord to reach the car. Ideas? Did I get the wrong adapter?
Thanks!

 

[Dmagyar]

From your post I was unsure what exactly you were referencing (adapter wise). Not sure you'll be able to find an 14-30 extension, Might need to go the DIY route, checking Amazon, they might have something, remember you're trying to extend 30 amps at 240 volts...Good luck.

https://www.amazon.com/Conntek-SB14...573427995&sprefix=14-30+exten,aps,217&sr=8-11 Here's something, not sure it's as long as you may need.

 

[srs5694]

Thanks for the visual! That set up would be ideal if my Tesla and my dryer were in closer proximity. I need an extension cord to reach the car. Ideas? Did I get the wrong adapter?

No, all Tesla adapters are the same length (give or take manufacturing tolerances and how you want to measure the different NEMA plug sizes). If the total cord length (adapter plus the 25 feet or so that comes off the Mobile Connector "box") won't reach your car, then you'll need an extension on top of that. There are three ways to do this:

• Extend your existing cable -- QuickChargePower offers an extension service that lengthens the cable on your current Mobile Connector, which you'd need to ship to them. The price varies from $199 for a 10-foot extension to $399 for a 50-foot extension, if I'm reading the page correctly. (It's a bit confusing. You may want to ask for clarification to be sure you get what you want.) If I understand correctly, the length of this cable is limited by law, or at least by standards bodies, to 25 feet, so an extended cable will be in violation of that. This may be safer than using an actual extension cable, though.
  
• Extend the Tesla cable -- You can buy an extension cord that plugs into the car on one end and the Wall Connector or Mobile Connector car-side plug on the other end. QuickChargePower advertises one such product at $199 or $299 (for 20-foot or 40-foot lengths, respectively); however, it looks like it's not quite ready to ship (it's a new product for them). I'm pretty sure I've seen something similar advertised elsewhere, but it didn't turn up in my Google search. Perhaps you'll have better luck if you go looking.
• Extend the NEMA cable -- 240v extension cables are made for just about every type of NEMA plug. You mentioned you have a NEMA 10-30 outlet, so something like this 10-foot cable from Home Depot for $83 or this 25-foot cable from Amazon for $93 would do the trick. (Note: I've not studied those listings to evaluate if those are good products or not.)

Tesla discourages the use of extension cables. There will inevitably be some loss over an extension cable, and numerous things can go wrong with them -- loose connections, corrosion of contacts over time, etc. The Tesla Mobile Connector will also be unable to detect overheating of the outlet. You can minimize some of these issues by using as short an extension cable as possible.

Also, as I noted in my earlier reply, if you'll be sharing the outlet between the dryer and car, you may want to look into a Dryer Buddy. There are several models, the more advanced of which will help automate the sharing so that you can plug both the dryer and the car into the same outlet without fear of tripping a circuit breaker (or worse, the circuit breaker not tripping when it should, which could cause overheating and a fire). Most home 240v outlets are not designed to be plugged and unplugged frequently, so if you don't use a Dryer Buddy, you may end up wearing out the dryer outlet in a matter of a few months. It might then be loose or even overheat and cause a fire.

 

[Juleeh222]

Extend the NEMA cable -- 240v extension cables are made for just about every type of NEMA plug. You mentioned you have a NEMA 10-30 outlet, so something like this 10-foot cablefrom Home Depot for $83 or this 25-foot cablefrom Amazon for $93 would do the trick. (Note: I've not studied those listings to evaluate if those are good products or not.)

I think this may be my best option. I really just want to see if this is a viable solution before I start drilling holes in my stucco and buying a dryer buddy. I will also have to monitor/set the amps coming into the car. Thank you!

 

[wws]

Extend the NEMA cable -- 240v extension cables are made for just about every type of NEMA plug. You mentioned you have a NEMA 10-30 outlet, so something like this 10-foot cablefrom Home Depot for $83 or this 25-foot cablefrom Amazon for $93 would do the trick. (Note: I've not studied those listings to evaluate if those are good products or not.)

I think this may be my best option. I really just want to see if this is a viable solution before I start drilling holes in my stucco and buying a dryer buddy.

If you are at the level of "drilling holes in stucco", I'd suggest having an electrician look the situation over for something more permanent/waterproof/rodent proof/etc. It may be better to install a new 240V circuit for the car. Or perhaps extend your existing 30 amp clothes dryer circuit with some sort of A/B switch.

I will also have to monitor/set the amps coming into the car.

By using the proper Tesla NEMA adapter, the maximum charging current for the circuit will be automatically set.

 

[BSAElectronics]

Hey Guys, if anyone has any questions about my Dryer Buddy outlet splitter go ahead and post them, I'll be happy to answer them. I'm also open to suggestions from fellow Tesla drivers as to what you would like to see in a custom built power product, I have created some pretty unique stuff for people in the past with specific needs outside of the units offered on my website.

I love electronics and buying an EV got me into building EVSE's and inventing the Dryer Buddy. Right now I'm playing with a DC Solar trailer I purchased at auction and am learning about how it works. Cheers, Brad A,