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Hot outlet reducing charging speed
- Thread starter Jpjpjp
- Start date
Heat is a sign of a poor electrical connection. For an outlet the most common culprit would be where the conductor is attached to the outlet. Not sure where you are in Los Angeles, but if your up in the valley and need a hand message me.
Did your electrician follow Tesla's installation guide for the NEMA 14-50? Especially 6 AWG copper wiring and NEMA 14-50 industrial grade? More info here: Home Charging Installation.
As @MattMatt pointed out above, poor wiring is a probable cause of heat build up. I would suggest @Jpjpjp to discontinue using the outlet and even shutting off the breaker to the outlet until it is inspected for signs of poor installation, as such defective installation may cause a fire.
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As a general note, this is the basic reason all our charging circuits are restricted to 80% loads. Because they are running continuously (or ‘a lot’).
The normal circuit in your home runs ‘once in a while’ and then shuts down, these run for hours while charging and the extra ‘headroom’ of the 20% cushion allows for more heat dissipation /current space.
Long story short, if it can’t even take the 80% load, it definitely wasn’t designed or installed correctly!
The normal circuit in your home runs ‘once in a while’ and then shuts down, these run for hours while charging and the extra ‘headroom’ of the 20% cushion allows for more heat dissipation /current space.
Long story short, if it can’t even take the 80% load, it definitely wasn’t designed or installed correctly!
SoCalDude
Life is good!
When I charge my 3 with the provided charger connected to my Nema 14-50 receptacle, the charger and cable are very warm. This makes me think that the charger itself is not very efficient. I am hoping that when the Tesla Wall Charger arrives that it will not build up the same level of heat in the charging cable.
I have never seen that message before.
I have never seen that message before.
GHammer
Dark Star
The provided cable and the wall mount connector are not "chargers" they are merely relay boxes. The charger is inside the car.
SW2Fiddler
We Are Cognitive Dissidents
Think of it as a Connector and you’ll be on the right track. The charger is in the Model 3’s battery pack in a “penthouse” assembly at the rear end. Its efficiency does not affect the temp of the connectors you can touch.
Both the Mobile Adapter and Wall Connector are dealing with the AC as it is, not converting to DC as the charger does.
Nerdy and specific, but true and hopefully helpful!
And hot outlets need to be checked out ASAP.
dhrivnak
Active Member
I would turn off your breaker and take out the outlet and ensure all the screws are torqued tight. A lose screw is a common issue that causes this and is easily remedied.
When I explain here that the UMC and HPWC are not “chargers” , I usually get criticized for being pedantic. Long live us pedants!
GHammer
Dark Star
Yes, however in this case it was very relevant not merely pedantic since the post referenced "efficiency" differance of chargers which makes no sense given they are just passthrough devices.
No, it’s Destination Charging program, not Destination Charger program.
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You are correct! Too bad everyone still calls them Destination Chargers, however, though... What do we call the ‘HPWC/TC’s that we find when we go somewhere to ‘Destination Charge’.
Destination Charging | Tesla
Yeah, we know. It’s on a par with 110 and 220 vs 120 and 240.It’s a lost cause, everyone (except the previously mentioned pendants) calls them chargers.
Please nobody mention EVSE or we’ll really get off topic
Well the electrician used a 8 AWG wire. He insists it’s fine although the agreed to come check out why it’s getting overheated.
Anything I can say to win my argument that it’s NOT fine over his professional optimism other than point to my issue or the Tesla instructions?
Is the wire in a conduit? What size is the conduit? Or is it NM cable? 6 AWG is the way to go either way. I prefer safety when working with electricity. Ampacity Charts
The wires get warm because all electric wire resists the movement of electricity to a point. That’s why we use bigger wires for higher currents. You’ll notice the cord getting warm on any device pulling a high current for the gauge of wire.
The charger is in the car as others have said... the UMC or wall connector are basically fancy extension cords.
I would insist the electrician replace with 6-gauge COPPER. It seems 8-gauge is fine for 30 Amp but not 50 Amp. Cover the additional material cost. Electrician can use the rejected 8-gauge wire in their next dryer outlet install.
Electrician may not have dealt with Tesla before. Few other EVs on the road can pull 40 Amps to recharge at all, much less for hours.
Electrician may not have dealt with Tesla before. Few other EVs on the road can pull 40 Amps to recharge at all, much less for hours.
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