I just recently moved into an old rental house that is not grounded(Electrician confirmed). It has a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 plug being used for a stove in the basement. Will my car accept electricity from this outlet if the house is not grounded? The reason I ask is that if I try plugging into a normal 125 volt plug on the side of the house (not even using an extension cord) , my car will not accept the charge.
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Wow that is terrible news. I'm a biologist so I'm kind of learning this as I go. However, can't the "ground" be done at the outlet of a 14-50, and not necessarily be at the panel? Is it even possible for a 14-50 to NOT have a ground?
I think this outlet was added after the fact when they finished the basement. Electrician is coming in a couple days anyways, so I guess he can confirm. Thanks
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NigelM
Recovering Member
You need to talk to FlasherZ, he's the resident expert on all things house electrical. He'll probably drop by when he sees the thread.
swaltner
Active Member
I'm assuming your electrician will just properly ground the load center (breaker panel). I checked the local hardware store and a 5/8"x8' copper ground rod was $11.38. Sink that in the ground and run the proper wiring and the issue is addressed. You need feet on the ground (local electrician) to figure this out, which the OP has confirmed is already scheduled. I would guesstimate that that (assuming there are no wiring issues in the panel other than a missing ground), this could be addressed for around $100.
This all assumes that your outlets are wired up properly and they are grounded to the load center properly...
This all assumes that your outlets are wired up properly and they are grounded to the load center properly...
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Yes, it's possible. The ground is the 4th prong on the outlet. It's possible it's not wired to anything, so it wouldn't be grounded.
Not sure I'd want to live in a place that didn't have a grounded electrical system. The wiring must be very old.
Often, NEMA 14-50s are not wired with a ground and the Tesla adapter doesn't use it. I had to specify a ground wire when I had a 220VAC circuit installed (not for an EV, in my shop). The electrician said "why do you want a ground wire? I never put one in." I explained that some shop equipment wants the ground and retrofitting would cost me a lot more so just do it.
Are you sure the system isn't grounded? Perhaps you are referring to the fact that the outlets don't have a ground wire. If you have a breaker panel then the odds are very high that it's grounded. If you have a fuse box, well, then maybe not. Look to see if there is a metal rod or even a wire to a metal plumbing pipe. If not, as was said earlier, grounding the system is way easy to do.
It's been standard practice since before WWII but running a ground wire has only been standard practice for the last 30-40 years. I have an old house that has wiring dating back to the 20s and it's well grounded though some of the circuits don't run ground wires.
Depending on your relationship with the landlord, you might be able to get them to pay for the fix. They are assuming a lot of risk by having a completely ungrounded system.
Are you sure the system isn't grounded? Perhaps you are referring to the fact that the outlets don't have a ground wire. If you have a breaker panel then the odds are very high that it's grounded. If you have a fuse box, well, then maybe not. Look to see if there is a metal rod or even a wire to a metal plumbing pipe. If not, as was said earlier, grounding the system is way easy to do.
It's been standard practice since before WWII but running a ground wire has only been standard practice for the last 30-40 years. I have an old house that has wiring dating back to the 20s and it's well grounded though some of the circuits don't run ground wires.
Depending on your relationship with the landlord, you might be able to get them to pay for the fix. They are assuming a lot of risk by having a completely ungrounded system.
It looks like I was wrong! Upstairs outlets don't have a ground wire, but downstairs was remodeled to add the dryer/stove and a ground wire was ran to the outlets, so I should be good to go.
Thanks for your help everyone. Can't wait to just buy a house (I have the solar panel itch thanks to all of you), but until I know where the Wife and I will end up for a while, it's renting for now.
Thanks for your help everyone. Can't wait to just buy a house (I have the solar panel itch thanks to all of you), but until I know where the Wife and I will end up for a while, it's renting for now.
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