Ok guys so I own a townhouse in Connecticut and I’m want to own a Tesla model 3. Problem is that I only have a parking spot directly in front of my town house unit. No garage! So, I’m wondering what I would have to do to get a home charger or if it’s even worth doing. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated
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How can I get a home charger in a townhouse that garage-less?
- Thread starter Nitaino
- Start date
boriszima
Member
My owners would run a conduit underground from their main electrical panel to outside, install a post and Tesla wall charger which is outdoor rating. Expensive? usually is depending how far to trench, permits, public land, etc.
You can search for it here, plenty of examples
HPWC outdoor install?
You can search for it here, plenty of examples
HPWC outdoor install?
eprosenx
Active Member
Is the spot in a driveway? Or are you talking about a street curb parking spot?
In the driveway you can often put a charger on the side of the building... Or as others have pointed out, you can run a conduit to a post and put a charger on it.
For places you don't want to invest as much in, a receptacle like a NEMA 14-50 may be more cost effective.
I am in the same situation - This is what i am thinking:
My dryer is 10 feet from my porch, with the dryer vent coming out on my porch (another 10 feet to my carport). I am thinking I will by a 20 ft extension cord to run from my dryer plug out to my porch through the dryer vent, I could then plug my tesla charger to extension cord. When using dryer i would just switch the cords.
Would this cause any kind of fire hazard, and is this a good idea?
srs5694
Active Member
@Nitaino, I suggest you contact a couple of electricians with experience installing EVSEs. They can give you suggestions for precisely how to do the work (meeting local regulations, etc.) and estimates for what it will cost. Those costs will vary greatly depending on multiple details, like the distance from your breaker box to the installation, whether you can mount the EVSE to an outside wall or must install a post, etc. You'll probably also have to contact your condo board, since you must generally get approval before doing any significant outside work on condos and townhouses. (Obviously, you're in a better position to know you legal and contractual requirements on this score than I am, though.)
For an outdoor installation, be sure that you get an EVSE that's rated for NEMA 3R or NEMA 4. These are weather ratings; a NEMA 3R enclosure should stand up to ordinary rain and snow, including heavy downpours. A NEMA 4 rating will also withstand a power washer. Tesla's Wall Connector carries a NEMA 3R rating, so it's good enough for most situations. Tesla's Mobile Connector (which comes with the car) carries no weather rating, so I advise against permanently mounting it outside, or using it outside in inclement weather. Some people have said that they've done so for months or years without problems, but others have reported failures in such conditions. Unfortunately, this is anecdotal evidence; I have no hard data on failure rates. If your building is regularly power-washed, you might want to consider a non-Tesla EVSE with a NEMA 4 rating. The JuiceBox and most or all Clipper Creek units carry NEMA 4 ratings. The problem with these EVSEs is that they're J1772 units, so you'll need to use Tesla's J1772 adapter with them. One comes with the car, so you can use that; but you'll need to either plug and unplug it regularly, which is a minor nuisance; or you'll need to buy a second so that one can stay with the car at all times and you can leave the other with the EVSE.
That sounds very jury-rigged. Most 240v outlets are not designed for frequent plugging and unplugging, so you're likely to end up needing a new dryer plug in a year or two if you do it this way. You can overcome this problem with a product called the Dryer Buddy, which enables sharing of a dryer outlet between the dryer and an EVSE. Also, if you're suggesting running a cable out through the dryer vent, that will both obstruct the dryer vent (maybe not a lot, but a little) and expose the cord to heat that may be outside its rated operating range. I'd also be a little concerned about the edges of the dryer vent abrading the cord over time. That vented air will also be rather high in humidity. Maybe all of that would not be a real problem, but the combination makes me nervous. Furthermore, see my above comments about using the Mobile Connector (it sounds like that's what you're intending to use) in inclement weather. Given the distances, you might be able to keep the Mobile Connector inside and run just the car-side plug outside, which would help. Overall, though, I'd say it's better to do the job properly and install an outdoor-rated EVSE on the outside of your house. You might even save money in the long run -- doing it right might cost less than the cost of a Dryer Buddy plus a 240v extension cable plus a replacement Mobile Connector or two.
For an outdoor installation, be sure that you get an EVSE that's rated for NEMA 3R or NEMA 4. These are weather ratings; a NEMA 3R enclosure should stand up to ordinary rain and snow, including heavy downpours. A NEMA 4 rating will also withstand a power washer. Tesla's Wall Connector carries a NEMA 3R rating, so it's good enough for most situations. Tesla's Mobile Connector (which comes with the car) carries no weather rating, so I advise against permanently mounting it outside, or using it outside in inclement weather. Some people have said that they've done so for months or years without problems, but others have reported failures in such conditions. Unfortunately, this is anecdotal evidence; I have no hard data on failure rates. If your building is regularly power-washed, you might want to consider a non-Tesla EVSE with a NEMA 4 rating. The JuiceBox and most or all Clipper Creek units carry NEMA 4 ratings. The problem with these EVSEs is that they're J1772 units, so you'll need to use Tesla's J1772 adapter with them. One comes with the car, so you can use that; but you'll need to either plug and unplug it regularly, which is a minor nuisance; or you'll need to buy a second so that one can stay with the car at all times and you can leave the other with the EVSE.
That sounds very jury-rigged. Most 240v outlets are not designed for frequent plugging and unplugging, so you're likely to end up needing a new dryer plug in a year or two if you do it this way. You can overcome this problem with a product called the Dryer Buddy, which enables sharing of a dryer outlet between the dryer and an EVSE. Also, if you're suggesting running a cable out through the dryer vent, that will both obstruct the dryer vent (maybe not a lot, but a little) and expose the cord to heat that may be outside its rated operating range. I'd also be a little concerned about the edges of the dryer vent abrading the cord over time. That vented air will also be rather high in humidity. Maybe all of that would not be a real problem, but the combination makes me nervous. Furthermore, see my above comments about using the Mobile Connector (it sounds like that's what you're intending to use) in inclement weather. Given the distances, you might be able to keep the Mobile Connector inside and run just the car-side plug outside, which would help. Overall, though, I'd say it's better to do the job properly and install an outdoor-rated EVSE on the outside of your house. You might even save money in the long run -- doing it right might cost less than the cost of a Dryer Buddy plus a 240v extension cable plus a replacement Mobile Connector or two.
davewill
Active Member
If this were something you wanted to do for a day or two while visiting a relative, I'd tell you to go ahead. Since you intend it to be your daily charging solution, I think you should do it properly. The problem with making this your permanent solution are:
1. Running an extension cord through a wall is considered a code violation.
2. Frequent plugging and unplugging from the outlet will wear it out quickly.
3. Possible tripping hazard running the cord across your porch and to wherever the car actually is.
Plus, if by the "same situation" you mean you're also in a townhouse, all you'd need is one neighbor to complain about the cord, and you might poison the HOA against you installing any charging.
I personally would get quotes for a new circuit run to where you actually need it and jump through any hoops you need to. That's the proper way to do the job.
Good points - I’m going to hire an electrician and do it correctly!
I’m in the same situation, but in bridgeport. Hope you came to a solution. My HOA put the slam down on my charging in front of my house for ‘public safety’ reasons. Aside from that, there is a shared lot and they’ve no appetite to install even one community charger either. I’ve preseneted several options with quoates, less than $5k installed. Frustrating.
Some states have “right to charge” laws that apply to mult-dwelling HOA’s, CT does not. I’d love to advocate for such if I knew who to work with to make it a possibility. Restricting an indiviuals ability to fuel their vehicle without any attempt to come to a reasonable solution seems like an infringement.
SummerlinChiro
Member
In places like CT where real estate is very expensive, lots of homes will not have square footage dedicated to cars.
davewill
Active Member
I'd say that's fairly reasonable. If the circuit has to be run much of a distance, I'd say it's a really good deal.
I have a townhouse with no garage and my HOA also will not allow me to run an extension cord to my parking spot because of liability issues (somebody trips on it, for example). I'm in NJ and we do have a new law here that says the HOA cannot make it unreasonably difficult to get EV charging. I was thinking of digging up the small, private road that separates my townhouse from my parking spot and running the electrical line from a battery on the post behind my parking space to my house (I'd do the appropriate upgrades to my home electricity). I never priced it because my life got to busy and complicated to deal with such a big project. BUT, I have an electrical pole right behind my car in my parking spot. Does anyone think I could have the private electric company run a connection to the pole and install a meter? I've been using a Tesla Supercharger at a WaWa not too far from my house but with the draw that cold winter put on my battery this winter I had to charge up twice a week rather than my usual once. It was a pain during winter weather. And I understand that the Supercharger all the time is not good for the battery life. True?
I understand that these are the problems of a privileged citizen but I am still looking for solutions. If nothing works out I'll just hang out at the WaWa with a Vitamin Water and my iPhone. Maybe a good book. ;-)
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