Installing Wall Connector is better than NEMA 14-50

[Magnet77]

I bought a new Model Y recently and was planning to install NEMA 14-50 Receptacle for the Mobile charger. I saw many posts and youtube videos regarding this. Now, it looks like a wall connector is the best option to install.

For Installing NEMA Outlet for Mobile Charger - I have to buy NEMA 14-50 adapter ($45), Industrial NEMA 14-50 receptacle/outlet (Bryant $50, Hubbell $80 - if available), a box+plate for the outlet ($7) and GFCI 50A double pole breaker ($100 - GFCI required according to NEC 2021 - new requirement). Other accessories are common to both.

For Tesla Wall Connector - Wall Connector Gen 3 ($400), Non-GFCI 50A/60A double pole breaker ($10-$30).

For a Mobile charger - $200 -$225 to Charge Tesla Model Y @30mph
For Wall Connector - $430 to charge Tesla Model Y @ 42mph + You will have a mobile charger in your car as a backup.

The difference is $200 for which we get a mobile charger as a backup (Mobile Charger costs $200). Wall Charger has inbuilt GFCI and has WIFI for future use. If we install a GFCI breaker for NEMA PLUG, the chances of tripping are more and we have to reset it manually to continue charging whereas the wall connector resumes charging automatically.

This is the information I gathered by watching several videos, going through this forum, and reading some articles online.

Please kindly update me if I'm wrong or missing any information. I was planning to install Wall Connector next Week.

 

[240vPlug]

You are correct. I posted many times about this. Hard wired is the way to go for a home EV charger. Not only is it cheaper and more reliable it is also safer.

 

[Djjeepz1987]

What gauge wire is needed to hard wire the wall charger? Also, to make sure, I can wire this into a 50 amp circuit in my breaker box? Thanks for helping.

 

[240vPlug]

What gauge wire is needed to hard wire the wall charger? Also, to make sure, I can wire this into a 50 amp circuit in my breaker box? Thanks for helping.

Depends on amperage rating. Use a 60 amp circuit, THHN #6 90C run in conduit, is rated for 75 amps. Good for the full 48amp output of wall connector. You can use 50 but the wall connector will need to be provision for lower output of 40amp max.

The continuous load can’t be more than 80% of the rated capacity of the circuit. 50x0.8= 40 and 60x0.8=48.

 

[MacO512]

I would buy the 14-50 MC adapter regardless which option you use at home. If you keep the MC in the car its good to have this plug as its the standard at campgrounds, etc.

WC doesn't need neutral wire saving some material cost.

I'd always install the WC personally of the two options. The only exception is if you had an RV or another 14-50 EV charger being used, etc type of rare situation.

 

[Black306]

Personally, I want options. I tinker with projects and want the option of a 240v outlet in my garage for heavy duty tools. I want the option to swap out my charger with another one, Tesla or non-Tesla, easily. Only downside is a limit of 40a charge rate vs 48a; doesn’t impact me since I charge at 10a most of the time.

However, I do recognize that I’m an exception case, not the norm. For most people, hard wire is the way to go.

 

[240vPlug]

Personally, I want options. I tinker with projects and want the option of a 240v outlet in my garage for heavy duty tools. I want the option to swap out my charger with another one, Tesla or non-Tesla, easily. Only downside is a limit of 40a charge rate vs 48a; doesn’t impact me since I charge at 10a most of the time.

However, I do recognize that I’m an exception case, not the norm. For most people, hard wire is the way to go.

Keep in mind you will need a GFCI 50 amp breaker for your 14-50 and that May trip from time to time and cause charging interruptions.

If you need a 14-50 for tinkering install a separate circuit and outlet for that. A hard wired charger is not that hard to swap out.

Your decision of course but hard wired is really the way to go for a home charger for many reasons.

 

[Black306]

Keep in mind you will need a GFCI 50 amp breaker for your 14-50 and that May trip from time to time and cause charging interruptions.

If you need a 14-50 for tinkering install a separate circuit and outlet for that. A hard wired charger is not that hard to swap out.

Your decision of course but hard wired is really the way to go for a home charger for many reasons.

Had the outlet for years. No issues. Don't need to be convinced hardwired is the way to go either. If I thought that way, would have done it a long time ago.

 

[240vPlug]

Had the outlet for years. No issues. Don't need to be convinced hardwired is the way to go either. If I thought that way, would have done it a long time ago.

You had an EV charger plugged into it for years? The EV charger is the problem they have built in ground fault protection so when you plug it in to a 14-50 with a 50 amp GFCI you have two interrupts on the same circuit which will cause the EVSE to trip the breaker and interrupt charging.

Depending on how many years you have had it you may not have a GFCI breaker.

Not trying to convince you but rather inform anyone else who may be reading it.

You would be surprised how many electricians install it and don’t bother to alert the customer of this problem. It often leads to the job having to be redone.

 

[davewill]

Jeez, what is there to fight over? I have a 6-50 (40a circuit) and a 14-50 (50a circuit). I did them that way because I already had the EVSEs I wanted to use. Of course, 10+ years ago 40a seemed like overkill...and in all honesty it still works perfectly. I do find it comforting to know that if one of them goes out, I can grab my mobile connector and be back in business. I had to do that a couple years ago for about a month while I repaired one.

One of the reasons to choose the 14-50 over the wall connector was that it was cheaper. That reason has largely gone away, but there are plenty of other reasons people have to choose a plug or a hard-wired solution. Both are reasonable solutions.

 

[240vPlug]

look not trying to argue. Too many times over the years I have seen melted plugs and 14-50. I have gone over the additional reasons before. There is just a lot of misinformation out on places like YouTube. Just make sure to inspecct that 14-50 regularly for signs of arcing or excessive heat.

My main thing is safety. As I’m sure most of you know this isn’t like running a welder, range, or table saw. This is a constant load sustained over potentially many hours.

 

[falcon01]

Guys now that my delivery is a few days away, I am moving from just checking ordering threads to driving and charging ones ..
I have installed the NEMA 14-50 on a 50amp breaker, got a JuiceBox 40 charger. Few reasons to not go with Tesla wall connector - 1. Do not like the hardwired charger, 2. We are getting another EV coming within the next year, 3. From some online research, JuiceBox WiFi capabilities seem to be better than what Telsa wall connector offers, 4. 40amp is plenty for my daily use, do not need 48.
Have a few questions for experts here - 1. Will there be any issues using an J1772 adaptor to charge the Tesla long term? 2. I drive around 40-50 miles/day, is there any advantages to just charge every few days? keeping the charge between 20-80% or just plug it in every day and let it charge to 80%? 3. Should I buy another J1772 adaptor and keep it in the car, so I always have the option to use non-tesla public chargers when I need one.
Sorry guys for some basic questions, this is our first foray into EV world. Within the next 2 years we will be an all EV family.

 

[davewill]

Guys now that my delivery is a few days away, I am moving from just checking ordering threads to driving and charging ones ..
I have installed the NEMA 14-50 on a 50amp breaker, got a JuiceBox 40 charger. Few reasons to not go with Tesla wall connector - 1. Do not like the hardwired charger, 2. We are getting another EV coming within the next year, 3. From some online research, JuiceBox WiFi capabilities seem to be better than what Telsa wall connector offers, 4. 40amp is plenty for my daily use, do not need 48.
Have a few questions for experts here - 1. Will there be any issues using an J1772 adaptor to charge the Tesla long term? 2. I drive around 40-50 miles/day, is there any advantages to just charge every few days? keeping the charge between 20-80% or just plug it in every day and let it charge to 80%? 3. Should I buy another J1772 adaptor and keep it in the car, so I always have the option to use non-tesla public chargers when I need one.
Sorry guys for some basic questions, this is our first foray into EV world. Within the next 2 years we will be an all EV family.

I use a J1772 for my daily charging. No downsides except having to push on the charge door to open it rather then pressing the button on the Tesla plug, which has never been an issue for me. I did buy a second J1772 adapter, as removing it from my J1772 plug at home all the time would be a pain, and I need it with me if I want to charge at work.

 

[e645824]

Guys now that my delivery is a few days away, I am moving from just checking ordering threads to driving and charging ones ..
I have installed the NEMA 14-50 on a 50amp breaker, got a JuiceBox 40 charger. Few reasons to not go with Tesla wall connector - 1. Do not like the hardwired charger, 2. We are getting another EV coming within the next year, 3. From some online research, JuiceBox WiFi capabilities seem to be better than what Telsa wall connector offers, 4. 40amp is plenty for my daily use, do not need 48.
Have a few questions for experts here - 1. Will there be any issues using an J1772 adaptor to charge the Tesla long term? 2. I drive around 40-50 miles/day, is there any advantages to just charge every few days? keeping the charge between 20-80% or just plug it in every day and let it charge to 80%? 3. Should I buy another J1772 adaptor and keep it in the car, so I always have the option to use non-tesla public chargers when I need one.
Sorry guys for some basic questions, this is our first foray into EV world. Within the next 2 years we will be an all EV family.

It just depends on if you'll plug/unplug that NEMA 14-50 connector a lot. If you plug it in once and leave it plugged in, then it will be fine. But if you plug/unplug every day those 14-50 receptacles aren't designed for a lot of cycles. The Wall Charger plug is designed to go in/out of the vehicle every day. I do my Wall Charger into my MYLR every day and this is month 8 with no issues (8*4*5 = 160 plug/unplug cycles).

Here is a thread specific to the NEMA 14-50:

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/nema-14-50-plug-meltdown-near-fire.155492/​

Scott

--

MYLR | Red ext | White int | 19" | 5 seats | tow | no FSD | made/delivered Oct 2021

 

[phaheem]

A 14-50 outlet enables you to use a Tesla-branded EV charger or any other branded charger. This way, you can opt for an EVSE that has more features and functionality than a Tesla charger and, because a non-Tesla EVSE will very likely have a J1772 plug, you can charge any EV and your Tesla.

The wall connector limits you to just that Tesla EVSE and limited to those features and charging Teslas (unless you have a Tesla > J1772 adapter).

 

[RyanS]

For safety reasons, I would definitely go with WC if I have to install one today. My four-year-old 14-50 Leviton went bad with a high temp error. It looks like the connection gaps got bigger and were generating heat. I rarely unplug my mobile charger, so not sure how this happened. Yesterday, I replaced it with an Eaton brand for now. My other five years old, 6-50 is doing fine. But the long-term solution is to add 2 WCs. I don’t want my house to burn down.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Hard wired is the way to go for a home EV charger.

User name checks ... wait... no it doesn't.

 

[Rocky_H]

User name checks ... wait... no it doesn't.

I saw that in another thread too, and was about to comment on how the person named 240vPlug was warning people away from the 240vPlug.

 

[Tfelixprg]

I bought a new Model Y recently and was planning to install NEMA 14-50 Receptacle for the Mobile charger. I saw many posts and youtube videos regarding this. Now, it looks like a wall connector is the best option to install.

For Installing NEMA Outlet for Mobile Charger - I have to buy NEMA 14-50 adapter ($45), Industrial NEMA 14-50 receptacle/outlet (Bryant $50, Hubbell $80 - if available), a box+plate for the outlet ($7) and GFCI 50A double pole breaker ($100 - GFCI required according to NEC 2021 - new requirement). Other accessories are common to both.

For Tesla Wall Connector - Wall Connector Gen 3 ($400), Non-GFCI 50A/60A double pole breaker ($10-$30).

For a Mobile charger - $200 -$225 to Charge Tesla Model Y @30mph
For Wall Connector - $430 to charge Tesla Model Y @ 42mph + You will have a mobile charger in your car as a backup.

The difference is $200 for which we get a mobile charger as a backup (Mobile Charger costs $200). Wall Charger has inbuilt GFCI and has WIFI for future use. If we install a GFCI breaker for NEMA PLUG, the chances of tripping are more and we have to reset it manually to continue charging whereas the wall connector resumes charging automatically.

This is the information I gathered by watching several videos, going through this forum, and reading some articles online.

Please kindly update me if I'm wrong or missing any information. I was planning to install Wall Connector next Week.

Yesss we installed a NEMA 14-50 adapter last year in April 2021 and have had to replace it again this year since it keeps giving us issues. If you have the ability to install a wall charger do it way better than having to go through the hassle of possibly having the NEMA replaced or not wanting to connect the Tesla as we still keep having issues with the replaced NEMA 14-50. It's also a bit worrisome since we keep getting the T blinking red 1 which means that's there is a ground fault and we are constantly having to unplug and then plug in again and hope the error goes away. We are definitely considering installing a wall connecter pretty soon. I would say definitely do the wall connector !!!

 

[gt2690b]

I bought a new Model Y recently and was planning to install NEMA 14-50 Receptacle for the Mobile charger. I saw many posts and youtube videos regarding this. Now, it looks like a wall connector is the best option to install.

For Installing NEMA Outlet for Mobile Charger - I have to buy NEMA 14-50 adapter ($45), Industrial NEMA 14-50 receptacle/outlet (Bryant $50, Hubbell $80 - if available), a box+plate for the outlet ($7) and GFCI 50A double pole breaker ($100 - GFCI required according to NEC 2021 - new requirement). Other accessories are common to both.

For Tesla Wall Connector - Wall Connector Gen 3 ($400), Non-GFCI 50A/60A double pole breaker ($10-$30).

For a Mobile charger - $200 -$225 to Charge Tesla Model Y @30mph
For Wall Connector - $430 to charge Tesla Model Y @ 42mph + You will have a mobile charger in your car as a backup.

The difference is $200 for which we get a mobile charger as a backup (Mobile Charger costs $200). Wall Charger has inbuilt GFCI and has WIFI for future use. If we install a GFCI breaker for NEMA PLUG, the chances of tripping are more and we have to reset it manually to continue charging whereas the wall connector resumes charging automatically.

This is the information I gathered by watching several videos, going through this forum, and reading some articles online.

Please kindly update me if I'm wrong or missing any information. I was planning to install Wall Connector next Week.

Assuming this is going on a garage this is all true