Master Thread: Definitive 14-50 NEMA Outlet Guide

[beatle]

For sure. I'm surprised the UMC did not fault earlier during the session that melted the plug. I know the gen2 UMC has a temperature sensor in the plug, but does the gen1?

 

[Rocky_H]

For sure. I'm surprised the UMC did not fault earlier during the session that melted the plug. I know the gen2 UMC has a temperature sensor in the plug, but does the gen1?

No, it doesn't. That was one of the things they added in the Gen2.
I still have a Gen1 and a Leviton outlet, but I have always had it turned down to 31A so as to not push it. I haven't installed the wall connector I have yet that will replace that outlet.

 

[jwharnish]

No, it doesn't. That was one of the things they added in the Gen2.
I still have a Gen1 and a Leviton outlet, but I have always had it turned down to 31A so as to not push it. I haven't installed the wall connector I have yet that will replace that outlet.

My Leviton started having over heating issues while only running 24amps thru it. First signs of trouble started when charging rate reduced to 14amps while charging. Took a while to figure out what was causing that.

 

[3sr+buyer]

The Hubbell and Bryant are far and away the superior product here and since Hubbell owns Bryant and these outlets were recently redesigned you can see from the pictures that there is almost no difference in these products, looks to me that it may only be the size of the allen screws and that is it.

The main reasons these are superior are, Lug boxes with V shape and the heavy copper strap that when tightening gathers the wire together instead of separating them and the fact that these both use 75 in. pounds of torque instead of 25 like the other 2, they both handle higher temperatures and have heavier one pc. power and ground contacts, there is no comparison to any other 14-50 Nema outlets.

The Cooper is good and much heavier than the Leviton but still falls short of the Hubbell and Bryant.

The Leviton unit is like a toy compared to others as it's really poorly built with smaller contacts, screw terminals without a pinch lock causing the wire to be stressed when tightened, just a cheap design.

Seems like the summary is that the better outlets are easier to install properly (with good contact between the wires and lugs), while the worse outlets are harder to install properly and easier to install poorly (with insufficient contact between the wires and lugs, leading to worse conductivity, more resistance, and more heat).

So @Rocky_H may have a lower quality outlet that is installed better (to handle at least 31A) than @jwharnish had (that failed at 24A).

 

[Stew-2]

I wanted to say thanks to this thread for highlighting the differences between outlet brands, not sure I would’ve thought much about it otherwise.

For my 240v outlet install I went with a Hubbell NEMA 14-30 (wanted to be conservative with my 125 amp service and it more than meets my driving needs) on a short 6 foot wire run using 8/3 Romex.

Didn’t need that size of wire but there’s virtually no cost difference when you’re only talking 6 feet so why not. There is no discernible temp increase that I’ve felt while charging at the outlet so it should hopefully provide years of reliable service.

 

[Mike95112]

Thanks everyone for the awesome tips!

I was going to do a surface-mounted install.

Is this 30.2 Cu Inch box enough (Middle picture) 4 inch x 4 inch x 2-1/2 inch deep?

RACO 4 in. W x 2-1/8 in. D Metallic 2-Gang Two-Device Square Switch Box with Eleven 1/2 in. KO's and Six 3/4 in. KO's, 1-Pack 683 - The Home Depot

Manufactured from durable pre-galvanized steel. Designed to house and protect electrical wiring, switches and receptacles. UL Listed and acceptable for use in 2-hour fire rated walls. Device mounting holes pre-tapped to accept 6-32 device screws.

www.homedepot.com

I also read that the 42 Cu Inch box (Left picture) 4-11/16 x 4-11/16 x 2-1/2 inch deep box is recommended? But I am unable to attach the outlet as the opening is too big.

RACO 4-11/16 in. W x 2-1/8 in. D 2-Gang Welded Square Box with One 1/2 in. KO, Four 3/4 in. KO's, Three TKO's, Raised Ground 8265 - The Home Depot

Manufactured from durable pre-galvanized steel. Designed to house and protect electrical wiring, switches, and receptacles. UL Listed and acceptable for use in 2-hour fire rated walls. 8-32 cover mounting

www.homedepot.com

Thanks for the advice!
Mike

 

[pcmike]

Thanks everyone for the awesome tips!

I was going to do a surface-mounted install.

Is this 30.2 Cu Inch box enough (Middle picture) 4 inch x 4 inch x 2-1/2 inch deep?

RACO 4 in. W x 2-1/8 in. D Metallic 2-Gang Two-Device Square Switch Box with Eleven 1/2 in. KO's and Six 3/4 in. KO's, 1-Pack 683 - The Home Depot

Manufactured from durable pre-galvanized steel. Designed to house and protect electrical wiring, switches and receptacles. UL Listed and acceptable for use in 2-hour fire rated walls. Device mounting holes pre-tapped to accept 6-32 device screws.

www.homedepot.com

I also read that the 42 Cu Inch box (Left picture) 4-11/16 x 4-11/16 x 2-1/2 inch deep box is recommended? But I am unable to attach the outlet as the opening is too big.

RACO 4-11/16 in. W x 2-1/8 in. D 2-Gang Welded Square Box with One 1/2 in. KO, Four 3/4 in. KO's, Three TKO's, Raised Ground 8265 - The Home Depot

Manufactured from durable pre-galvanized steel. Designed to house and protect electrical wiring, switches, and receptacles. UL Listed and acceptable for use in 2-hour fire rated walls. 8-32 cover mounting

www.homedepot.com

Thanks for the advice!
Mike


View attachment 782463

The 30.2cu is enough for the Bryant outlet.

If you want to use the larger box for more space inside, you’ll need to use a mud plate in order to provide the mounting holes for the outlet.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Thanks everyone for the awesome tips!

I was going to do a surface-mounted install.

Is this 30.2 Cu Inch box enough (Middle picture) 4 inch x 4 inch x 2-1/2 inch deep?

RACO 4 in. W x 2-1/8 in. D Metallic 2-Gang Two-Device Square Switch Box with Eleven 1/2 in. KO's and Six 3/4 in. KO's, 1-Pack 683 - The Home Depot

Manufactured from durable pre-galvanized steel. Designed to house and protect electrical wiring, switches and receptacles. UL Listed and acceptable for use in 2-hour fire rated walls. Device mounting holes pre-tapped to accept 6-32 device screws.

www.homedepot.com

I also read that the 42 Cu Inch box (Left picture) 4-11/16 x 4-11/16 x 2-1/2 inch deep box is recommended? But I am unable to attach the outlet as the opening is too big.

RACO 4-11/16 in. W x 2-1/8 in. D 2-Gang Welded Square Box with One 1/2 in. KO, Four 3/4 in. KO's, Three TKO's, Raised Ground 8265 - The Home Depot

Manufactured from durable pre-galvanized steel. Designed to house and protect electrical wiring, switches, and receptacles. UL Listed and acceptable for use in 2-hour fire rated walls. 8-32 cover mounting

www.homedepot.com

Thanks for the advice!
Mike


View attachment 782463

As mentioned, presuming you are using 6AWG (not larger wires) the standard 30cu box is big enough. The larger box will make your life easier in terms of fitting the wires in the box, but it's not required.

 

[ElectricNerd]

I’m on the schedule with the electrician for a 14-50 outlet install in my garage. He’s looking at the Legrand brand for the outlet. Total with labor and parts is at less than $600 since I’m a repeat customer. The wire alone is almost $300.

 

[Mike95112]

As mentioned, presuming you are using 6AWG (not larger wires) the standard 30cu box is big enough. The larger box will make your life easier in terms of fitting the wires in the box, but it's not required.

Thanks @pcmike and @stopcrazypp for the advice! You guys rock!

Mike

 

[pcmike]

I’m on the schedule with the electrician for a 14-50 outlet install in my garage. He’s looking at the Legrand brand for the outlet. Total with labor and parts is at less than $600 since I’m a repeat customer. The wire alone is almost $300.

Here are some pictures of the Legrand my electrician was going to use. It’s at least half the weight of the Bryant and the terminals aren’t exactly as robust. I’d just go buy a Bryant and have it on hand for him to use if I were in your shoes.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Sucks that the Hubbell, Bryant, and Cooper receptacles are so expensive.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Found a decent price on a Cooper 14-50R receptacle. Would that be a good one?

 

[pcmike]

Found a decent price on a Cooper 14-50R receptacle. Would that be a good one?

Why not just get the Bryant off Grainger for $45? A few posts ago I saw where someone posted pictures of a melted Cooper next to a Bryant? EDIT: Actually, I think I saw those pictures on the MY Facebook page.

Link to Bryant: https://www.grainger.com/product/BRYANT-Receptacle-50-A-Amps-Plugs-49YY93

 

[Jeremy3292]

Sucks that the Hubbell, Bryant, and Cooper receptacles are so expensive.

The Bryant is only $45. See link above

 

[Jenkins8]

Hubbell was like 100+, I ordered the Bryant 9450 from Grainger as well for a little under 50 dollars. As long as you don't go leviton, you are fine.

NEMA 14-50 Tesla Response | Seahurst Electric

Q: How does Tesla respond to NEMA 14-50 questions? A: While an existing NEMA 14-50 outlet will work to charge the car, you would need to purchase the $35 adapter from Tesla to make it work, they are not provided with the vehicle. Tesla does not recommend installing a new NEMA 14-50 outlet to...

www.seahurst.com

@MPlato Has the Bryant been working out well for you? I am about to purchase the same one.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Told my electrician I wanted the Bryant and he says he can get a better price at Grainger than I can so he will get that one.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Told my electrician I wanted the Bryant and he says he can get a better price at Grainger than I can so he will get that one.

Note the plate is different too due to the larger size of the circle for the Bryant and Hubbell outlets. I point out options here:
Master Thread: Definitive 14-50 NEMA Outlet Guide

 

[Rebuzno]

Comparing the 2 outlets recommended by Tesla with the sub $10 big box model as well as the one I think you should buy

1. Hubbell 9450a
2. Bryant 9450fr
3. Cooper 5754n
4. Leviton 279-S00

The Hubbell and Bryant are far and away the superior product here and since Hubbell owns Bryant and these outlets were recently redesigned you can see from the pictures that there is almost no difference in these products, looks to me that it may only be the size of the allen screws and that is it.

The main reasons these are superior are, Lug boxes with V shape and the heavy copper strap that when tightening gathers the wire together instead of separating them and the fact that these both use 75 in. pounds of torque instead of 25 like the other 2, they both handle higher temperatures and have heavier one pc. power and ground contacts, there is no comparison to any other 14-50 Nema outlets.

The Cooper is good and much heavier than the Leviton but still falls short of the Hubbell and Bryant.

The Leviton unit is like a toy compared to others as it's really poorly built with smaller contacts, screw terminals without a pinch lock causing the wire to be stressed when tightened, just a cheap design.

https://www.mc-mc.com/ASSETS/DOCUMENTS/ITEMS/EN/Hubbell_9450FR_Brochure.pdf

Best part is now you don't have to pay $90 to $100 or more for the Hubbel as you can get the Bryant for $21

Bryant 50A 4W Single Receptacle 125/250VAC 14-50R BK 9450FR | Zoro.com

View attachment 369974 View attachment 369976 View attachment 369977 View attachment 369978

Thanks so much for this information. I had hired an electrician to bring a 50 amp circuit to the garage and was pretty happy overall, but I was a little concerned that the outlet he installed was not industrial. So after reading this post I pulled the cover and had a good look - sure enough - it's a leviton. So, I've pulled it and installed a Bryant. I feel much better about the whole think now. thanks again - excellent post.

 

[upsss]

I am surprised that no one mentioned the 14-50 Hubbell outlet RR450F. It is their “Trade Select” residential version and it is sold on Amazon for < $15. Its design is very similar to their commercial HBL9450A, which is much more expensive. The main difference between the two outlets is that the RR450F was designed for Copper and Aluminum wiring and the HBL9450A is for copper wires only. So the HBL9450A wire clamp is made of copper and the RR450F wire clam is made of aluminum. Both contact material is made of copper as stated on their data sheets but I believe they are actually made of Beryllium Copper, which adds the springing action to the contact. Also, the HBL9450A is slightly larger and heavier and it requires a special plate cover as everyone noted.

https://hubbellcdn.com/specsheet/WIRING_HBL9450A_spec.pdf
https://hubbellcdn.com/specsheet/WIRING_RR450F_spec.pdf

After using the cheap HD Leviton outlet for about 28 month, it started to overheat and reduce the charging current to 16A so I decided to replace the outlet with this Hubbell RR450F, which looks ten times better than the Leviton or other similar outlets. I was surprised that it lasted that long as I am in Phoenix AZ and my Garage temperature in the summer gets to 120-130 degrees practically every day. After I removed completely the outlet and looked at the wires, I could see that the terminal screw was only clamping 3 or 4 strands of 7 strands wire. The other 3 or 4 strands were simply pushed away from the screw without any contact pressure. Basically, you would end up with double the contact resistance in comparison if all 7 strands were tightly clamped. No wonder these outlet catch on fire, it is just a matter of time, and how tightly the crew terminal was initially tightened.