-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Question for people who have installed the new style of Wall Connector (AKA HPWC) -- one that has the built-in wire hanger.
How high did you mount it off the ground or floor? I will be installing mine outdoors, in an area subject to snow, so it must be installed high enough to avoid having the cable buried too much in snow. On the other hand, the cable seems to be heavy, and I am an old guy who has had surgery on both shoulders, so I am a bit leery of trying to heave the cable up too high. I was thinking that mounting the WC so that the top of it is at roughly shoulder height or a bit lower would be a reasonable compromise.
I looked at the installation at my nearby Tesla store, and it was fairly low on the wall, with the cable mostly coiled on the floor the day I looked at it. (It is the old style HPWC so there is is a separate cable hanger about 3 ft off the floor.) So that wasn't very representative -- indoors in a delivery center, they have no need to worry about stowing the cable on the hook to keep it out of mud/snow/rain as I will.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
How high did you mount it off the ground or floor? I will be installing mine outdoors, in an area subject to snow, so it must be installed high enough to avoid having the cable buried too much in snow. On the other hand, the cable seems to be heavy, and I am an old guy who has had surgery on both shoulders, so I am a bit leery of trying to heave the cable up too high. I was thinking that mounting the WC so that the top of it is at roughly shoulder height or a bit lower would be a reasonable compromise.
I looked at the installation at my nearby Tesla store, and it was fairly low on the wall, with the cable mostly coiled on the floor the day I looked at it. (It is the old style HPWC so there is is a separate cable hanger about 3 ft off the floor.) So that wasn't very representative -- indoors in a delivery center, they have no need to worry about stowing the cable on the hook to keep it out of mud/snow/rain as I will.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
Sad day here...
Electric company came out to approve a breaker upgrade today (no room on existing breaker for HPWC). they would not approve because the city requires the breaker to be at least 3 feet from the gas meter (why?). Moving a breaker will allegedly require trenching to the street and that get expensive... I am looking in to moving the gas meter (maybe cheaper alternative).
Anyone else have any problems with existing breakers during installation of home chargers?
Electric company came out to approve a breaker upgrade today (no room on existing breaker for HPWC). they would not approve because the city requires the breaker to be at least 3 feet from the gas meter (why?). Moving a breaker will allegedly require trenching to the street and that get expensive... I am looking in to moving the gas meter (maybe cheaper alternative).
Anyone else have any problems with existing breakers during installation of home chargers?
This confuses me a bit. By "breaker," are you referring to the main disconnect for the house? Or the panel the main disconnect (and other circuit breakers) are in?
davewill
Active Member
Well, I know why the distance requirement. The gas meter has a relief valve than can release small amounts of gas. The panel is a possible ignition source if there are loose connections or if a breaker were to trip. I'm not sure what the physical situation is there, but I would think that moving one of them would be possible without going all the way to the street.
mknox
Well-Known Member
soooma
Member
Depends on what you mean by "this". The cost to install a charging set-up varies widely, depending upon location and capacity of the main panel for your home (e.g., do you have enough excess capacity for a new 240V circuit with 50 amps or more?), distance from that panel to the planned charging installation, whether or not you want to use the Wall Connector or simply an outlet, and how much current you want to deliver to your car (40 amps? 48? or 72?), etc. Total cost might be a few hundred dollars, or a few thousand. If you are not comfortable doing the work yourself, you should get 2 or 3 electricians to give you quotes, but you need to decide first what you want.
And since I posed the question above of "how high," here is how my installation turned out. For various reasons, the unit ended up a bit lower than I had planned but I think it will be OK. The bottom of the Wall Connector is about 42 inches above the ground, so the top is at 57" above grade. The ground slopes down from the post and the parking space is even lower, so it is at a comfortable height to handle the cable when standing on the pavement.
Also, the cable can be coiled into smaller loops than I expected, so that should allow me to keep the cable out of the snow when expected accumulation will be significant -- at least, I hope so!
For the full story of my installation (at a condo), including more photos, you can read it here:
Successful completion of Condo charging installation – Now I can charge at home!
Also, the cable can be coiled into smaller loops than I expected, so that should allow me to keep the cable out of the snow when expected accumulation will be significant -- at least, I hope so!
For the full story of my installation (at a condo), including more photos, you can read it here:
Successful completion of Condo charging installation – Now I can charge at home!
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
soooma
Member
Thank you
So kind of you to reply in such detail
Well
I had one electrician come by and he quoted me 790$ including permit and breaker 50amps to get the 240 outlet just a few feet away from my breaker in the garage!
Is this reasonable ?!
He was adamant anything less will be heap and not good work, and he's a certified electrician and said Tesla will quote me 1200$
davewill
Active Member
Seems a little high for such a simple job, but localities vary a LOT. The only way to be sure is to get multiple quotes. This may not be bad if he's doing drywall work to hide the wires. Me, I figure it's a garage and some conduit on the wall just adds to the ambiance. 
Quick question, my old man is getting his HPWC installed in his garage in Melbourne (240V), but his house wiring dates to the 1950s. Because of this, the electrician has said that it can only charge at a max of 20amps. Is this enough for daily use? What kind of km/hr will he be capable of receiving? To upgrade to 32amps is $3500, or $5000 for 3 phase.
Oy, that's the trouble with older houses, isn't it! But the answer to the question of adequacy is, "it depends." How much does he drive?
If it is a 20 amp circuit, US rules would limit the actual charge rate to 16 amps. If it is a 240 V circuit, that is only 3.8 KW, so that is only about 12 miles/hour of charging for a 70D. Adding 100 miles of range would take 8 hours. That could be pretty limiting, depending upon his needs. If the electrician means that the actual current could be 20 amps (25 amp circuit, I think), it would be a bit faster.
.
If it is a 20 amp circuit, US rules would limit the actual charge rate to 16 amps. If it is a 240 V circuit, that is only 3.8 KW, so that is only about 12 miles/hour of charging for a 70D. Adding 100 miles of range would take 8 hours. That could be pretty limiting, depending upon his needs. If the electrician means that the actual current could be 20 amps (25 amp circuit, I think), it would be a bit faster.
.
Cheers. He only drives 15km to work, and the supercharger is within 5kms, so I think he'll be fine with overnight and 160km.
Similar threads
