Nema 14-50 frequent unplug and replug

[MrMassTransit]

I'm in a condo and went the HPWC route, despite the HPWC not offering me a faster charger rate (SR+ & 30 amp circuit).

My reasoning was the following:

• Outdoor parking - HPWC seemed like the most weatherproof solution
• HPWC install looked a neater/cleaner, rather than a UMC hanging off an outlet. Given that I was the first resident to get an EVSE installed, it was important to me to minimize the visual impact, so the rest of the board would not regret their decision and/or have hesitation if other residents wanted to go down this path.
• Being in a quasi-public area (particularly since our parking lot is off a public alley), I was worried about the risk of theft with leaving the UMC while charging. I certainly wouldn't leave it out during the day.
• Given that I'd be packing up the UMC each time I disconnected it, there was a hassle factor involved in using the UMC. With the HPWC, I disconnect, coil my cord up and go. Much faster everyday.

If I sell, I'd simply take the HPWC with me and a new resident could have any charger of their desire added to the post (although if they had a Tesla they could certainly negotiate with me to leave it attached). The expensive part is the wiring run, and I've already taken care of that. I don't think there is much of a resale advantage in having a 14-50 vs an HPWC - either way you can say, "Parking space wired for EV charging."

You can see details of my install here if you're interested.

 

[jerry33]

Yeah, though I would call out that the spring tension on those receptacles is likely not as good as when it was new.

You may not have issues with loose tension for an RV since they generally draw very little power compared to an EV charger which will suck down every ounce of power available for hours on end.

(Also, I bet the receptacles 30 years ago were probably better than the “value engineered” ones available today).

Having charged at many RV parks, you don't want to ever let the car decide to use 40 amps. Sometimes you can get away with 35 amps, but 32 amps is generally a safe bet. RV parks often don't have the best wiring.

 

[jerry33]

My reasoning was the following:

• Outdoor parking - HPWC seemed like the most weatherproof solution
• HPWC install looked a neater/cleaner, rather than a UMC hanging off an outlet. Given that I was the first resident to get an EVSE installed, it was important to me to minimize the visual impact, so the rest of the board would not regret their decision and/or have hesitation if other residents wanted to go down this path.
• Being in a quasi-public area (particularly since our parking lot is off a public alley), I was worried about the risk of theft with leaving the UMC while charging. I certainly wouldn't leave it out during the day.
• Given that I'd be packing up the UMC each time I disconnected it, there was a hassle factor involved in using the UMC. With the HPWC, I disconnect, coil my cord up and go. Much faster everyday.

All valid reasons. If I had the same situation, I'd go with an HPWC as well.

 

[OCR1]

We installed the wall connector to take advantage of the higher charging speed. We have two Model 3’s. Our time of use plan gives us cheap electricity from 10pm-8am. So the first M3 gets plugged in at night before we go to bed. We wake up at 6am and if need be plug the second M3 in for two hours. With the wall connector the two hours gives us 88 miles of range where the UMC would only give us 60. On a daily basis that makes a big difference.

 

[StealthP3D]

Having charged at many RV parks, you don't want to ever let the car decide to use 40 amps. Sometimes you can get away with 35 amps, but 32 amps is generally a safe bet. RV parks often don't have the best wiring.

That might be how they roll in Texas but around here you can pretty much count on the circuit being suitable for the rating of the outlet. All you would need to be worried about is the age/condition of the outlet itself (but the UMC should protect itself from that) It's illegal for the RV park owner to do their own wiring in Washington. And that's generally a good thing.

 

[jerry33]

That might be how they roll in Texas but around here you can pretty much count on the circuit being suitable for the rating of the outlet. All you would need to be worried about is the age/condition of the outlet itself (but the UMC should protect itself from that) It's illegal for the RV park owner to do their own wiring in Washington. And that's generally a good thing.

Never actually charged at an RV park in Texas. Have done so in many other states, and after a few circuit breaker trips have found that wiring is mostly sketchy. Washington is likely the exception.

 

[hmgolds]

I use a 14-50 outlet. It stays plugged unless I'm traveling somewhere; it's probably unplugged 3-5 times a month. It's not using a commercial quality plug. I don't know what the duty cycle is but when it doesn't feel tight I'll replace it (myself). If you're unplugging daily, or if you have to factor in the cost of an electrician coming out to replace it every few years, maybe the equation changes.

 

[RandyS]

Hubbell makes a higher quality NEMA 14-50 receptacle that will endure plug/unplug cycles...

https://www.amazon.com/Hubbell-253-1454-HBL9450A-Receptacle/dp/B000J15QW2

 

[eprosenx]

That might be how they roll in Texas but around here you can pretty much count on the circuit being suitable for the rating of the outlet. All you would need to be worried about is the age/condition of the outlet itself (but the UMC should protect itself from that) It's illegal for the RV park owner to do their own wiring in Washington. And that's generally a good thing.

So while in theory the wiring in RV parks is rated up to the breaker rating, I think the more common issues are loose spring tension on the receptacle and lose wires on the breaker, the receptacle, or anywhere in between. Commonly the RV plug pedestals are daisy chained one to the next and any be bad connection can be an issue. They all use aluminum wire which is much cheaper but it also is more susceptible to loose connections due to thermal expansion and contractions.

Also, there are major demand factors applied to RV park wiring. Code allows them to assume only a fraction of the spots will be heavily used at any one time. EV’s blow that equation out of the water since they take 100% or the circuit for long periods of time. In Oregon it is common to see a dozen or two dozen spots on a 15 kW transformer.

 

[plumazul]

Hey everyone,

Instead of getting a Tesla charger, I was thinking of getting a Nema 14-50 plug in my condo parking.

I feel like it will be better if I sell the condo one day, as it will be adapted to any type of electric car.

I own 3 EVs of different types (Tesla, Ford, Bike). They all take a SAE J1772. So I installed a 48 amp EVSE that keeps everything charged and will be doing so for the foreseeable future.

 

[yuhong]

So while in theory the wiring in RV parks is rated up to the breaker rating, I think the more common issues are loose spring tension on the receptacle and lose wires on the breaker, the receptacle, or anywhere in between. Commonly the RV plug pedestals are daisy chained one to the next and any be bad connection can be an issue. They all use aluminum wire which is much cheaper but it also is more susceptible to loose connections due to thermal expansion and contractions.

Also, there are major demand factors applied to RV park wiring. Code allows them to assume only a fraction of the spots will be heavily used at any one time. EV’s blow that equation out of the water since they take 100% or the circuit for long periods of time. In Oregon it is common to see a dozen or two dozen spots on a 15 kW transformer.

Also there is the problem of wear and tear on the breakers.