NEMA 14-50 home charging advice

[MHS_MY]

Getting ready to finally upgrade from Level1 charging at home for my Y.

A friend has me paranoid about home charging fires but from everything I read, it’s all about having a qualified electrician install with the appropriate wiring and receptacle.

My electrician is planning to use a Leviton 55050 which is on the approved list but most forums seem to recommend the Hubbell or Bryant. Should I ask him to use one of those instead?

And is it ok to leave the mobile charger plugged into the receptacle all the time or should it only be plugged in while charging?

My charging needs are pretty minimal right now, averaging 20-30 miles on a busy day but upgrading for a 2nd EV.

 

[Pianewman]

Leviton 55050 is advertised as industrial grade, same as Hubbell or Bryant.

Leave the mobile charger plugged in. You should avoid plugging/unplugging as the added wear on the receptacle is unnecessary.

A licensed master electrician should confirm the above. (Tell your paranoid friend he should be more concerned about gasoline fumes in his garage.)

 

[ATPMSD]

A Wall Connector is cheaper than the 14-50! It is $400 plus a $15 standard breaker.

The 14-50 is $80 for the outlet, $150+ for a GFCI breaker, $200 for the mobile connector with a 14-50 adapter and say $35 for a cable management system, that totals $465. And while you may not “need“ a high charge rate at present, the mobile connector is limited to 32-amps while the Wall Connector delivers 40-amps on a 50-amp circuit and 48-amps on a 60-amp circuit.

 

[iamnid]

I second @ATPMSD -- if you don't already have the mobile connector, just get the wall connector. It's a much more elegant solution and can, potentially, charge your car faster if set up properly.

 

[ATPMSD]

My electrician is planning to use a Leviton 55050 which is on the approved list

If you stick with the 14-50 option there is no way I would use a $16 outlet! You need the Hubbell or Bryant outlet.

 

[Jedisparky]

Getting ready to finally upgrade from Level1 charging at home for my Y.

A friend has me paranoid about home charging fires but from everything I read, it’s all about having a qualified electrician install with the appropriate wiring and receptacle.

My electrician is planning to use a Leviton 55050 which is on the approved list but most forums seem to recommend the Hubbell or Bryant. Should I ask him to use one of those instead?

And is it ok to leave the mobile charger plugged into the receptacle all the time or should it only be plugged in while charging?

My charging needs are pretty minimal right now, averaging 20-30 miles on a busy day but upgrading for a 2nd EV

I'm a 27 year I.B.E.W Electrician. I'm using a Hubble 14-50 HBL9450A. It's the highest quality, and why would you not use that. But your choice. If you use the cheaper one's, I'm sure it'll be fine. THE most important thing you'll want to make sure of is wire size. Make sure it's 6 AWG and not 8 AWG or smaller for your 14-50 50 Amp circuit. You DO NOT need a GFI breaker unless you are installing in an outdoor location or next to a sink or faucet. Leave it plugged in, especially if you are using the cheaper plug, that's where the durability of the expensive really comes in to play. But there is no need to unplug it all the time. Don't worry about your friend. If your electrician uses the right size wire and does a good installation, you'll be just fine.

***JediSparky***

 

[Art84]

You can do your research online, and find a bunch of examples of melted cheap 14-50 outlets. They are simply not designed to handle hours and hours of high load. The outlet wire connection will lose eventually, begin to overheat, and melt. So don't buy a cheap outlet, and for more confidence and convenience install a hard-wired wall charger.

 

[Pianewman]

Curious: Leviton 55050: in its description, it says, "Industrial Grade".

$15? Doubtful. Stick with Hubbell or Bryant.

 

[ATPMSD]

You DO NOT need a GFI breaker unless you are installing in an outdoor location or next to a sink or faucet.

Electrical codes have recently been amended to deal with the influx of these applications around the country. New codes state that a GFCI breaker must be installed on a NEMA 14-50 outlet used for EV charging.

 

[Jedisparky]

Electrical codes have recently been amended to deal with the influx of these applications around the country. New codes state that a GFCI breaker must be installed on a NEMA 14-50 outlet used for EV charging.

Hmmm, I caught that and changed it. I must have not hit the save button. Thanks, I will attempt to fix that again. Well, there is no Edit button now. But rest assured, ATPMSD IS correct. You MUST USE A GFI as per Code now. I, myself will be changing out my breaker to meet code. This is what these forums are for, learning.

***JediSparky***

 

[pepperoni]

Getting ready to finally upgrade from Level1 charging at home for my Y.

A friend has me paranoid about home charging fires but from everything I read, it’s all about having a qualified electrician install with the appropriate wiring and receptacle.

My electrician is planning to use a Leviton 55050 which is on the approved list but most forums seem to recommend the Hubbell or Bryant. Should I ask him to use one of those instead?

And is it ok to leave the mobile charger plugged into the receptacle all the time or should it only be plugged in while charging?

My charging needs are pretty minimal right now, averaging 20-30 miles on a busy day but upgrading for a 2nd EV.

I understand the paranoia about home fires. Electrical code is there for a reason. That said, your home air conditioner may draw similar power (240v, 30a), so ask your friend if he’s also concerned about that. Have a licensed electrician do the job for you and you should be fine. The weak part of the link is the outlet, and you definitely don’t want to plug/unplug more than necessary. Don’t use an extension cord either. The mobile connector has a temperature sensor in the plug and will shut down if temperatures get too high at the outlet. I also have the Leviton outlet, and would have gone with something more sturdy if given the choice (I wasn’t). Eventually I’ll swap it out. Overheating is rare but you can find stories about it.

 

[roblab]

Leviton 55050 is advertised as industrial grade, same as Hubbell or Bryant.

Leave the mobile charger plugged in. You should avoid plugging/unplugging as the added wear on the receptacle is unnecessary.

A licensed master electrician should confirm the above. (Tell your paranoid friend he should be more concerned about gasoline fumes in his garage.)

Yes! with the gasoline stored in most garages. Fire hazard! But as to a "licensed master electrician", well, that's debatable. Many of us with a little experience know about as much as a "master" electrician when it comes to installing a simple outlet. I installed my own (it's only tightening three screws on three wires, after all) and I doubt I'll ever see any fire due to my job.

The problem is that so many people are completely ignorant about electricity. With a very little bit of education, one finds out that it's not that big of a deal. I've heard stories of electricians who put wires in their mouths while connecting things together, so they'd know when the wires were "hot", but most electricians are no smarter or dumber than the rest of us. A "licensed master electrician" would, in my mind, be huge overkill.

Yes, I've wired several new homes. It's NOT rocket science.

 

[Pianewman]

Yes! with the gasoline stored in most garages. Fire hazard! But as to a "licensed master electrician", well, that's debatable. Many of us with a little experience know about as much as a "master" electrician when it comes to installing a simple outlet. I installed my own (it's only tightening three screws on three wires, after all) and I doubt I'll ever see any fire due to my job.

The problem is that so many people are completely ignorant about electricity. With a very little bit of education, one finds out that it's not that big of a deal. I've heard stories of electricians who put wires in their mouths while connecting things together, so they'd know when the wires were "hot", but most electricians are no smarter or dumber than the rest of us. A "licensed master electrician" would, in my mind, be huge overkill.

Yes, I've wired several new homes. It's NOT rocket science.

Simple outlet, re-installing an outlet? Yes.

Wiring/installing a NEW 240V, 50-60amp outlet, that is energized for 4-5-6 hours, every day?

I strongly disagree. Your post is dangerous advice to anyone "with a little experience."

 

[Pianewman]

Curious: Leviton 55050: in its description, it says, "Industrial Grade".

$15? Doubtful. Stick with Hubbell or Bryant.

I want to clarify...my opinion, of course.

There's NO WAY the Leviton 55050, even though advertised as "Industrial Grade", at $15, is equal to the Hubbell or Bryant. You get what you pay for.

 

[Vines]

Agree with the conservative sentiments above, and that savings between a $15 and $90 outlet when discussing a possible melting or fire is no savings at all.

I have seen the ways these can be mis-installed. The average homeowner is probably not prepared to safely install these. A very handy person could install one, but they would not really know whether it was safely done, and up to code without a bit of research.

Even after all that, they sometimes still cause fires even when properly installed by an electrician, usually a couple years after and when using the Leviton "Industrial" outlet in a hot climate without GFCI protection.

The major difference between a certified installer with a permit and inspection and a self-install under the radar, is what the fire insurance company would do if there was a fire starting at that outlet or breaker.

Lots of ways to do this incorrectly:
-If you use too small an enclosure, your wires will pinch and put sideways pressure on the connectors.
-If you over/under torque the terminations you will get excess heat.
-If you improperly over/under strip the wires you will get either insulation under the terminal, or a nick in the conductor causing a corona hot spot and excess heat.
-If you use too small a wire or improper material for the conditions of installation you will get an overload condition in that wire

My thoughts to anyone considering DIY NEMA 14-50:
Learn how to do it correctly If you have any concerns
Use EMT/FMC and metal boxes with the correct fittings for everything in case there is a wiring/termination issue
Use minimum #6 copper wire rated for 90 degrees and check voltage drop for any runs over 60 ft.
Get a permit
Use the Hubbell or Bryant outlets
Use GFCI 50A breaker
Have a torque screwdriver onhand and use it, re-check it after a month and again at a year
Know how to, and perform the load calculations to know you aren't overloading the service/feeder.
Leave the UMC plugged in if possible and support/restrain it so the weight is not all hanging from the outlet

 

[240vPlug]

I always recommend a hard wired EVSE for a permanent home charging setup. There are many reasons for this. A couple are safety, no need for a GFCI breaker, and fastest possible charging speed.

I have seen many 14-50 receptacles melt or the poorly manufactured plugs can also melt. Mobile charger is great for occasional use but the best way is to hard wire this especially if your having the work done now.

The only reason, IMO, for using a 14-50 if it's already there and even then the wiring and receptacle need inspection.

If your doing this now skip the plug and hard wire things would be my suggestion.

 

[TheLex]

If you need a GFCI for a NEMA 14-50, I'd go with the wall connector. GFCIs in my experience, have been notoriously unreliable, especially in hot weather. I've replaced one of our 15 amp GFCIs multiple times now. Every summer when it's 108° outside, it'll start tripping occasionally.

Right now we're still using the mobile connector on a 15 amp outlet. It works well enough since we tend to leave the car for 12+ hrs a day just sitting there. My wife tends not to use much more than 10-15% of the charge on a daily basis. So just keeping it hooked up to the mobile charger is enough to keep the charge close to 80%.

 

[Vines]

If you need a GFCI for a NEMA 14-50, I'd go with the wall connector. GFCIs in my experience, have been notoriously unreliable, especially in hot weather. I've replaced one of our 15 amp GFCIs multiple times now. Every summer when it's 108° outside, it'll start tripping occasionally.

Right now we're still using the mobile connector on a 15 amp outlet. It works well enough since we tend to leave the car for 12+ hrs a day just sitting there. My wife tends not to use much more than 10-15% of the charge on a daily basis. So just keeping it hooked up to the mobile charger is enough to keep the charge close to 80%.

I lived on 120v charging only at my house for a couple of years, and it is workable since I had free charging at work.

However there is some significant overhead power consumption of the charging circuit itself and keeping the car awake that does not get used by the battery. I think it's on the order of 250 or 300w per hour extra used that doesn't go into the battery whenever the car is plugged in and charging.

So if your 48A @240 v continuous charges the car at 44 mph, a charge from 0 to 308 miles will also create 1.75 kWh worth of heat. That same charge at 12A @ 120v uses about 15.4 kWh of heat, so it is 10 times more efficient to charge at full amperage when possible. It also keeps your components awake longer which may shorten the life of them, but it's unbeknown if this is a significant factor.

 

[ATPMSD]

extra used that doesn't go into the battery whenever the car is plugged in and charging.

@Vines right you are! 120V charging is about 80% efficient while 240V is about 95%

 

[240vPlug]

I lived on 120v charging only at my house for a couple of years, and it is workable since I had free charging at work.

However there is some significant overhead power consumption of the charging circuit itself and keeping the car awake that does not get used by the battery. I think it's on the order of 250 or 300w per hour extra used that doesn't go into the battery whenever the car is plugged in and charging.

So if your 48A @240 v continuous charges the car at 44 mph, a charge from 0 to 308 miles will also create 1.75 kWh worth of heat. That same charge at 12A @ 120v uses about 15.4 kWh of heat, so it is 10 times more efficient to charge at full amperage when possible. It also keeps your components awake longer which may shorten the life of them, but it's unbeknown if this is a significant factor.

Excellent point. The other problem with 120v charging is battery conditioning. If the vehicle is parked out in the elements battery conditioning will warm or cool the battery to prevent premature degradation. I haven't run specific tests but 120v at 8 or 12 amps is probably not enough to condition without drawing some power from the HV battery. At best charging time would be significantly increased when extreme hot/cold ambient temps are present.