ATPMSD
Active Member
If you have a 14-50 outlet then you have a 50A circuit, hopefully a 50A breaker, and likely the wire is also limited to 50A. In this case you should use a 50A disconnect.
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NEMA 14-50 home charging advice
- Thread starter MHS_MY
- Start date
davewill
Active Member
Maybe mount it inside the garage and use something like this to pass the cord to the outside? That way it can't be vandalized and can be used by a car inside the garage as well.
Halotronics RV Square Electrical Cable Hatch: Amazon.com
I only spent a minute or so searching for that. There are undoubtedly better choices out there.
Halotronics RV Square Electrical Cable Hatch: Amazon.com
I only spent a minute or so searching for that. There are undoubtedly better choices out there.
I am installing the outlet using #6 wire so that I have the option to install the wall connector and be able to charge at 48A in the future.
This is not for every day charging, but occasional charging. When in use the mobile connector cannot be unplugged from the car. The 14-50 adapter can be easily stolen, but I plan to fuse it to the connector permanently (I have a second connector for the car).
Thank you for the suggestion but that is not feasible because of the special construction of the garage door and brick wall around it. I can only drill the frame of the garage door, and there a max of an inch or so.
ATPMSD
Active Member
Good planning, but you have to consider what type of wire as well. For example #6 Romex is NOT rated at 60A.
Frequent plugging and unplugging from most 14-50 receptacles will soon loosen the receptacle's grip on the prongs of the plug. The receptacle will have to be replaced within a relatively short time. There are special purpose 14-50 receptacles made that are designed for this type of service typically found at RV campgrounds. Sorry, I don't have a reference brand or part number.
What about mounting an enclosure on a post (underground conduit and wire feed) and securing the Wall Connector inside the enclosure? The most vulnerable part of the Wall Connector is the charging cord; a thief could just cut the cord and sell the wire for scrap. This could also happen while charging using the Mobile Connector or Wall Connector; a quick snip with a wire cutter (a thief is not worried about the risk of electrocution) and the Mobile Connector or Wall Connector would need to be replaced. Is there any way you can negotiate charging while the Tesla vehicle is parked inside the garage?
True, but (a) my full run from the panel to disconnect is about 15 feet (panel is in basement almost exactly below), (b) the wall connector wouldn't draw more than 48, so I would still have a margin to the 55 rating of #6 Romex, which I am pretty sure in real life would be good enough for 60 with a 15-foot run (I am not an electrician, so this is not advice for anyone).
I am getting the heavy duty Hubell outlet. That was the reason for the original post asking for recommendation for a box that would accommodate it.
Which I am still waiting for, by the way
Not feasible on a city sidewalk...
There I will have to go with some hope, but at least with mobile connector it will only be there when I am charging, which will be occasional.
If the Hubbell does not work out the Talon LGP1S looks promising:
Talon LGP1S 50 Amp Outdoor Enclosed Panel with 14-50R Receptacle
Talon LGP1S 50 Amp Outdoor Enclosed Panel with 14-50R Receptacle
ATPMSD
Active Member
This is a typical and very incorrect assumption. The wire must be rated at the full 60A. You see, there is something called the 80% rule. On a continuous load circuit the load cannot exceed 80% of the wire rating. So then on a 55A wire the maximum is 44A, which is not acceptable. Here is a chart with options you can pick from:
Cerrowire Resources - Ampacity Charts
Ampacity is the maximum current that a conductor can carry continuously under the conditions of use without exceeding its temperature rating. Cerrowire's ampacity chart helps calculate the load requirement for a circuit.
www.cerrowire.com
BTW, I am pretty sure that anything other than the NM-B options must be in a conduit.
Thanks. Basement part of the run will be exposed and in a conduit, the rest will be behind the drywall and I assume will be BX. I think it is unlikely I will ever draw more than 40amp from that circuit, but the upgraded wire is worth it to have the option.This is a typical and very incorrect assumption. The wire must be rated at the full 60A. You see, there is something called the 80% rule. On a continuous load circuit the load cannot exceed 80% of the wire rating. So then on a 55A wire the maximum is 44A, which is not acceptable. Here is a chart with options you can pick from:
Cerrowire Resources - Ampacity Charts
Ampacity is the maximum current that a conductor can carry continuously under the conditions of use without exceeding its temperature rating. Cerrowire's ampacity chart helps calculate the load requirement for a circuit.
BTW, I am pretty sure that anything other than the NM-B options must be in a conduit.
I am having an electrician do the installation as I need to go through a concrete slab, and coring a slab is beyond what I want to deal with.
Instead of the standard Mobile Connector with the modular plugs consider the Corded Mobile Connector with the fixed 14-50 plug. The downside is these are rarely available on the Tesla store web site, may have better luck on eBay.
ATPMSD
Active Member
Excellent! Just make sure he knows you want to future proof for a continuous load of 48A so that he runs a proper 60A wire. BTW, you many find it cheaper and easier to settle for a 50A circuit as this will let you use the #6 Romex. Note that a wall connector on a 50A circuit will charge at 40A (versus 48A on a 60A circuit), which is stil better than the 32A limit of the mobile connector.
Good luck!
Thanks. Actually I have the old mobile connector from my 2016 X, and it charges at 40A. So does the corded mobile connector, which @jcanoe pointed out to me is the best for my application, as it doesn't have a detachable adapter. Unfortunately I can't use my coupon code to get it, as it seems to be always out of stock...
I have a 6-50R Leviton installed at both home and office. The office is where I mostly charge. I plug and unplug every day. The Leviton does get warm. Not so hot you can't touch it, but hot enough, maybe 120 or so? It is also in the sun sometimes. Also, I only charge at 25 amps at the office. I have not noticed the home one get hot and I run it at 32 amps. I purchased a Hubbell receptacle for the office and will swap it out when I get some time in the next few days. I'll let you know if it is any different.
You can purchase a hand held infrared thermometer on Amazon for less than $20. These thermometers are very useful for measuring the temperature of plugs and receptacles, also charging station components including the charging connector, charging cable and the vehicle's charge port.
This is a different model of Leviton outlet from the common 279-S00 that has a reputation of overheating. However, there do not appear to be photos showing the plug contacts. The 279-S00 has half size steel contacts to the plug blades, which are likely to have more resistance and heat than the full size brass contacts of most other outlets.
So if you can see the outlet before installation, look in the plug holes to see the contacts.
ATPMSD
Active Member
If I may add a point, the cheaper 14-50 and 6-50 outlets are intended for intermittent use, such as for a saw or welder, and the word "industrial grade" IMHO is more of a marketing ploy. Electricians install these outlets because until EVs came along, this was all that was needed. However, EVs draw a load for long periods and need an outlet intended for continuous loads. This is what you are paying for with the Bryant and Hubble outlets.
Jedisparky
Member
***THIS ^^^^^^^RIGHT HERE!*** Why you wouldn't want to spend $100 to keep your house from burning down is beyond me. Being in the trade for 27 years, if I knew the cheap Levington was installed in my house and being used as an EV plug, I would literally never be able to sleep.
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