Nema 14-50 or Nema 14-30 dryer outlet

[nitynity]

Moving into my new place in MD. Need to install a Nema 14-50 outlet in garage for my M3 rwd. Electrician quoted at $1600. But my laundry room is right next to the garage. So I can easily plug into my dryer outlet. (14-30). At my previous place, I did install a dedicated outlet in the garage for charging.cost me only $500.

Now considering paying $1600, should I just use the dryer outlet instead? Not sure if I will really benefit anything by paying that $1600. Only con is I will not be able to close the door completely at night during charging especially during winter nights.

Any suggestions?

 

[Kimmi]

Tesla Wall Connector is well worth the convenience.

 

[ATPMSD]

Dryer outlets are not designed for being constantly plugged and unplugged. The Wall Connector is a better choice than a 14-50 outlet.

will not be able to close the door completely at night during charging especially during winter nights.

Pretty should this might also be a code violation. Garage doors also act as fire doors and should never be blocked open.

 

[nitynity]

Tesla Wall Connector is well worth the convenience.

I have the Mobile connector not WC. Also, I prefer the Nema 1450 in case I get a non-Tesla, EV in the future.

 

[nitynity]

Dryer outlets are not designed for being constantly plugged and unplugged. The Wall Connector is a better choice than a 14-50 outlet.



Pretty should this might also be a code violation. Garage doors also act as fire doors and should never be blocked open.

Sorry, I meant the laundry room door not the garage door.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Do you otherwise use the dryer outlet? Ie do you have a gas dryer or even better the new GE all in one combo that everyone is raving about?

If you do use the dryer outlet, I wouldn’t recommend doubling up on it via plugging and unplugging.

$1600 for a 14-50 install sounds steep. Where’s your electrical panel?

 

[nitynity]

Do you otherwise use the dryer outlet? Ie do you have a gas dryer or even better the new GE all in one combo that everyone is raving about?

If you do use the dryer outlet, I wouldn’t recommend doubling up on it via plugging and unplugging.

$1600 for a 14-50 install sounds steep. Where’s your electrical panel?

We just moved from Texas to Maryland. In Texas the panel was in garage so I installed the outlet right next to it for $500. At the new place in MD, the panel is in the basement on the other corner of the house. Needs to pull a 65ft long wire to garage. Hence the premium price.
Maybe I could save another couple hundred dollars if I shop around.
And the basement is fully finished even more difficult to fish wire. The electrician quoted me four hours of labor for it.

 

[nitynity]

Found this on YT. Seems like a simple solution.

 

[father_of_6]

I have the Mobile connector not WC. Also, I prefer the Nema 1450 in case I get a non-Tesla, EV in the future.

All EVs in the US will be using Tesla's NACS connector in the next year or two. Do yourself and the next homeowner a favor and get a HPWC. I think your $1600 quote is high... you can buy the HPWC, breaker, wiring, conduit, fittings and still pay someone $800 to do the work for that price.

 

[father_of_6]

https://www.amazon.com/Wirenco-19-Stranded-Black-Copper-Building/dp/B09M1KHP19

200ft for $213

 

[ucmndd]

Found this on YT. Seems like a simple solution.

That’s pretty janky for a permanent solution but if you’re set on using the dryer outlet I’d absolutely recommend some sort of active or passive splitter. You definitely don’t want to be unplugging and re-plugging the dryer and UMC every day.

 

[DuncanM]

Moving into my new place in MD. Need to install a Nema 14-50 outlet in garage for my M3 rwd. Electrician quoted at $1600. But my laundry room is right next to the garage. So I can easily plug into my dryer outlet. (14-30). At my previous place, I did install a dedicated outlet in the garage for charging.cost me only $500.

Now considering paying $1600, should I just use the dryer outlet instead? Not sure if I will really benefit anything by paying that $1600. Only con is I will not be able to close the door completely at night during charging especially during winter nights.

Any suggestions?

If you have a NEMA 5-15 on a 20amp 120v breaker using 12-2 wire, in the garage. you could convert one outlet to a 20amp 120v outlet by changing the outlet to a NEMA 5-20, and then charge at 120V/16a.

If you have a NEMA 5-15 or 5-20 outlet on a dedicated 20amp 120v breaker using 12-2 wire, in the garage, you could convert it to a 20amp 240v outlet by changing the breaker to 20amp 240v and the outlet to a NEMA 6-20. You can then charge at 240v/16a.


I suspect that running another 12-2 wire to feed a NEMA 6-20 from the existing panel to the garage would be somewhat cheaper than a NEMA 14-50.

 

[Cosmacelf]

OP, do you have an electric or gas dryer?

 

[BitJam]

Now considering paying $1600, should I just use the dryer outlet instead? Not sure if I will really benefit anything by paying that $1600. Only con is I will not be able to close the door completely at night during charging especially during winter nights.

As others have said, if you need to use the dryer outlet for a dryer then it's going to be inconvenient to also use it for your car. Another consideration is if you will be able get the daily charge you need off-peak with the 14-30.

I imagine it would be easy to cut a notch or a hole somewhere to run the cable from the laundry room to the garage.

If you're not using the dryer outlet for anything else then I suggest you give it a try for charging your car. You probably don't even need to worry about cutting a hole for the cable until the temperature cools off. You will soon figure out if using the 14-30 outlet for your car is an inconvenient pain in the neck or not. Then you will be able to judge how much effort and money you want to put into adding a 14-50 outlet or a dedicated NACS wall connector.

TL;DR: try the cheap, simple, easy way first. If it doesn't work out then you will know you need to do something different.

 

[father_of_6]

It's been mentioned a few times already that "you don't want to be plugging and unplugging into the dryer outlet". I just want to clarify - this is not only because it's a hassle, but because it poses a significant safety risk.... namely fire.

Those outlets are just not made for frequent plugging/unplugging and will develop shorts and/or arcing that will cause a fire. There are multiple threads from owners that have experienced this first hand, including photos of melted outlets.

There are higher quality outlets that can handle it (Bryant or Hubbell), but they're expensive. I still recommend a hardwired wall connector.

 

[SageBrush]

Dryer Buddy may be an option

 

[ATPMSD]

Sorry, I meant the laundry room door not the garage door.

Interesting. So the Landry room opens directly into the garage? I assume then there is a door between laundry room and the rest of the house?

 

[nitynity]

Interesting. So the Landry room opens directly into the garage? I assume then there is a door between laundry room and the rest of the house?

Of course there is.

 

[nitynity]

If you have a NEMA 5-15 on a 20amp 120v breaker using 12-2 wire, in the garage. you could convert one outlet to a 20amp 120v outlet by changing the outlet to a NEMA 5-20, and then charge at 120V/16a.

If you have a NEMA 5-15 or 5-20 outlet on a dedicated 20amp 120v breaker using 12-2 wire, in the garage, you could convert it to a 20amp 240v outlet by changing the breaker to 20amp 240v and the outlet to a NEMA 6-20. You can then charge at 240v/16a.


I suspect that running another 12-2 wire to feed a NEMA 6-20 from the existing panel to the garage would be somewhat cheaper than a NEMA 14-50.

Thanks for the info, its not just the wire, but the difficulty to fish the wire through the finished basement making its expensive. A second quote was just $900 for the labor alone.
Below is my layout. Red circle is the basement panel, blue circle the garage/outlet location, green line is the wiring path.
There is a stairwell on the way and probably needs to cut the drywall as well to fish the wire.

 

[ATPMSD]

Of course there is.

OK, just wanted to check before commenting further. Any door that opens to the garage is typically a “fire door” so that door from the laundry room to the garage is a fire door and should not be blocked open. If you can confirm the door to the laundry room is a fire door, then what you propose seems reasonable.