NEMA 14-50 to Standard 3 prong outlet?

[SeanTek]

Woods Gas Range Adapter works

Resolved! The Woods Gas Ranger Adaptor (Adapter) works great.

On the package bottom:
Woods INDUSTRIES (CANADA) INC.

Gas Range Adapter
Product #48301
UPC 062964483015


On the package front:
Power Adapter for Gas Range

• Safely converts electric range outlets for gas range use.
• No need to install new outlet.
• Built-in 15 Amp fuse for safety.

15A / 125V / 1875W

The adapter itself is a very hefty blob of rubber; the fuse is not serviceable. The NEMA 14-50P end fits nicely into a NEMA 14-50R socket. The NEMA 5-15R end is very tight, so you may have to apply a lot of force during insertion or removal.

 

[Park2670]

Bringing back a very old thread, but how did you end up picking this up in the USA? I would like to get one if the price is right.

 

[SeanTek]

Bringing back a very old thread, but how did you end up picking this up in the USA? I would like to get one if the price is right.

I could not find it in the USA. I ended up getting it via another TMC member who lives in Canada; he shipped them to me. It came out to around US$45 apiece.

 

[FlasherZ]

The reason you can't find it in the USA is that it violates NEC.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Bringing this back from the dead... I'd like to find this adapter in the US. My apartment complex helpfully installed NEMA 14-50 outlets to charge EVs, but no 110V outlets. I'd like 110volt power to occasionally run a vacuum to clean my car! It's not something I would leave in place. I would only use it while I am right there.

There is this cable for $56:
Amazon.com : Conntek Y1450520S NEMA 14-50 50-Amp 125/250-volt RV/Generator Y-Adapter Plug to U.S. 15/20-Amp Female Connectors : Generator Cord Sets And Plugs : Patio, Lawn Garden

I'm looking for even simpler, such as the reverse of this:
Power Grip 50A to 15A Dogbone Adapter - Camco 55168 - Electrical Adapters - Camping World

Or I might just plug two of these together:
Valterra RV Dogbone Adapters 50 Amp Male - 30 Amp Female A10-5030F
and
Valterra RV Dogbone Adapter 30 Amp Male to 15 Amp Female A10-3015

- - - Updated - - -

I think I answered my own question. I'm going to go with:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ON29SC2/
and
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00192QB3I/

 

[FlasherZ]

This should work for you. As long as it's temporary, it's unlikely to be a problem - although you may find curious neighbors asking you how you did it.

 

[DavidB]

The fewer connections, the better (the connections are the weakest link). Why do you not like Conntek's solution?

 

[n2mb_racing]

Thanks for the help! Mainly I'm interested in the other solution because I'm cheap. The two cable solution on amazon comes to $18. I'm not planning to use this for charging, only for things like running a vacuum to clean the car. I'll have to make sure to use it with a power strip with a 15A circuit breaker, though, since the adapters don't appear to be fused and the NEMA 14-50 outlet can supply 50A!

 

[FlasherZ]

Thanks for the help! Mainly I'm interested in the other solution because I'm cheap. The two cable solution on amazon comes to $18. I'm not planning to use this for charging, only for things like running a vacuum to clean the car. I'll have to make sure to use it with a power strip with a 15A circuit breaker, though, since the adapters don't appear to be fused and the NEMA 14-50 outlet can supply 50A!

Technically, you're violating code... 210.21(B)(1) says that a single receptacle on a branch circuit shall have a rating not less than that of the branch circuit. You could argue that the adapter isn't a receptacle and is part of your appliance, but you fall afoul of 240.5(B)(4), which permits only 20A circuits with minimum #16 wire for "field assembled extension cord sets".

Obviously, no one pays attention to this part when they hook 50 amp RV's to a 30A or 20A circuit, but it is code nonetheless. If you're supervising your vacuum at all times and are not leaving it plugged in constantly, you should be ok.

 

[Alketi]

Apologies for dredging up an old thread and I don't know if @FlasherZ is still around, but maybe someone can help.

I need to confirm the wiring of the Camco 55168 5-15 from a homemade 14-50 extension cord.

Amazon.com: Camco 55168 12'' 15M/50F PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter with Handle: Automotive

My friend is using a Camco 55168 to convert his 14-50 extension to a regular 120V/15A outlet. However, he tested the connections and reported back the following wiring from the Camco 55168:

5-15 hot: Connects to both 14-50 hots
5-15 neutral: Connects to 14-50 neutral
5-15 ground: Connects to 14-50 ground

So, since the 14-50 extension cord doesn't have a neutral, the Camco 55165 is only picking up HOT and GROUND.

Should the correct wiring from 14-50 to 5-15 be: HOT-HOT, HOT-NEUTRAL, GND-GND??

And if so, is anyone using the Camco 55168 (or similar off-the-shelf adapter) and did you have to take it apart to rewire it?

 

[Rocky_H]

Apologies for dredging up an old thread and I don't know if @FlasherZ is still around, but maybe someone can help.

I need to confirm the wiring of the Camco 55168 5-15 from a homemade 14-50 extension cord.

Amazon.com: Camco 55168 12'' 15M/50F PowerGrip Dogbone Electrical Adapter with Handle: Automotive

My friend is using a Camco 55168 to convert his 14-50 extension to a regular 120V/15A outlet. However, he tested the connections and reported back the following wiring from the Camco 55168:

5-15 hot: Connects to both 14-50 hots
5-15 neutral: Connects to 14-50 neutral
5-15 ground: Connects to 14-50 ground

Yes, that's right. those camping type adapters just put the same 120V hot line on both of the "hot" pins of the 14-50 outlet. That works OK for campers that just try to use 120V to neutral from either of those sides. But The Tesla charging adapter is only looking at the voltage from hot1 to hot2. Since they are the same, there is a 0V difference and no charging.

So, since the 14-50 extension cord doesn't have a neutral, the Camco 55165 is only picking up HOT and GROUND.

"the" 14-50 extension cord? There are a lot of those. Which are you talking about? A real 14-50 cord does have all four wires, including neutral. Maybe you're talking about the one from EVSEadapters? Yes, that one leaves out the neutral wire to be thinner and more flexible.

Should the correct wiring from 14-50 to 5-15 be: HOT-HOT, HOT-NEUTRAL, GND-GND??

And if so, is anyone using the Camco 55168 (or similar off-the-shelf adapter) and did you have to take it apart to rewire it?

I think I'm following your wire designations, and yes, that is correct. You need to take the 120V hot and the neutral from the 5-15 side and put them on the hot1 and hot2 pins of the 14-50 so the Tesla UMC sees an actual voltage difference there. But, (very important) the Tesla charge cable is picky about which side is the actual hot line and not the 0V neutral one. I don't know where to find the documentation of which side the neutral goes on, but if it doesn't work, reverse them, and it should fix that.

 

[Rocky_H]

@Alketi , On a related note, I do question the overall purpose or advisability of what you are doing here. You are just looking to extend a 5-15 connection, right? I don't see why you would be switching it to a 14-50 outlet at all, since Tesla does already make a 5-15 adapter, and 5-15 extension cords exist. Don't just use a regular off-the-shelf extension cord. Those always seem to use 16 gauge wire, and that's too thin for constant current use. Order a 12 gauge or 10 gauge one, and it will be fine.

 

[Alketi]

@Alketi , On a related note, I do question the overall purpose or advisability of what you are doing here. You are just looking to extend a 5-15 connection, right? I don't see why you would be switching it to a 14-50 outlet at all, since Tesla does already make a 5-15 adapter, and 5-15 extension cords exist. Don't just use a regular off-the-shelf extension cord. Those always seem to use 16 gauge wire, and that's too thin for constant current use. Order a 12 gauge or 10 gauge one, and it will be fine.

Hi Rocky,

Thanks for the response. Yes, I have a homemade 50ft 14-50 female-male extension. And yes, the cable is just hot-hot-ground, to save on weight.

Sure I could carry another 50ft 5-15 cable, but why carry two extensions when I could just use a 1ft adapter with the 14-50 extension cord to serve both purposes?

I also found this PDF document which describes the connections as you stated (and mentions how to get the right polarity on the two hot legs):
http://cosmacelf.net/Home Made Adapters.pdf

So I'll re-wire the 5-15 adapter to match the specifications. Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks.

 

[Rocky_H]

Hi Rocky,

Thanks for the response. Yes, I have a homemade 50ft 14-50 female-male extension. And yes, the cable is just hot-hot-ground, to save on weight.

Sure I could carry another 50ft 5-15 cable, but why carry two extensions when I could just use a 1ft adapter with the 14-50 extension cord to serve both purposes?

I also found this PDF document which describes the connections as you stated (and mentions how to get the right polarity on the two hot legs):
http://cosmacelf.net/Home Made Adapters.pdf

So I'll re-wire the 5-15 adapter to match the specifications. Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks.

Yeah, I get that, since you have the 30 ft. extension, and a 14-50 is kind of your "common currency" that you can adapt to other things, so it's saving on cost. I'm just not super comfortable with using a "wrong" size Tesla plug and having to remember to turn the current down. I have done it before but would prefer not to. I had gotten to a rental house really late at night and finally got things laid out and plugged in and then just remembered that I hadn't turned the amps down, so I jumped in the car in a few seconds and turned it down to 21A, so I wouldn't overdraw the 30A dryer circuit. I was really tired, and I almost forgot. At the time, Tesla didn't have any 30A adapter types, so I didn't have a choice, but it's not something I would want to risk if there were a decent way around it.

You could make another small 1 foot pigtail that converts from the 30 foot 14-50 extension back to a 5-15 or 5-20 receptacle to be able to use the proper Tesla plug, but that is adding more connection points. But this is a lower current use than 40 or 80 amps, so that's maybe not as much of an issue.

 

[fazluke]

Helpful post, my situation is different. I have electric dryer outlet in my garage with two 120s and a neutral (assumed), I want to replace that outlet with 14-50 for my M3. Can I hook up that third wire to ground in the new outlet? I am not sure if it is grounded or not at the panel but according to these posts all homes prior to 1996 (mine built 1993) were grounding the neutral.

 

[TexasEV]

Helpful post, my situation is different. I have electric dryer outlet in my garage with two 120s and a neutral (assumed), I want to replace that outlet with 14-50 for my M3. Can I hook up that third wire to ground in the new outlet? I am not sure if it is grounded or not at the panel but according to these posts all homes prior to 1996 (mine built 1993) were grounding the neutral.

It’s unlikely you have the proper gauge wiring for a 50A circuit. That’s the question you need to to ask first before thinking about changing the outlet.

 

[fazluke]

It’s unlikely you have the proper gauge wiring for a 50A circuit. That’s the question you need to to ask first before thinking about changing the outlet.

Yes, there are two 20 amp breakers (one for each wire) and my plan is to limit the charge to 32 amp at the car.

 

[FlatSix911]

Yes, with one of these.

NEMA specs here.

I just posted the first link I found, but upon further Googling, it does appear to be a Canada only thing. It is CSA approved, and generally CSA and UL approvals are considered equivalent. I've seen bins full of these at my local Home Depot, Lowes etc.

A NEMA 14-50 is a 120/240 volt outlet (240 volts leg to leg and 120 volts from each led to neutral). All they're doing here is picking up one leg plus the neutral and fusing it at 15 amps. Seems perfectly safe to me...

 

[TEG]

Yes, there are two 20 amp breakers (one for each wire) and my plan is to limit the charge to 32 amp at the car.

two 20 amp breakers does not mean 40 amps. It means two legs (240v) at 20amps max.

Your breakers, & wiring may only be appropriate for 16amps max EV charging (80% of breaker capacity.)

 

[TexasEV]

Yes, there are two 20 amp breakers (one for each wire) and my plan is to limit the charge to 32 amp at the car.

I strongly suggest you call an electrician.