New to Tesla/EVs - Home charging install options

[jrweiss98020]

Dunno 'bout the code, but the only GFCI breaker they installed in my new panel when installing PV, PW, and car charger (dedicated 14-50 outlet in the garage) is the one for my Jacuzzi...

 

[Rocky_H]

Dunno 'bout the code, but the only GFCI breaker they installed in my new panel when installing PV, PW, and car charger (dedicated 14-50 outlet in the garage) is the one for my Jacuzzi...

Don't know what else to tell ya, man. Your electrician violated code. Your location says Edmonds, WA. The state of Washington adopted the 2017 NEC version on July 1, 2017 (very quickly!), so that version says that any outlet installed for EV charging must use a GFCI breaker.
NEC® enforcement | NFPA

That was a new section and is a kind of odd requirement, so a lot of electricians probably just did not learn about the new updates that were added in that 2017 version for EV charging. I'm glad I got mine put in in 2014, so I never had to worry about it.

 

[Electric Steve]

Yes, but the NEC 2017 requires 240V outlets for EVs need to be GFCI. If you say it's for a welder, then maybe you can get a non-GFCI installed if the electrician balks.

It may matter whether the electrician is wiring a socket that the Wall Charger -- or anything else with the right plug, like an RV -- could plug into or the wires go straight into the box. If there's a socket, then maybe GFCI is required. But if it's direct, then the Charger itself provides the GFCI.

The manual for the latest generation of Charger seems to suggest that it requires direct wiring, not a socket.

 

[Electric700]

I had a GFCI installed on a 6-20 240 V outlet for the MC. Everything works well. If I upgraded the breaker / outlet to use a Wall Connector and kept a GFCI breaker, I wonder if that would still work? Has anyone else done that?

 

[Electric Steve]

I had a GFCI installed on a 6-20 240 V outlet for the MC. Everything works well. If I upgraded the breaker / outlet to use a Wall Connector and kept a GFCI breaker, I wonder if that would still work? Has anyone else done that?

The NEMA socket requires different wiring, as well as GFCI. The WC uses 3 wires, not 4, and provides its own GFCI. Possibly the extra wire can just be ignored -- I'm not an electrician -- but you're going to need to change out the breaker.

 

[Rocky_H]

I had a GFCI installed on a 6-20 240 V outlet for the MC.

The NEMA socket requires different wiring, as well as GFCI. The WC uses 3 wires, not 4, and provides its own GFCI.

No it doesn't. A 6-20 outlet is only 3 wires, since it just a 240V outlet. It is just the two hots and a ground--no neutral wire. So it is exactly the same three wires that a wall connector would use.

I see this frequently, where some people think the term "NEMA" always refers to one specific type of outlet, and even more specifically, to the 14-50. But "NEMA" is like the word "metric". It's the name for the overall system. So a NEMA 6-20 or a NEMA 14-50 are different things with different wiring requirements.
NEMA connector - Wikipedia

If I upgraded the breaker / outlet to use a Wall Connector and kept a GFCI breaker, I wonder if that would still work? Has anyone else done that?

Should still work fine. The wall connector doesn't require the GFCI breaker, but if it's still there, it would probably still be OK.

 

[Electric Steve]

No it doesn't. A 6-20 outlet is only 3 wires, since it just a 240V outlet. It is just the two hots and a ground--no neutral wire. So it is exactly the same three wires that a wall connector would use.

I see this frequently, where some people think the term "NEMA" always refers to one specific type of outlet, and even more specifically, to the 14-50. But "NEMA" is like the word "metric". It's the name for the overall system. So a NEMA 6-20 or a NEMA 14-50 are different things with different wiring requirements.
NEMA connector - Wikipedia

You're right: what I said was true for the 14-50, not the 6-20.

 

[stratocat]

Unless both you and your wife drive a couple of hundred miles a day, every day, you probably only need one outlet/charger. The cord is long enough to reach both cars if you locate it centrally. You can easily add a full charge with the normal portable charger (38A) and be done hours before you wake up. You don't have to fully charge every day. You can always add the second outlet later if it becomes too inconvenient. Regarding GFCI Breaker - it is an added layer of protection fo you if for some reason the electronics in your charger fail, a reasonably cheap layer of protection. 240V is nothing to play around with.

 

[Sophias_dad]

The wall connector doesn't require the GFCI breaker, but if it's still there, it would probably still be OK.

And don't forget, swapping that breaker to a non-GFCI breaker is MAYBE a $10 cost and 15 minutes.Just make sure to appropriately tighten the screws on the new breaker.