Quick 220 system?

[Ingineer]

If you are compentent, you can build one yourself, and use a NEMA 14-50 so it's ocmpatible with the UMC. Just remember to dial your amperage down to 12A to be safe. (Maximum continuous rating) Or 16A if using 20A rated outlets.

Here is my how-to from 2011:
Do It Yourself: 240v from two 120v sources - My Nissan Leaf Forum

 

[Mike M]

If you are compentent, you can build one yourself, and use a NEMA 14-50 so it's ocmpatible with the UMC. Just remember to dial your amperage down to 12A to be safe. (Maximum continuous rating) Or 16A if using 20A rated outlets.

Here is my how-to from 2011:
Do It Yourself: 240v from two 120v sources - My Nissan Leaf Forum

Thanks for sharing this @Ingineer!

 

[mach330]

sorry to bring up an old thread. been thinking about this as well as my panel is upstairs and my garage is opposite side and below. this will be a very pricey to build a 14-50 connection so i've been exploring this option. I tested 3 of my outlets in the garage and they are in different circuits. The two on the wall are on a different breaker (so different phase as they are opposite side of the breaker). now I just gotta figure out how to test if they are gfi or not. Any other way to tell if they are gfi? One is close to the water heater so i have a feeling that's a gfi.

 

[carteriii]

Search Amazon for "gfci tester" and you'll see a number of devices in the $5-$10 range that will let you test.

Perhaps you've already considered this, but do you have an electric drier anywhere closer to your garage? You could use that outlet and charge much faster than the products described here. A 30A extension cord is also pretty easy to find and less expensive.

 

[Rocky_H]

The two on the wall are on a different breaker (so different phase as they are opposite side of the breaker). now I just gotta figure out how to test if they are gfi or not. Any other way to tell if they are gfi? One is close to the water heater so i have a feeling that's a gfi.

I am not totally sure on this, but I think it may be part of electric code that all of the outlets in your garage will be GFI. As @carteriii mentioned, you can get a GFI tester pretty cheaply to find out. With the way GFI circuits are usually done, they do not put the GFI breaker on every single outlet on that circuit. There may be two or three outlets on that circuit, one of which has the GFI buttons on it, but it will be able to trip the whole circuit from a GFI event on any of the outlets. So if you can look around to find that one in the garage somewhere and hit the "test" button to trip it, then check which other outlets lost power from that GFI test.

 

[mach330]

Search Amazon for "gfci tester" and you'll see a number of devices in the $5-$10 range that will let you test.

Perhaps you've already considered this, but do you have an electric drier anywhere closer to your garage? You could use that outlet and charge much faster than the products described here. A 30A extension cord is also pretty easy to find and less expensive.

thx, yep just ordered before i pull the trigger on the quick220. thx.

my dryer is upstairs and gas so no luck there.

 

[mach330]

I am not totally sure on this, but I think it may be part of electric code that all of the outlets in your garage will be GFI. As @carteriii mentioned, you can get a GFI tester pretty cheaply to find out. With the way GFI circuits are usually done, they do not put the GFI breaker on every single outlet on that circuit. There may be two or three outlets on that circuit, one of which has the GFI buttons on it, but it will be able to trip the whole circuit from a GFI event on any of the outlets. So if you can look around to find that one in the garage somewhere and hit the "test" button to trip it, then check which other outlets lost power from that GFI test.

yeah, i'm hoping that's not the case. i hope 2 of the 3 are not gfi . i'll verify once i get my tester. wish me luck.

 

[gracchus]

It is technically impossible that in a garage with power, it would require new wiring under concrete or anywhere else to convert to 240V. That's because 240V can use the same wires 120V can, as long as the amperage/current does not change. All the conversion requires are new outlets and a new 240V breaker in the panel. So you can double your power by going to 240V, 12Amps, without any new wiring. (Or even 240V, 16 Amps, if your wiring supports it.)

In your case that may not be practical. For example, if you have just one garage circuit, and it runs a garage door opener, that opener would have to be replaced with a European high voltage one, or it wouldn't work. Or if the garage circuit on the outlet in question also feeds other outlets that you need to keep at 120V.

I think a lot of electricians overlook this "wireless 120->240 conversion option" because we tell them we want 240V, 48Amps or whatever. Once they hear 48 Amps they are thinking new wiring. We should instead be asking them how to maximize power, without new wiring -- unless you WANT to spend way more to support the higher current, as well as the higher voltage.