Seek suggestions to install an at-home charger for model Y

[Tobin]

I'd like to install an at-home charger for MY. Either GEN 3 wall connector (48 amps) or GEN 2 NEMA 14-50 adapter (32 amps) is acceptable to me. I have confirmed that the existing circuit breakers in my house are only 20 amps. So I'll have to run a new cable and install a new breaker.

The challenge are: my garage is detached from my house, and the electrical panel is inside the house. They're pretty far away from each other. I have no idea how to run the new cable from the panel to garage. Right now, all the electrical wires of my house are just inside the wall.

Would it be possible to tap the new cable, from outside, to the entry of the power into the house, and then run the cable from outside? Any alternative/easier option? Any suggestion? Thank you.

 

[Silicon Desert]

You should probably just call a couple different electricians to get free quotes. There are too many variables to consider. They will tell you what is needed for your panel and local code.

 

[Matsayz]

Call a couple of the higher rated electricians on Yelp or Google and tell them you’d like to get a quote for installing a 240Volt outlet In your garage for your electric vehicle.

They make ask for how big your panel is, is it a 100Amp panel? 200? It’ll say on the inside box out on the outside of the house.

The electrician will do a load calculation to make sure putting a 50Amp breaker fit and make sure the panel can handle it. Then they’ll give you a quote for the distance to where you want the outlet to be, the longer the run the more money. So if you can clear some space to be closer to the panel the cheaper this app will be.

**Generally** you should expect to pay $200-400 for a regular basic install 50Amp breaker and the NEMA 14-50. Obviously your situation will be different from mine and the next guy. Oh and if you want to pull a permit, that will be more money ($100?) and more time waiting for the inspection. It’s up to you/your city(code-wise)/and the electrician if you need one.

I would spend the $500 on the HPWC unless you want to and don’t get me wrong it looks nice but figure what your panel can support because you might not even be able to support that 48Amps that the HPWC can deliver and then it’s just a waste of money to me.

 

[MY-Y]

If you're going to live there for a while, consider putting a subpanel in the garage. I put a 150A subpanel in mine, and it's been quite handy to have. Much of the cost will be for the labor (trench needed), and the aluminum wire you can use for a 100+ amp panel is reasonably priced.

 

[Tobin]

Thank you all for the suggestions!

 

[gigawatt1010]

Couldn't agree more with calling an electrician for this project. Electrical stuff is too much of a risk to DIY if you're unsure. And if you're going to get the electrician anyway, I highly suggest the HWPC.

 

[user212_nr]

I have confirmed that the existing circuit breakers in my house are only 20 amps. So I'll have to run a new cable and install a new breaker.

Goes without saying that you would need a new breaker. As others have said, you will need an electrician to do this work. It is possible for you to do it yourself, but there is a lot to learn, and in most cities you must obtain permits.

The challenge are: my garage is detached from my house, and the electrical panel is inside the house. They're pretty far away from each other. I have no idea how to run the new cable from the panel to garage. Right now, all the electrical wires of my house are just inside the wall.

The way to do this, ie. the way an electrician would do this, is a trench is dug from the house to the garage. Either the trench is 2 feet deep, or it is 1 foot deep with a pipe.

Then a hole is made in the garage and the house, and the wires get routed to your main panel. In some cases, the main panel is on the exterior of the house, I think in Texas that is quite common.

Would it be possible to tap the new cable, from outside, to the entry of the power into the house, and then run the cable from outside? Any alternative/easier option? Any suggestion? Thank you.

Not sure what you are saying here, but it is not going to be cheaper.

Doing it yourself does save a lot of money depending on how much electricians charge you. In some cases, the electrician may allow you to dig the trench yourself. That's a good option.

 

[Watts_Up]

You should also consider adding a second line and circuit breaker (120 V 15/20 A)
to run some additional power tools, vacuum cleaner, 12 V charger or tender, electrical light, or even a WiFi router...

Note: You will need to get a good WiFi signal to install future Tesla Software updates.
I was not able to get a good reception in my garage, so I installed a WiFi extender in my garage
and I used my power line to carry the Internet signal between my home and my garage.

 

[Feathermerchan]

Watts_up has some good points.
Most likely, another circuit will have to be run from your panel if it has capacity, underground to the garage.
PS the charger is in the car (except at a Supercharger). The other devices are properly called connectors, not chargers.

I have an attached garage but two story so I had to run a circuit (2 actually) up the outside wall to get into the attic then across the attic and down to the garage and in. I did it myself but it was a lot of work.

I'm in the DFW area. Where are you?

 

[Watts_Up]

Would it be possible to tap the new cable, from outside, to the entry of the power into the house,
and then run the cable from outside? Any alternative/easier option? Any suggestion? Thank you.

If I understand your question, I believe that I did something similar.

I have outside of my home a panel with the electrical meter and a major tandem circuit breaker.
There is there a wire (Romex type) going inside my home to a main panel where all the circuit breakers are located.

What I did was to put a (6" 6" 6") Junction Box next to the outside panel and inside the box
I branched out a line going to my garage using some insulated Polaris connectors on each wire.
I have a 150 feet line going from the junction box to my garage.
I put a circuit breaker and a disconnect switch so I don't have to power down the full house
if I need to power down the garage.

Note: I would recommend looking at those web pages to get some additional information about wire calculation

Electrical guide for wiring a house, codes, and common electrical questions
Copper Wire Resistance and Voltage Drop and Conductor Size Calculators

​

 

[Watts_Up]

Most likely, another circuit will have to be run from your panel if it has capacity, underground to the garage.
PS the charger is in the car (except at a Supercharger). The other devices are properly called connectors, not chargers.

I was talking about a 12 V battery charger for my OneWheel skateboard,
and may be I might get an electrical bicycle or a Zero motorcycle....

BTW, I'm in SF, CA

 

[Feathermerchan]

I wasn't referring to your comment but to others regarding the charger.

 

[Rocky_H]

We might have suggestions if this were about just adding a connection in your house, but because this involves making a new connection to a detached building, that's a whole different complicated thing that can have a lot of conditions and restrictions based on your city or state about how those have to be done. Some may allow overhead cable for that. Some other places may require buried conduit underground. It's just too much for us to be slinging ideas. Get some electrician consultations.

In some cases, the electrician may allow you to dig the trench yourself. That's a good option.

I will second this part, though. I've heard that from a lot of other people. If the electricians are having to do the trenching, they seem to hate that and overcharge badly for it. So that' may be an option if you can find out the specifications of how deep and wide the trenching would need to be and then prepare that yourself.

 

[Feathermerchan]

And digging a trench may be treacherous. In my case, it would have involved missing several sprinkler pipes, under one sidewalk, and come up in a flower bed then into a brick wall.
Anyway it is a great idea to get a few quotes to see what has to be done first. Then start thinking about how you want to do it.

 

[SparkyTX]

If you are in Houston and need someone with Tesla charger experience I would recommend looking at Chams Electrical Services. They did my charger and an additional 220 outlet in my garage. I figured since I was having the wiring pulled for one charger, might as well do a second. We may be getting a plug in hybrid in the future. Mine wasn't as complex as yours since my panel is in the garage but the panel had no open slots so a sub-panel had to be put in. They also corrected some bad work from the previous electrician and moved some circuits to the new sub-panel.

 

[qdeathstar]

Sparky recommending an electrical company...

noun
INFORMAL•BRITISH

1. an electrician.

 

[Fry_Esq.]

Just got a quote for a similar detached garage situation. Currently has 110s. Over $3k. I guess I'm living the 110 life!

 

[MY-Y]

What if you put the 14-50 on the outside of your house? How far away is it? You can get a 14-50 extension cord for RVs.

 

[willow_hiller]

If it's available in your state, make sure to include Tesla Home Charging in your list of people to call for quotes. Tesla actually provided the most competitive quote for me in Maryland, and comes with a 4 year warranty you can access on your Tesla account page. They did a great job with the conduit and routing most of the wiring through my crawlspace.

 

[GSP]

Just got a quote for a similar detached garage situation. Currently has 110s. Over $3k. I guess I'm living the 110 life!

Ouch. Do you have an option to install a 240 V outlet or HPWC on an outside wall of your house to charge the car in your driveway? If so, you could use 120V charging in your garage most of the time, but have easy access to faster charging when you need it.

GSP