Short & simple 6-20 and 14-50 setup guide

[timk225]

Between the 2, in about 8 minutes total, someone who knows little about charging their new Tesla can get the facts! Model 3's can get 15 mph on a 6-20 or 31 mph on a 14-50, plus the complexity of each installation.

6-20

14-50

Additional benefit of the 14-50 video is that it shows a detached driveway install. So many videos have incomplete information, or drag on for 15 minutes, and I don't think I have ever seen one dealing with a detached driveway, they make it easy when the car is parked in the attached garage within 15 feet of the breaker panel!

Mods - just chillax, this is for the benefit of all Tesla owners.

 

[eprosenx]

Between the 2, in about 8 minutes total, someone who knows little about charging their new Tesla can get the facts! Model 3's can get 15 mph on a 6-20 or 31 mph on a 14-50, plus the complexity of each installation.

Additional benefit of the 14-50 video is that it shows a detached driveway install. So many videos have incomplete information, or drag on for 15 minutes, and I don't think I have ever seen one dealing with a detached driveway, they make it easy when the car is parked in the attached garage within 15 feet of the breaker panel!

Mods - just chillax, this is for the benefit of all Tesla owners.

A few notes for you:

On the 6-20 install:

• FWIW, surface mounting romex (like around the panel) is not allowed generally, though it is likely allowed in this case as that is being considered an unfinished basement. They would never allow that around here for a new install. I also don't think the romex should be that close to the bottom of the ceiling joists. If someone sheetrocked that ceiling they could easily hit it with fasteners. Anything that is less than a certain distance from the stud face requires steel nail plate protection.
• 2017 NEC would require that receptacle to be on a GFCI breaker.
• Is that 6-20 outdoors? Is it in a wet location? I don't know all the details, but a weather rated receptacle (and or tamper resistant) may be required. And a in-use rain cover if in a wet location for sure. (I have not read these code sections in depth)

On the 14-50 install:

• The 14-50 receptacle should be in a double wide box, not a single wide box. I doubt that meets wire-fill requirements.
• As you mentioned, the conduit needs to be buried deeper - 18" sounds right.
• 2017 NEC requires a GFCI breaker on all EV charging receptacles. (you might not be in an area that has adopted it yet, or maybe you installed that prior to the requirement)

But I do like you explaining how this stuff is not rocket science! Properly educated, people can do this stuff themselves!

 

[timk225]

Notes on the notes:

6-20

Being an unfinished basement in an old (1930) house, I had a lot of flexibility on how to run wires in the basement. A house with a finished basement would require more work to have everything nice and neat and out of sight, although not too difficult to do.

The 6-20 outlet is located on what was initially an outer brick wall, although previous owners enclosed the area with its own walls, windows, roof, and locking door. My wife refers to is as a "mud room". It does not get water anywhere near the outlet.

14-50

Yes, we had a hard time getting those wires to bend and fit into the box when wiring the outlet, but with careful cutting and trimming, it worked. The first plastic box I got was even smaller, and the receptacle itself wouldn't even fit into it. If I ever redo it, it will be a bigger box just for ease of install.

My electrician told me about digging the ditch, which was easy when I went a foot deep. It wasn't until after the pipe and wire was in place that he said 18 inches, and by that point I wasn't about to go back and change it. Plus there was a lot of structural cement near the stairs, and I was not about to mess with that. Almost as good and a whole lot cheaper!

 

[ewoodrick]

In many locations, additions such as this may require permits, inspection, and/or electricians to perform.
As was mentioned a few days ago, improper installation can easily result in fire. Not knowing what you can and cannot do may result in death.

This isn't something that folks should feel comfortable doing after watching a Facebook video.

 

[timk225]

In many locations, additions such as this may require permits, inspection, and/or electricians to perform.
As was mentioned a few days ago, improper installation can easily result in fire. Not knowing what you can and cannot do may result in death.

This isn't something that folks should feel comfortable doing after watching a Facebook video.

Here where I live, homeowners can do their own work. In the case of both these videos, I selected the components, I installed the wires and PVC pipes and did everything except actually connecting the wires to the receptacle and the circuit breaker. I let the electrician do that, as I had him here for other work on the same day. Not that I couldn't have done it, but I would rather let his insurance cover it if there were a problem.

Installing the 6-20 on the brick wall was actually quite difficult, the electrician had to drill through some hard bricks to run the wire, and then I had to drill smaller holes at angles inside the receptacle base to attach it to the brick wall. He went through 2 batteries in his drill, it made a lot of noise and a lot of dust!

 

[gursky]

Thanks for the videos! They are relevant to me as I plan on doing a 6-20 and 14-50 install for the various locations I will home charge my Model 3. All videos I have watched to date have been hobbyists installing a breaker for a new tool so nice to find two that are exactly what I will use.

When I first began researching this installation I was surprised at how easy the process was, but the devil is in the details and ensuring the install complies to electrical code is where the challenge comes in. I will have installation assistance from an electrician friend but watching videos like these helps with my confidence but I also realize that electrical is not to be taken lightly either.