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You might check, just in case, if any of your outlets in the garage are 5-20 (image attached). Mine has one for a water softener / fridge.
It would let you charge at 16a if you purchase the appropriate adaptor from Tesla.
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Splitting a nema 10-30 outlet
- Thread starter Sean Kelly
- Start date
You might check, just in case, if any of your outlets in the garage are 5-20 (image attached). Mine has one for a water softener / fridge.
It would let you charge at 16a if you purchase the appropriate adaptor from Tesla.
120
You might check, just in case, if any of your outlets in the garage are 5-20 (image attached). Mine has one for a water softener / fridge.
It would let you charge at 16a if you purchase the appropriate adaptor from Tesla.
Haha whoops mistyped. Thanks for that info and the attached pic, I’ll definitely take a look tomorrow and see if I have one of those anywhere in my garage.
120
You might check, just in case, if any of your outlets in the garage are 5-20 (image attached). Mine has one for a water softener / fridge.
It would let you charge at 16a if you purchase the appropriate adaptor from Tesla.
Found a 5-20 outlet in my garage but it wasn’t labeled. Assuming if it looks like that then it’s 16a correct? Any idea the charge rate on that?
A “standard outlet” is a 5-15. 15a outlet and will charge at 12a
A 5-20 is a 20a outlet and will charge at 16a. So 33% faster. There is a table on the Tesla site, but I cannot find it at the moment.
You might want to track it back to the panel and see if it is really on a 20a breaker.
from tesla shop site ^^ for charging and adapters Gen 2 charger for example. I get 17 for my S on a 14-30
Model S/X/3 Gen 2 NEMA Adapters
Thanks @cybergates ! Didn't think to look in the store.
BTW - if this really is a dedicated 5-20... with a wire going directly back to the panel and NOT to any other outlets...
It *might* be possible to change it to a 6-20. It would need a new outlet and new breakers back at the panel (and another slot available). It would take an electrician 20-30 minutes.
BTW - either 5-20 or 6-20, you would need to buy the proper adaptor from the Tesla store.
BTW - if this really is a dedicated 5-20... with a wire going directly back to the panel and NOT to any other outlets...
It *might* be possible to change it to a 6-20. It would need a new outlet and new breakers back at the panel (and another slot available). It would take an electrician 20-30 minutes.
BTW - either 5-20 or 6-20, you would need to buy the proper adaptor from the Tesla store.
Not recommended. The dryer outlet is very likely not mechanically designed to have things plugged and unplugged a lot, and will wear out quickly. That will lead to hot contacts, melted things, or worse.
When I first got my car, I rigged up my own splitter from Home Depot parts - a replacement dryer cord, two outlets, and some 10-3 romex to go between them (had the second outlet about 10' closer to the car, so the UMC would reach). That worked well until I got a dedicated 14-50 installed, but as noted earlier, I had to be careful to disconnect the car before running a load of laundry, since the car can spontaneously start a top-up charge at any time. A dryer buddy would have been a much better solution, but I didn't know about them at the time.
BTW, charging at 24 amps is plenty for most folks. I still charge at 24, even with the 14-50 capable of going to 40 amps, just to be gentle to all components involved.
No, the worst case scenario is that you run both, the breaker fails to trip, the wire overheats, starts a fire, and burns your house down. (Especially if you have a Zinsco/Federal Pacific breaker panel.)
Exactly. And, take note of the panel issue. I had one, unaware of the issue. When I called an electrician about installing a 14-50 he pointed it out, and said he thought "they'd all been replaced by now." Needless to say, the simple 14-50 turned into a panel upgrade, with a 14-50 thrown in while we were at it.
LBusDoor90
Member
So when you have a 14-50 capable of 40 amps like I do, too, charging settings available in the 3’s touchscreen can limit it to 24 amp charging? Is this a choice that could benefit long term battery life?
eladts
Member
You can get a Drier Buddy with two 10-30 outlets and Tesla's 10-30 adapter it is much more reliable and safe solution than using 14-50 on a 30A circuit.
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GutsyGibbon
Member
I do not understand why people are quoting such high numbers for a NEMA 14-50 outlet. A 50A breaker costs ~$40. There are many electricians willing to install for $300 in labor. If one is interested they can go to the city office and do the permit work themselves. Personally, I would spend more time hiring an old fox I can trust, and not the permit. I spent $340 on my NEMA 14-50 outlet. I did get quotes of over $3000. Dude wanted to replace the entire panel after looking at the panel/breakers from the outside. There were spare breakers that he did not even care to check, and he gave me big spiel on quality of work, and ethics.
I can understand higher costs if the breaker panel really needs to be replaced (no spares), or if there is a lot of wiring that needs to be done. I understand the charger cable of M3 is 25 ft long. So having a outlet very close to the breaker can be very cost efficient.
I can understand higher costs if the breaker panel really needs to be replaced (no spares), or if there is a lot of wiring that needs to be done. I understand the charger cable of M3 is 25 ft long. So having a outlet very close to the breaker can be very cost efficient.
I don't think it would make much difference to the battery life, one way or the other. I'm using the lower charge current more for the rest of the system - life of the EVSE's contactor and the 14-50 outlet (which it turns out is NOT one of the high duty cycle "RV" models), and the overall load on the house and grid. It may also be marginally more efficient, since heating loss in the wiring goes by the square of the current. I read somewhere that the sweet spot for charging is in the 24 - 32 amp range, though that could be urban legend.
I charged for 2 years off the dryer plug at 24 amps, and everything was happy. No reason I need to go any faster on a regular basis, so left things there. But it's nice to know I can goose it up if I need to.
doubleatheman
Member
Dryer buddy arrived in the mail today!
I got the #1 Plus Auto and had the Kwh meter wired up by Brad to only measure the power the car uses.
I got the #1 Plus Auto and had the Kwh meter wired up by Brad to only measure the power the car uses.
what about something like this https://www.amazon.com/Parkworld-88..._7?keywords=DRYER+BUDDY&qid=1548111690&sr=8-7
or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075VKM9NQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2LVRXQF5INH4F&psc=1
I have attached my breaker box photo which shows 60 AMPs on the dryer+ I'll set it to charge in the middle of the night when dryer is not being used. Is that safe?
or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075VKM9NQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2LVRXQF5INH4F&psc=1
I have attached my breaker box photo which shows 60 AMPs on the dryer+ I'll set it to charge in the middle of the night when dryer is not being used. Is that safe?
Attachments
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Eno Deb
Active Member
You don't have 60A for the dryer outlet. This is a double-pole breaker to protect each of the two hot wires on a 240V circuit at 30A. Max ampacity you can draw from the outlet without triggering the breaker is 30A.
Generally I wouldn't recommend using a splitter. If you do, you must make sure that nobody in your household turns on the dryer while the car is charging (or vice versa). It's safer to use a switch box to make sure that only once outlet is active at a time.
Eno Deb
Active Member
Yes. The 10-30 pigtail adapter for the mobile connector tells the car that this is a 30A circuit, which then automatically limits the current to 24A.
AFAIK there is no "plug and play" product other than the Dryer Buddy. I'm using a simple DYI switchbox that I built using a mechanical high-load switch.
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