Burning your house down is a possibility when you cook dinner too, so for safety sake we should all eat exclusively at McDonalds, let the professionals handle the cooking.
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Tesla Wall Connector Installation
- Thread starter Matte3
- Start date
Burning your house down is a possibility when you cook dinner too, so for safety sake we should all eat exclusively at McDonalds, let the professionals handle the cooking.
Thank you all for the help. To be honest maybe I sounded like I didn’t do any research etc before starting this thread but I have. I’m just that guy that reads 50 times before doing something. I basically had to directly ask and get the answer for myself .
Anyway, again I know working with electricity has its risks, but this is not a major electrical job. I’m a very detail oriented guy and can’t seem to be satisfied with most people’s work. Maybe it’s why I own a paint protection shop and have installed clear mask on over 150 Tesla’s with 100% feedback.
Paying $800+ on a 1-2 hour job like this sounds ridiculous to me. (Haven’t found a quote for under $800).
Anyway, again I know working with electricity has its risks, but this is not a major electrical job. I’m a very detail oriented guy and can’t seem to be satisfied with most people’s work. Maybe it’s why I own a paint protection shop and have installed clear mask on over 150 Tesla’s with 100% feedback.
Paying $800+ on a 1-2 hour job like this sounds ridiculous to me. (Haven’t found a quote for under $800).
I’m not sure the skill set is transferable. Would you be comfortable having an electrician do your paint protection?
Well for instance in my area, permits alone run about $3-500, so then that's only like 3-500 for materials, labor and profit.
Quick check of copper #3 SER cable and its like $6-7 per foot for #3 copper so something like $227 for a 35 foot run. In conduit, its maybe more like $150 since you can save on the neutral wire, but you now have to buy conduit and fittings.
Now pay a minimum wage worker to make your permit run, figure 2 hours, and double that minimum wage to account for their overhead.
Now pay an electrician something like $80-120 per hour for 2 hours (including overhead). $800 is a steal, I'd go for it if I was in your shoes.
Profit to do another job tomorrow and keep the lights on?
I am not comparing apples to apples. It does not require a electrician to take on this job. For example I'm not going to install a roof on my house.. There are some things we all can and are capable of doing without hiring a professional. I didn't ask how to wire up the connector to the panel or how to run the wires. I asked what types of wires for triple checking I would be using the correct products, thats it.
You have all the info in previous posts to do a good job yourself.
I bought everything at Home Depot for a M3 48A installation (60A breaker, #6 Cable, PVC 2’’ underground conduit on 60’) and did the installation myself from the panel to an oustide shed 60 feet away. I called up an electrician to connect the breaker and do a junction with wall connector cables (I precabled the Wall connector following the instruction, pretty easy). Électrician cost : 100$. Material cost: around 500$ just for electrical part.
davewill
Active Member
Or you can cap off the wires, place a cover over the junction box, and take the wall connector with you without running the extra wire.
eprosenx
Active Member
I was going to say the same thing! You can also put in a 6-50 receptacle and advertise the house as having an EV charging plug.
The neutral is totally superfluous for EV charging. It is just an artifact of history that the common charging plug is a 14-50. Just a waste of wire.
(Not to say I might not install a 14-50 anyway since it is so common and useful for RV’’s, but if I was designing things from scratch I would omit the neutral for all EV charging setups).
#2 THHN is $1.02 a foot and #8 ground is $.56 a foot at Home Depot, that is $2.60 a foot to go in conduit and conduit is cheap certainly under $50. I actually did this in July
Yup, Just like I said, about $150 in materials for wiring in conduit, $250 for SER. I meant all materials, not just $150 in wire, if that wasn't clear.
We didn't even discuss breakers. My point stands, $800 is a good price if you are paying a shop to do it and they have a contractors license, and expect profit on jobs. If you are paying someone who "knows a guy" then you might get an install for the price of a nice dinner.
SeanM
Member
Not a good idea to do it yourself. You will need a licensed electrician who can do such an install. Also, post installation, Tesla usually needs to have an Inspection certificate (not sure if it's mandatory).
But, it's better to spend money on this work, because if anything is not right, you don't want to mess up with your Model-3 or your home. Yes, it's a pinch to cough up the money, but it's an one deal.
... just my opinion.
What does Tesla need to approve about your home?
Too many academics here who are afraid of a screwdriver.
People build things.
Too many academics here who are afraid of a screwdriver.
People build things.
davewill
Active Member
Your concern is duly noted.
If the local laws allow it, they have the skills, and follow the applicable laws about permits and inspections, there's no reason a homeowner can't do their own install safely.
Personally, I’d run 1” PVC conduit because it is easy to work with. EMT has its advantages but PVC is safe and code compliant for what you are doing.
eprosenx
Active Member
Everywhere I have ever lived homeowners are allowed to do any home improvements themselves that would otherwise require a licensed contractor. You just have to get it permitted, follow code, and have it inspected.
I got mine done for about $275 including parts by a qualified electrician. Granted it was done by someone I knew. I was lucky enough to have a short run (about 7ft) from the panel. I think it took him about 1.5 hours to do.
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