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This is how my panel looks like , is it normal??
- Thread starter telsaatl
- Start date
It looks like nearly every single breaker is GFCI actually. It’s weird to me but I don’t think it’s a problem.
The EV charger and even the bath GFCI are not GFCI breakers. The bathroom GFCI probably has a GFCI outlet so a non GFCI breaker but what should be there is a dual purpose breaker for the bath that does both GFCI and AFCI. I believe, going off memory, that all your 120 outlets need AFCI at minimum and those within 6 ft of a water supply also need GFCI. If it’s AFCI, GFCI, or a combo breaker it has a test button that allows you to test if the protection is functional.
I have installed Bryant 14-50 NEMA receptacle with 50 Amp.. how do I know it’s hard wired ?? My electrical panel is in basement but 14-50 is in my garage which is close to 50 feet.. he use 6 AWG Romex wire.. is this ok ?? Or do I need to call electrician to change GFCI BREAKER
All else sounds good but NEMA requires a GFCI breaker for the receptacle. Hard wired means the EV charger is wired directly into the circuit with no outlet. It is my opinion that is the safest way to install an EV charger because the plug and receptacle are both additional failure points. Have seen many melted plugs/receptacle over the years.
Also, with GFCI breaker you may have a problem with nuisance tripping since most EV chargers have GFCI built in which is another reason why I always suggest hard wired. The #6 NMB Romex is good for a 50 amp circuit.
If it were me I would eliminate the receptacle and connect your wiring directly to the charger. That way you don’t need to swap breakers and your alll good.
50 AMP GFCI breaker is also a lot more expensive.
I still don’t understand.. do i still need to check with my electrician to do anything to make sure my is secured ??
I should have said NEC. As of 2017 NEC requires a GFCI breaker on a 14-50 outlet. Can you connect the circuit directly to your charger? That will save you some money and be more reliable.
If you can't connect it directly to the charger (hard wire) then you need to replace your breaker with a GFCI type breaker.
For anyone else here is some more reading (this is not my website) the recommendation comes directly from Tesla:
NEMA 14-50 Tesla Response | Seahurst Electric
Q: How does Tesla respond to NEMA 14-50 questions? A: While an existing NEMA 14-50 outlet will work to charge the car, you would need to purchase the $35 adapter from Tesla to make it work, they are not provided with the vehicle. Tesla does not recommend installing a new NEMA 14-50 outlet to...
www.seahurst.com
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Which breakers need to be GFCI or AFCI all depend on what version of the NEC your local governing authority is using. Mine is still on 2014, so not everything posted above applies.
It's not a bad idea to bring everything up to the newest version of NEC, but it's not required in all jurisdictions.
Your electrician will know, so trust them, not the internet.
It's not a bad idea to bring everything up to the newest version of NEC, but it's not required in all jurisdictions.
Your electrician will know, so trust them, not the internet.
Certainly trust your electrician but also verify. Many electricians do not fully understand EVs or EV charging. They just install a 14-50 outlet that may or may not be safe for the long haul.
Tesla recommends against 14-50 outlets for new vehicle charging installations which you can see why at the link I posted above. You should remove the 14-50 and hard wire the charger for safe and reliable charging moving forward.
You could contact your electrician and ask them about whether a GFCI circuit breaker is (was) required when they installed the 240V/50A circuit with the 14-50 receptacle. It may be that in your location the electrical code that is still used is pre-2017 which is when the requirement for the GFCI circuit breaker for an EV charging circuit that has a receptacle, i.e. NEMA 14-50 was added to the NEC. You are not required to bring your existing wiring up to the current code, the original wiring is grandfathered.
I have in my home a 240V/50A circuit with a 14-50 receptacle that was installed in 2016, so no GFCI circuit breaker. If you want to be safe, do what I do. The owner's manual for my ClipperCreek electric vehicle service equipment states. "Always turn off the power at the service panel or sub panel (turn off the circuit breaker) for the vehicle charging circuit before plugging or unplugging the EVSE from the receptacle. It's that simple.
You should leave the Tesla Mobile Connector plugged in as much as possible as the 14-50 receptacle is not designed for regular plugging and unplugging. This could cause the plug connection to loosen over time. If you always turn off the power to the circuit before plugging or unplugging the Tesla Mobile Connector from the 14-50 receptacle then there is no risk of being electrocuted while handling the power plug. (This is why the GFCI requirement for the EV charging circuit that terminates with a receptacle was added to the 2017 revision of the NEC. The GFCI circuit breaker will mitigate the risk of being electrocuted while plugging or unplugging from the receptacle. (The Tesla Mobile Connector already has GFCI protection built in that protects the user when plugging or unplugging the charging connector from the Tesla vehicle.)
I have in my home a 240V/50A circuit with a 14-50 receptacle that was installed in 2016, so no GFCI circuit breaker. If you want to be safe, do what I do. The owner's manual for my ClipperCreek electric vehicle service equipment states. "Always turn off the power at the service panel or sub panel (turn off the circuit breaker) for the vehicle charging circuit before plugging or unplugging the EVSE from the receptacle. It's that simple.
You should leave the Tesla Mobile Connector plugged in as much as possible as the 14-50 receptacle is not designed for regular plugging and unplugging. This could cause the plug connection to loosen over time. If you always turn off the power to the circuit before plugging or unplugging the Tesla Mobile Connector from the 14-50 receptacle then there is no risk of being electrocuted while handling the power plug. (This is why the GFCI requirement for the EV charging circuit that terminates with a receptacle was added to the 2017 revision of the NEC. The GFCI circuit breaker will mitigate the risk of being electrocuted while plugging or unplugging from the receptacle. (The Tesla Mobile Connector already has GFCI protection built in that protects the user when plugging or unplugging the charging connector from the Tesla vehicle.)
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