Just receive my Tesla 3 LR, Trying to understand my best option on charging for my current situation...My breaker panel does not have an extra 220 breaker. What are my options? Can I connect directly to the main 120 v lines coming into the box. Thanks.
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Wall connector compatability to existing breaker panel?
- Thread starter Wndboy
- Start date
Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
No problem, they'll just remove 4 of your 20A breakers and install 2 tandem breakers to feed the 4 circuits from only 2 slots:
That'll free up space for a 2-pole 240V breaker and you can likely go with the full 60A, but if not, you can run the wall charger at whatever your panel limit is.
That'll free up space for a 2-pole 240V breaker and you can likely go with the full 60A, but if not, you can run the wall charger at whatever your panel limit is.
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@Gauss Guzzler is right you can combine a couple of 20A and make space for your 220 60A, I would not connect anything to the main 120v coming into the box, and are you going to be doing this yourself?
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What size is the panel - 200 amps? Looks like it might be max'd out already. Do you have a clamp on current meter? Make some measurements...
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or better yet, remove only two breakers and install this or something very much like it:
Square D Homeline 2-20 Amp Single-Pole 1-50 Amp 2-Pole Quad Tandem Circuit Breaker HOMT2020250CP - The Home Depot
The Square D by Schneider Electric Homeline Quad-Pole Tandem Circuit Breaker consists of (2) single-pole, 20 Amp and (1) double-pole, 50 Amp breakers. Requiring only 2 pole spaces, it is used for overload
www.homedepot.com
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Thanks Lpst Bolt...No I'm not doing it myself, I'm having an electrician do it for me but he is not familiar with the tesla wall charger connection... As you can see I don't have any space for additional breakers..Do you still think your suggestion of combining a couple 20A circuit breaker and replacing it with a 220 60A breaker? Thanks
Thanks
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P Jensen thanks...I don't have a clamp meter but I do have a current meter. Do I need at least 200 amps? How can I check. Thanks
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Thank you Gauzz. I appreciate your suggestion. I'm going to home depot now to check on these circuit breakers. Q. If I'm replacing for 20A breakers with 2 60A..How do I measure my panel limit?
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The limit for your panel is probably 200 amps, but you'd find out for sure on the big breaker near the meter(in this case).
You can't use an inline meter for this kind of current. I'm sure they exist, but would be entirely unreasonable for a homeowner to own or use. Your electrician should do a load calculation to see if there's ANY remaining power available out of that 200 amps. I see a bunch of high-current loads in that panel, you might not be able to get 60 amps(or 48 actual amps) additional into that panel.
Not all panels can take tandem breakers as have been pointed out, but many can. Since you are having an electrician do it, why not let him figure this stuff out(beyond the TMC community steering you away from an expensive subpanel option).
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All you need to tell the electrician is that the Tesla wall connector needs a 60A circuit from the panel to the garage (wherever it is installed). You should also provide the installation manual ( https://www.tesla.com/sites/default...ng/Gen3_WallConnector_Installation_Manual.pdf ) to the electrician.
The Tesla wall connector can be installed on a smaller circuit if a 60A circuit would be too much for your panel, but its charging current must be limited to 80% of the circuit, as shown on page 5 of the installation manual.
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Adding an extra circuit is a simple task for a licensed (and bonded) electrician. Just follow his/her recommendation to add a 60 amp circuit, if he can. Yes, the Charger will work at a lower amp limit, but will charge a whole lot slower. (My guy added a sub-panel and just told me to not charge when the AC was on, i.e., charge at night.)
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You would have to clear up 2 spaces, so you would need to combine 2 times.
As such:
Breaker 1 (currently single 20A)
Breaker 2 (currently single 20A)
Breaker 3 (currently single 20A)
Breaker 4 (currently single 20A)
Convert to the following:
New Double Breaker 1 (1+2, 20A/ea)
New Double Breaker 2 (3+4, 20A/ea)
Breaker space 3/4 occupied by 240V 60A breaker
keep in mind
I AM NOT A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN!!!
I did just install my own wall charger and haven't died yet but trust your electrician more than you trust me or anyone in the forum.
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Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
Seems you have something like a 30-space Square D so you can probably put tandems in every slot for as many as 60 circuits and most panels have no restrictions on the cumulative total of breaker currents.
The "load calculation" is just some guesswork to try to keep your peak loads below 80% of your main breaker limit (not visible in your pic but likely 200A).
They'll contrive some scenario where you're doing laundry and dishes while watching TV with a bunch of lights on and running the microwave and a hair dryer while charging the car when the air conditioner kicks on. Ideally you'd want that to add up to less than 160A with a 200A system and your car can consume nearly a third of that budget by eating 48A.
You can help the electrician contrive the load test and that'll help you get a feel for how much power is available at any given time/scenario. As long as you're reasonably conscious of consumption you should be fine. And if not, the main breaker should trip to protect the panel from overheating.
BTW the quad breaker suggested by @Sophias_dad can save you a little bit of money over the separate tandems but I've only seen them in 30A and 50A versions, not 60A. Perfectly fine of course, but I'd spend the extra $30 to get the full 60A setup.
The "load calculation" is just some guesswork to try to keep your peak loads below 80% of your main breaker limit (not visible in your pic but likely 200A).
They'll contrive some scenario where you're doing laundry and dishes while watching TV with a bunch of lights on and running the microwave and a hair dryer while charging the car when the air conditioner kicks on. Ideally you'd want that to add up to less than 160A with a 200A system and your car can consume nearly a third of that budget by eating 48A.
You can help the electrician contrive the load test and that'll help you get a feel for how much power is available at any given time/scenario. As long as you're reasonably conscious of consumption you should be fine. And if not, the main breaker should trip to protect the panel from overheating.
BTW the quad breaker suggested by @Sophias_dad can save you a little bit of money over the separate tandems but I've only seen them in 30A and 50A versions, not 60A. Perfectly fine of course, but I'd spend the extra $30 to get the full 60A setup.
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You are correct, it seems they are generally limited to 50A.
Another option OP might have is to put another breaker out by the meter, depending on what the meter-panel looks like. Clearly there aren't tandem breakers for 200/50 amps, but if its already got a couple empty spots he can completely eliminate the concern of overloading >this< panel by putting a second duplex breaker in the meter panel(if possible). Notably the electric company itself might have something to say about this, because if the feeder won't take 200+N amps, it would not be an option.
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In Houston that precludes months June through September, not sure about Brownsville, it may be a dry heat
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However, the time of day when AC use is greatest is typically peak electric rate time, so you usually want to avoid charging during that time to save on the electric bill.In Houston that precludes months June through September, not sure about Brownsville, it may be a dry heat
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A/C runs all night long during the summer in Texas. Never stops until October... Anyway our electric rates are the same, day and night.
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