Why the lock box? I guess there's a nonzero chance the whole thing gets stolen(four screws and it walks away), but as far as restricting access for charging, its built into the HPWC's firmware now. You can give it a list of VIN's that are allowed to charge on it, and all others are refused.
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Wall Connector Location, Seeking Feedback
- Thread starter baddiebats
- Start date
mservoss
Member
mservoss
Member
The lockbox was installed to prevent theft of my wall connector. I don't live in a high theft area, but you never know! Right now catalytic converters being stolen in my town ( not my neighborhood) is big right now
Ah... another 'professional', I see. BTW, the HPWC isn't rated to deal with a 70 amp breaker, even if the wire is big enough to handle 70 amps. I'd be interested to hear if he used 4 gauge wire.
howardnj
Member
That’s what I did.
To avoid damaging the cable as it came under the garage door, I bought a roll of garage door rubber insulation, installed the rubber insulation on the bottom of the door and stopped it short from the end by an inch where the cable would be. The cable fits fine under the door which is supported by the rubber.
I also put a charger plug holder on the outside of my garage so I could keep the cable neat for the times when I leave the cable outdoors. Most times I keep the cable rolled up inside the garage.
mservoss
Member
Thanks, at least the wire is rated to handle that 70 amps. I'm really curious why, with the installation manual plastered with 60A breaker notations and not a single one over that, the electrician chose the 70 amp breaker. Not really my problem.
The Wall Connector is a marvelous device, and it's built to be out in the weather if necessary. My advice is to install it as close as possible to the left rear of the car near where it will be parked every night. If that is outside, then put the WC outside. The convenience of simply plugging/unplugging without having to roll up a bunch of cable or open/close a garage door is something I appreciate every day.
mservoss
Member
I asked the same thing! He has installed several
Tesla WC, I even went to 2 of his prior installs to see what he did. All work was legit, customers were happy, 1 Model X, 1 Model Y and 70amp/4guage had no problems......He told me,
(I'm not an electrical genius) that 70 amp breaker would ensure no tripped breakers.....I can always have him change it
mservoss
Member
A 60 amp breaker should also ensure no tripped breakers, since there's already a 25% buffer in there(over the 48 the HPWC will actually draw). Heck, I run my HPWC at 48 amps on a 50 amp breaker and it hasn't tripped yet!
I don't think it's a super big deal, but its definitely not kosher. In truth, with this particular equipment there's not THAT much to go wrong that would accidentally have the HPWC start drawing 69 amps continuously, have the breaker not trip, and have the innards of the HPWC or its wire to the car burst into flames. This is decidedly unlike motorized equipment where mechanical things might break and cause unusually high loads.
I see you have put a screenshot of a Gen2 HPWC, which can indeed use a breaker over 60 amps. I guess I just assumed you had a gen3 installed.
mservoss
Member
I measured with an extension cord I had lying around. If parked forward and not backed into the driveway (like the Honda in the picture), both locations would not be long enough unless I snake it over/have the cord fully extended (tripping hazard). However if parked on the right side on the red rocks, both locations would work fine. Reversed into the driveway works for both as well. I'm leaning toward the vinyl siding to be more discreet. It'll also be partially covered by the roof overhang.
I considered the left side of the garage, but if I end up with another tesla, it would more convienent to charge either car with it on the right side.
JimBob 909
Little Red Raven
Why have it changed out now that it's installed? the 70 may be slight overkill, but I don't see the harm in leaving it.
I would assume it is safest to use the lowest amperage circuit breaker that meets the needs of the circuit in general. So 60 is preferable over 70.
However, I am curious if 50 might be even better. Perhaps one of the electricians can advise. If I get no nuisance trips with a 50 amp breaker on a wall Connector circuit configured for 48 amps is it ok to use this breaker or must I go up to 60 amp breaker? Just curious.
However, I am curious if 50 might be even better. Perhaps one of the electricians can advise. If I get no nuisance trips with a 50 amp breaker on a wall Connector circuit configured for 48 amps is it ok to use this breaker or must I go up to 60 amp breaker? Just curious.
You have to go to 60. 50 amps would actually be worst. A part of the electrical code is that you only go to 80% of a connection's maximum amperage. A 50 amp connection should be maxed out at 40 amps.
In this case 48 / 60 = 0.8(80%) of it's max.
50 is not better. It won't increase or decrease your power usage and it might well result in nuisance trips. It hasn't for me, but it was what I had installed originally (for 40 amp charging) and I decided to just push it to 48 knowing full well that my 6 AWG NMB is just about within spec for 48 amps continuous after adjusting it for the ambient temperature. The breaker is in a low-utilization subpanel in my 62f basement, with no high-current breakers nearby(up against the 50 amp breaker) which probably keeps the breaker from tripping. The irony is that I could easily get away with 110V charging, since covid has forever ended my commuting. I'll probably turn the HPWC back down to 40 amps someday soon.
Thanks, but not exactly what I was trying to ask guys. What I want to know is if there is any reason not to use a 50 amp breaker *if* there are no nuisance trips (as in the the case above). Is there anything in the code, for example, that specifies the *minimum* rating for a current interruption device for a given circuit?
Yes, for a continuous(EV) load, the code says the wiring and breaker should be able to handle 1.25 times the actual continuous load. This means for a 48 amp charger, a 60 amp breaker should be used.
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