What's up with HPWC?

[BigMskiman]

It looks like the 3/4" knockout placement on a typical 4x4 box, but the perspective/angle doesn't allow that to be guaranteed.

I'd ask if there's any reason for the 4x4 box there - leaving for NEMA 14-50? Otherwise I would have just used an LB pull box there to save some space.

It's 3/4" EMT conduit, #8 THHN Cu wire, 50amp breaker serving 40amps to Mortimer.
My guy dislikes sharp right angle bends into HPWC, so he put that box. More importantly, the source is on the opposite garage wall (it goes up & over currently) and he put another box there too. So if we decide to park MX on the left someday, HPWC goes with it, ready to go.

 

[AWDtsla]

It's 3/4" EMT conduit, #8 THHN Cu wire, 50amp breaker serving 40amps to Mortimer.
My guy dislikes sharp right angle bends into HPWC, so he put that box. More importantly, the source is on the opposite garage wall (it goes up & over currently) and he put another box there too. So if we decide to park MX on the left someday, HPWC goes with it, ready to go.

Why not go to at least 48A? You have all the hardware, well except for the wire to the HPWC.

 

[BigMskiman]

Why not go to at least 48A? You have all the hardware, well except for the wire to the HPWC.

Only 50amp breaker, so the 80% rule prevents 48amp draw, so 40amp is were my limit is set.
Can still get about a full charge overnite from midnite to 6 while the rate is minimum

 

[AWDtsla]

Only 50amp breaker, so the 80% rule prevents 48amp draw, so 40amp is were my limit is set.
Can still get about a full charge overnite from midnite to 6 while the rate is minimum

That's what I said. Why hold back $100k+ of hardware because of one undersized wire?

 

[ccutrer]

That's what I said. Why hold back $100k+ of hardware because of one undersized wire?

Possibly because to go > 50A, he would need to upgrade his main service to his home, which depending on lots of factors could be as "small" as several hundred, to much, much, much more. And if he already spent $100k+ on the car, which may already be a stretch for someone, you may not have/want to put thousands more into it.

Of course, it could just be he (or the electrician) was unaware of the possibility of doing a 60A, and they just did a 50A by default instead of the marginally more expensive 60A. And if it's done, it's too late, cause it would probably cost just as much again to rip out the existing wire and redo for 60A. Plus headaches.

Personally, I ran two 50A circuits to my garage with NEMA 14-50 when I installed solar a few years back, just hoping for a Tesla (didn't actually put the breakers in). Now that I have one ordered, I actually did the load calc. I can activate one, but not both. So on the chance that I'm still in this house when I get a Model 3, too, I'm extremely happy that I'd be able to convert them to wall connectors, and share the load.

 

[BigMskiman]

Possibly because to go > 50A, he would need to upgrade his main service to his home, which depending on lots of factors could be as "small" as several hundred, to much, much, much more. And if he already spent $100k+ on the car, which may already be a stretch for someone, you may not have/want to put thousands more into it.

Of course, it could just be he (or the electrician) was unaware of the possibility of doing a 60A, and they just did a 50A by default instead of the marginally more expensive 60A. And if it's done, it's too late, cause it would probably cost just as much again to rip out the existing wire and redo for 60A. Plus headaches.

Personally, I ran two 50A circuits to my garage with NEMA 14-50 when I installed solar a few years back, just hoping for a Tesla (didn't actually put the breakers in). Now that I have one ordered, I actually did the load calc. I can activate one, but not both. So on the chance that I'm still in this house when I get a Model 3, too, I'm extremely happy that I'd be able to convert them to wall connectors, and share the load.

Correct, it is limitation of main service. I avoided PG&E costly nightmare pulling burried cable service to house, that runs under a tree stump....... ;-(( ugly that woulda been.

 

[MikeL]

Just a little EVSE eye candy for you fellow enthusiasts who may be wondering or waiting. Here's how it comes. Pretty box. Blitzen took to the packaging right away. I felt I needed a little over 8', I don't know why the other option is 24', but 24' is A LOT of cable. You can come visit & charge, park out by the barn, looks like it'll reach just about the whole driveway. Updates on install will, of course, follow. ML

 

[ohmman]

Mine arrived Tuesday. It was a very quick turnaround, which worked out because we're building a pool house with a garage, and that's where this is going - just in time for install.

 

[systemcrashed]

Mine arrived Tuesday. It was a very quick turnaround, which worked out because we're building a pool house with a garage, and that's where this is going - just in time for install.

Just make sure your pool is more than 24' away or 8' in case you ordered the shorter version!

 

[Big Ern]

Finished my install today

 

[itay]

I got my installation done today of the new generation HPWC (Seahurst Electric in Seattle) - very happy with it, I can now charge at something more than my previous 3 miles an hour on the 110v

 

[K-MTG]

I got my installation done today of the new generation HPWC (Seahurst Electric in Seattle) - very happy with it, I can now charge at something more than my previous 3 miles an hour on the 110v

View attachment 175558 View attachment 175559 View attachment 175560

Looks very nice, I like the look of the new one, I should have waited for mine.

For a second it looked like the gas line going into the tankless water heater was going into the the HPWC. I was like what...

 

[goneskiian]

Looks very nice, I like the look of the new one, I should have waited for mine.

For a second it looked like the gas line going into the tankless water heater was going into the the HPWC. I was like what...

I did a double take on that too!

 

[itay]

It's how we get hydropower in our home - what, you don't have that in Bellevue? It's all the rage in Seattle

 

[goneskiian]

It's how we get hydropower in our home - what, you don't have that in Bellevue? It's all the rage in Seattle

Your own natural gas power plant in your garage! Cool!

 

[AWDtsla]

Gen 2 installed. Was a two-step process for me. Note of warning, using the rear entry is absolutely the hardest. There is no room inside the unit to make a relief with 2 AWG wire, there is too much stuff in the way, it's more tightly packed than gen 1. Top entry would be easiest followed by bottom. Also, for some reason they lined up the internal board standoffs with the screw holes for the mounting bracket. This means the screws in the mounting bracket must be absolutely flush, or you'll have problems. Temperature rise at 40A is negligible, still waiting for my dual charger install. Going to take some temperature readings of the conduit @ 80A before I seal up the drywall.

 

[Rocky_H]

You wouldn't install a subpanel 30 feet away, you'd install one near one of the HPWC's. You'd run a single 100A feeder from your service panel to a point near the HPWC's, either in a large junction or a subpanel.

Could you educate me a bit on the difference between a junction box and a subpanel? They seem to serve the same function and look like they are laid out the same in your wiring diagrams, but apparently something is different in how things are hooked up internally.

 

[FlasherZ]

Could you educate me a bit on the difference between a junction box and a subpanel? They seem to serve the same function and look like they are laid out the same in your wiring diagrams, but apparently something is different in how things are hooked up internally.

A junction box is merely where wires are connected together using listed connectors, like wire nuts for smaller circuits or insulated connectors for larger wires. There is no overcurrent device, or a disconnect, or any other equipment in the box -- just a splice of the wires using listed equipment. The box must be large enough to fulfill the "box fill" requirements calculated in the code. The wiring to the service panel is considered a branch circuit in this case. Turning the circuit breaker off at the service panel means you turn power off to all HPWC's.

A subpanel will have termination points for the connection from the service panel (on the main lugs, called a "feeder") and individual branch circuits that serve each HPWC, connected to breakers. Each of these breakers can qualify as a disconnect if a locking device is installed on the panel, and power to individual HPWC's can be turned off by using their individual breakers.

If I drew the circuit schematic you'd see the difference, you'd see the breakers/switches included in the subpanel example where junction box would only be a joining of the lines.

 

[BigMskiman]

Gen 2 installed. Was a two-step process for me. Note of warning, using the rear entry is absolutely the hardest. There is no room inside the unit to make a relief with 2 AWG wire, there is too much stuff in the way, it's more tightly packed than gen 1. Top entry would be easiest followed by bottom. Also, for some reason they lined up the internal board standoffs with the screw holes for the mounting bracket. This means the screws in the mounting bracket must be absolutely flush, or you'll have problems. Temperature rise at 40A is negligible, still waiting for my dual charger install. Going to take some temperature readings of the conduit @ 80A before I seal up the drywall.

Nice work, can you tell me the thermal image camera you used?

 

[AWDtsla]

Nice work, can you tell me the thermal image camera you used?

Seek thermal