This Will Save Your Life if You Charge Your Tesla on 14-50 Outlet!!
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2023
- The day we took delivery of our first Tesla Model Y, we had a 14-50 outlet installed in our garage. This outlet was great because it allowed us to utilize the provided Mobile Connector to charge our new Tesla pretty fast in the garage.
Using a 14-50 outlet to charge a Tesla gives you a whole range of possibilities. NEMA 14-50 seems to be the standard plug type connector in the EV charging industry. With that, it is more important than ever to make sure your plug is up to the task.
The fact is that most NEMA 14-50 outlets are made to be plugged in once and not unplugged for years. The constant high power load on these receptacles, combined with the frequent plug and unplug cycles, makes these a potential hazard. In fact, there are many stories of failed plugs, and in some cases, fires that happened when charging a Tesla.
But with such a wide range of EV chargers available in NEMA 14-50 configuration, does that mean I can't charge my Tesla with one? The good news is there is actually a safe and effective way to charge your Tesla, or any other EV, using a 14-50 outlet. The key is making sure the receptacle is up to the task of long and frequent high energy pull.
This is where you need to start looking at Industrial Outlets for your solution. Many high end, or industrial outlets are made to handle a much tougher, hotter and frequent load. The 2 outlets that are most commonly used (linked below) are the Hubbell and the Bryant NEMA 14-50 receptacle.
The Hubbell and Bryant NEMA 14-50 plug are both made from Hubbell and both appear to be basically the same. These are both made to withstand the high temperature needs of charging a Tesla. With these 2 options, you will have a much safer charging experience at your home.
The first thing you need to do if you have a 14-50 outlet in your garage is to remove the cover and see if it is the most common NEMA 14-50 receptacle out there, which is the Leviton outlet. This plug can be found at your local hardware store for around $15 and is not suitable for the high demands of an EV charger. In my case, I was luck that my breaker panel did its job and protected me from being electrocuted.
Dont put yourself or your family in this kind of danger. Either directly wire your wall connector with the assistance of a professional, or make sure you are using a suitable 14-50 receptacle.
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I had a NEMA 14-50 plug recently installed in my garage to charge my Model Y. Three things: (1) I insisted on a commercial grade Hubbell 14-50 receptacle. They are expensive - but they are high quality and are actually called out by name in the Tesla installation guidelines. (2) I have a metal plate installed around the receptacle - not plastic like the one that charred and melted in your incident. (3) I leave the mobile connector plugged in ALL the time - I never unplug it.
I would highly recommend that you buy a 2nd mobile connector and use it exclusively for road trips and leave your garage mobile connector permanently in the receptacle.
I have extra mobile connector that stays in each car permanently. It was a good tip a few years ago and glad I went that route.
Great advice, I’m getting my NEMA 14-50 removed and hardwiring in my CharePoint Flex. Not worth garage fire hazard.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy So your leviton outlet failed even though you didn't unplug your charger very often? That's scary!
I also went the extra mobile connector route. You never know when you might forget it.
I know it's ironic to recommend this on a safety minded video, but for emergencies I also carry a 25ft heavy duty 110v extension cable. I'm careful with where the cable is laying and reduce the amperage that the car is drawing if I were to use it, but it's really helpful for cabin trips to rural areas where you might be parked for a day or two and can trickle charge back up.
It would also be helpful if there was ever some kind of weird emergency with the supercharger network while traveling. 110 is everywhere, but not always in range of a parking spot.
To the video OP, I've always hated the 14-50 plug. It's chunky and difficult to grab without feeling like you're getting your fingers way too close. I wish a handle was standard with those plugs.
@@Reck1025 No, its inevitable.
Sorry to hear about what happened. Glad you and your family are safe and that you weren’t seriously injured I had an electrician install a 6-20 for me. I’m going to check mine as well just in case even though it doesn’t have as much power as the 14-50. Thanks for this.
yea, worth looking into what you have and if its a good option or not
Yeah, my electrician guy used the LEVITON one, too. I have the BRYANT recepticle in my garage but never did the swap. I think I have to now. Thank you BTG, and I wish you and your family all the best.
get on it! I am glad I am here to tell the tale, and to get other people educated so it doesn't happen to them!
Similar thing happened to me. In my case, cheap plug and loose clamp eventually shorted. Using contact fluid like Deoxit is also highly recommended. Finally, check your torque on the screws every 6 months. The heat-cold expansion works it loose too. Best quality like Hubble and Bryant are a must. House fire vs. a few bucks for a better plug is a no-brainer.
This happened to me, went with a Hubble because it was recommended. Have had no issues since. I also followed your video about adding the NEMA 14-50 to a Wall Charger which I now have setup. Thanks for all your great content!
Good to hear!
When you had your meld-down was the ambient temperature super hot?
@@NO_OPEC_NO_PROBLEM no, it was January.
I have a similar set up and had an event with a Tesla that was using our charger (the Tesla draws more amps) vs the Chevy Bolt that we had at the time. No fire or sparks but I could smell that something was not right and shut the circuit down and let it sit until I had a professional look over my system. The weak link in my installation were the DIY connections. To fix this set up each connection was checked and tightened and un tightened 3x to make sure that the braided wires conformed to the anchors properly. Sooo... you don't just torque it once and think that it is good! Back if off and retighten three times. It may be different with a solid copper wire but I thought this was important to share. I will replace my outlets with the better ones. Thanks and glad you and the family are safe!
😮 Oh wow! So glad to hear you are ok and thank you for sharing with us.
for sure
Glad to see you are ok, and thank you for the information. Checking my 14-50 right away.
happy to be here to share the warning with others!
What a great video. Thank you for putting this on here. This will really help many people who currently have these outlets in their garages or those who want to get one.
I sure hope it saves someone from what could have been a terrible moment for my family.
Thanks a lot! I'm about to get a Tesla Model Y and your tip might have just saved my house from catching fire. Can't believe I didn't think of that, especially as an architect. Really appreciate it! 😄
You’re very lucky; Glad that you, your family & home are okay … Thanks for posting & sharing this information with us! …
cheers
Hey TBG, glad you're okay. I'm sorry this happened to you and thank you for sharing your experienced. I'm going to get an extra mobile charger to keep in the sub trunk and leave the other plugged in for now. I was unplugging it from time to time. It's also a Leviton but will switch it to the wall charger in time. Take care brother and a big hug to your family...
Best of luck!
Man, thank God you’re all ok!! 🙏 Lesson for everyone. I also had a pro install mine in the garage, and it’s an all metal box - no plastic cover. I plugged in my included mobile connector the day I brought my Tesla home and haven’t removed it since. Only because I had routed the Tesla plug neatly behind some storage cabinets and didn’t want to move it again. (Bought another mobile connector for the car)
yea, me too. Plugging in once and leaving it is ideal of course, but make sure you check on it every once in a while to be sure it's still in top shape.
Bay a tesla wall connector for 475$ from tesla and run direct wires 6/3 with a 60amp breaker from the main to the garage .
Don’t be cheap spend the extra money
#6/3g COPPER is a 50 amp breaker. 60 amps is at least #5 or probably #4/3g, because I have never seen #5 gauge wire before. 💙 T.E.N.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy What is ideal, is not having a plug in the first place, the best part is no part.
@@nvptx If you run any length of wire, use #4, check your requirements, consider if you need more power in the future as well.
Thanks for video! Immediately went to my outlet, sure enough my leviton was melted! Started searching for Hubbell bryant then decided to just hardwire it with metal box 3/4 in pvc setup. I have 2 other separate 240v outlets will make those industrial if u use them for chargers. Glad you're alive and you may have saved my life! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the great writeup in the description!
My pleasure!
I’ve installed the Bryant and receiving 0 problems. I also use a 6 gauge industrial wire which deff helps. But since you torque the outlet don’t forget to torque your breaker switch as well !
Your advice to hand an electrician the Bryant or Hubbell outlet is spot on. EV's are new and very few are aware of the risks. They have installed hundreds of dryer outlets and never had an issue. Until now......
yep, it will take some time for the entire industry to catch up.
But all under rated plugs will fail eventually. Just direct wire and eliminate the problem.
Glad you found it before it got worse. Munro Live has an excellent video on the topic. I have had my 14-50 for 8 years now charging 2 EV's without issues. Have a 35 foot cable run from the sub-panel and 110 foot run from the main panel. The 50 amp run in the garage is in flexible metal conduit and runs through the wall into an Eaton metal external box. Was installed by an electrician who did my solar installation and I have only unplugged it once to take photos. It's also recommended to unwind the cable to avoid heat buildup. My wife had not done this with her Kia EV6 and the cable was very flexible hot after 7 hours of 32 amp draw. Since then I instructed her to park so that the cable is fully unwound and no longer have heat problems in the cable.
yea, there's a lot of good practices out there to share
Glad you are doing ok and nothing else is damaged and avoided getting zapped or worse. Another thing to mention is that plugs from the big box stores are not designed to handle the long continuous higher amp/voltages. There might be other differences inside the plug that you can see unless you tear them apart. Might want to check the number of unplugs the outlet allows and start counting the times it's unplugged/plugged and replace when you get close to the magic number. Recommend checking out State of Charge as he has a video talking about these plugs.
I checked the various plugs, and they are fine for the job that they were intended for assuming they are properly installed, just not for continuous charging. Just direct wire and eliminate a failure point.
So glad you are ok and sharing the danger of high current EV charing with home use outlet.
My feeling is that whenever you buy anything, be it a shaving razor, a car, or an electrical outlet, you should consider that it will have a limited life expectancy, which will vary by the wear applied to it. It's well known that plugs receive the most wear when plugging in and unplugging, so my solution is to not unplug unless necessary, such as when we take a long trip to visit relatives.
I have a NEMA 1450 that I use to charge my Tesla. I don't remember what brand and can't find out because that requires unplugging, and I knew before installing it that I wouldn't want to be doing that. I don't like leaving the mobile charger connected when not in use because it uses enough power on its own to stay warm, so I put a 60 amp switch between it and the breaker. I've had that set up for over a year now, and the only time it gets warm is when charging. My plan was that if it ever gets hot I'll replace it, but that hasn't happened yet. I know that it will happen someday, no matter what brand I have.
Be aware when you switch the outlets out the cover needs to have a bigger diameter hole compared to the standard 14-50's. You have to get a Hubbell specific cover plate.
Extension faceplate (I bought the Hubbell 888 Raco Raised Square Exposed Work Cover to go with the Hubbell Raco 8257) works great since these industrial outlets are much deeper too.
Yep, good tip
BTG, thanks for this info, as a new Y owner this is great to know, i was very thorough during our purchase and this was never mentioned by anyone i spoke to. Ill be sure to pass it on. 👊🏼💯Y
You could read the manual.
Same exact thing happened to me. I had a Levitron plug working fine but then i ran into a problem with my charger. I had to take the charger into the basement for repair and then brought it into the garage to test it (which caused me to plug and un-plug it many times). This is when it failed. The issue with the Levitron is that the springs on the Hot leads start weakening and this leads to a loose connection on the hot wires. Arcing will occur which cause the plug to fail. Luckily i smelt burning and caught it early before more damage was done.
I wound up buying the Hubbell. I now also unplug my 14-50 outlet and clean the connectors with steel wool as well as DeOxit every six months just to be safe.
I'm glad to see you torqued your connection. This is very important step during installation that a lot of people don't do and just guess at the torque.
thanks for sharing your experience.
By experience over many years, it is not necessary to scrub the connectors with steel wool, even DeOxit probably is not necessary, however, there are permanent compounds that are very effective, electrically conductive grease.
@@tedmoss interesting - what type (brand) of conductive grease do you recommend?
Being a retired electrician, that ground socket should not melt. Something is shorting out or wired wrong. It looks like you have voltage on the ground.
don't know. It could also be simply heat rising over time, thats where the flame was when it happened, so maybe that? I dont have a good answer for you on this one.
It shouldn't be wired incorrectly or else it would have failed months ago
Perhaps the cycling caused the wire to come loose in the back and touch another conductor? Heat cycling can also loosen connections.
Glad you're okay! This happened to our first home with a cheap plug I found on amazon but with many cycles since I disconnected and reconnected the mobile charger. Luckily the house didn't catch on fire.
I don't think we used a Hubbell or Bryant for our new one but I only unplugged it once due to this reason.
glad it worked out ok for you too
“Catastrophic” is really the only word that could describe what could have happened. Everyday onwards is a blessing. 😇
agreed 100%
It looks like someone made a mistake as a wire connection. Because your green wire burned down. I can assume that someone set it on fire with a lighter. I have seen this many times, but everywhere the problem was inside the outlet due to poor wire connection.
I also recommend that all users of such outlets use this only at a current of up to 40 amperes.
Similar sockets designed for short loads of 50 amperes, but not long.
Good choice, i recently installed a charging outlet for our Tesla. Did a few research, purchased the Bryant 14-50A outlet. By code and because it's not hardwire, need to install a 50A GFCI breaker. Identify if your electrical panel is a Homeline vs QO Breaker or Breaker Panel.
This is great information. Glad you’re ok some serious burns.
Me too!
This was very scary, and I’m very happy that you only had a minor injury, it could have been so much worse. When I had my level 2 charger installed, by a pro, I was told to LEAVE THE PLUG ALONE. Once installed, I have never touched the plug. I have a ChargePoint unit. After watching what happened to you, you can be sure that I will NEVER unplug that bad boy.
You can unplug it if need be but if you do it’s best to just kill the power to it first
@@doomsday9973 good point, but there is really no need to unplug it. I thought about having it hardwired, but the electrician advised against it. “What if the unit goes bad?” Very easy to unplug, put in new unit and plug in, but if hardwired you need to bring a Pro in…hence the plug.
@@MarvKirsch very true. I unplugged mine once in 2 years to reboot it but I honestly should have just flipped the breaker
Yea, these things aren't made for repeated use like that unfortunately
Wow, thank God you were not seriously injured! My first 14-50 outlet overheated and the Tesla charging system reduced the rate of charging from the Tesla mobile charger. Soon, it failed completely, and I replaced it with a higher duty cycle outlet. I did not plug and unplug the mobile charger to take with me for mobile use, the failure occurred with occassional use (weekly) about 3 months after I started using it. The first one was professionally installed, but it was purchased at a Big Box store for $10. I replaced it myself using a higher quality ($75) 14-50 outlet. I know enough about AC to do the work myself safely. I have not had any overheating or failures on this new outlet for the past 7 months.
I am very glad to still be here to share so no one else has this happen to them
what brand 14-50 did you go with ? (the second time) the one that was around $75 ?
Thanks for sharing. Im sure you are saving lives with this message.
cheers
I’m glad you are ok.
me too!
I suspect the EVSE you were unplugging was charging a car at the time, leading to arcing. It’s an easy mistake to make, with serious consequences. I’m glad you’re okay! I suggest flipping off the breaker before unplugging, just as an extra level of safety. With the panel right there, it’s easy to reach. Then flip it back on after plugging in the next EVSE.
After watching the Munro video on this topic I decided to go with a hardwired Wall Connector rather than a 14-50 outlet. Fewer points of potential failure, and now my Mobile Connector is always ready in my frunk.
Hardwire wall connecter is the best option when possible
I think you don't get how this plug works. Even if the car isn't charging, the plug will supply power to the connector, the modul on the connector will not supply power to the car if the car has reached it's charging state but the plug is always live, unless you put a stand alone breaker box between the 14-50 plug and the main panel.
another thing, it is not the plastic that makes the connection loose but the prongs inside the plug itself. They are not meant for multiple plugging/unplugging and they get loose with use. This is the part that is higher quality in the 2 other plugs he bought
@@SINasTER75 An EVSE draws very little current when it's not charging a car, and as such it would never cause arcing when unplugged in that state.
I agree it's the metal not the plastic that ensures a good electrical connection, and I agree it's important to replace the receptacle if the connection is no longer nice and tight, but...
The plastic is different, and that's important: Hubbell uses a plastic called Bakelite which has been around for a long time, but isn't used much these days. Bakelite doesn't melt the way other plastics do. This helps contain the situation if a poor connection to either the supply wires or the plug causes it to fail.
@@pepstein you must an electrician 🤔 or maybe not from your lack of knowledge how electricity works in a circuit…
Even if the evse doesn’t draw much current when not charging a vehicle, the receptacle/plug will supply the same voltage/amperage if incorrectly manipulated and/or with a loose connection.
If you want to test if you’re right, put some wires on the positive and ground of a 14-50 outlet and touch the wire… if your right, you should be ok and receive a minimum jolt from your hypothese… if I’m right, you’ll tell me how that felt 🤷🏻♂️
@@SINasTER75 drop the ad hominem. I claim you will get dangerous arcing if you unplug a device from a live 240 volt receptacle if and only if that device is drawing significant current. Are you claiming that it'll arc regardless of how much current the device is drawing at the time?
You might consider using a torque wrench that your setting is not right up againts the max. Additionally, having a thermal camera is a big plus.
true
Also a good idea to twist and tug on the wires, then tighten them again. Also best to go back in after a week or two and retorque then one more time, as the heat cycling may loosen them up a bit.
Hardwired my Tesla Wall Connector…the $90 plug was the reason I decided to go with the Wall Connector over the Portable Connector. Plug is only rated for 50A was another motivating factor while the Wall Connector requires a 60A breaker to run at full 48A output.
its really not much difference in cost in the end. In some situations that make 14-50 more practical, there are some things to look out for and I hope this directs those people in the right direction
Actually in most states now if they follow 2020 or newer NEC electrical codes, you're required to install a GFCI breaker in your panel for a 14-50 outlet in your garage. Those breakers are like $120-$200, combined with the $90 9450 Hubbel plug, you're halfway to a dedicated wall charger with a standard $18 breaker. Alot of EV chargers also don't like GFCI breakers as well.
The Hubbles aren't rated for repeated insertion/removal cycles either. They'll last a bit longer, but will eventually fail for people using their mobile connector and removing/reinstalling every day. Read the spec docs on the outlet, it states very clearly. Either get a dedicated charger to plug into it (plug in and leave, which it looks like he did) or hardwire your EVSE.
Why the hell are people constantly plugging and unplugging their charger? Just leave that shit plugged in
@mluu510 I take my plug with me on road trips especially when I am towing and want to charge at the campsite. So I probably unplug mine 6 or 8 times per year. Not a lot but I guess this is concerning now
@@mluu510 I don't know either. Lack of knowledge, they plug/unplug from regular sockets, so why wouldn't it work for the bigger socket. The cheaper socket are also not really rated for the duty cycle they are subjected to. A dryer only pulls hard for a couple minutes (generating heat in the outlet but since the time is short it doesn't get too hot) but an EV could pull 48amps for a couple hours at the worst.
@@DerekZipp Even on the Hubbell they aren't rated that high.. The biggest difference between the Hubbell and the cheap home depot model is that the Hubbell is rated to pull the full 50 amps without overheating. Not more insertion cycles. It will last for a few more cycles as it's built but it's not rated for it.
they are both rated for similar cycles, but the max temp used in testing to those same cycles is significantly higher. That is why it is more robust.
Leviton under $20.00 Hubble $100.00 Your electrician should not have even installed the Leviton at all for the purpose of prolonged charging times. I have a feeling that he was just trying to maximize his personal profits on your job.
I really think he just didn't know. I didn't look after the fact and never paid attention.
I installed mine. UA-cam was my friend.
I leave mine plugged in and it’s been 2 years. I also installed one in my brother in law’s garage and it’s almost a year.
I use the same Leviton but metal cover plate. Been working flawless.
I'm an apprectice electrician. I guy who bought a new Tesla asked me if he could just plug it into his dryer outlet. He has a car port with washer/dryer outside. I said no. For starters, a dyer receptacle is not rated for a continuous amp draw. Those reciptacles are designed for sporatic use and short duration 35 amp amp draw. Tesla requires a 40 amp draw. Second, Tesla requires 50 amp breaker, 6 AWG wire and a commercial grade NEMA 6-50 or 1450 receptacle. I told him your dryer is on a 35 amp breaker with either 10 or 8 AWG wire. All this data is in your Tesla manual. He waited 6 months to get his car and didn't bother to get a charger installed during that time.
I have an extension cord plugged into my receptacle and we plug and unplug our charge cord from the extension rather than the receptacle. There is a handle on the cord which helps unplugging. It was a bit of a fluke that we needed the cord - but now I am glad we did. We have only unplugged from the receptacle once. But we take our charge cord on longer trips just in case so it has been unplugged about 10x
Wow that’s incredible, glad you didn’t get a worse shock. It looks like the melting is around the ground pin I wonder if there was a short, there shouldn’t be much if any power going to ground under normal operation
Ha I commented too early, yeah you noticed it too
Awesome video man. Especially for new Tesla buyer !
Cheers
I had an electrician install an outlet to plug a charging station into.
It has worked well.
When I looked at it I could see it was an industrial outlet.
I have unplugged it maybe two or three times. It is very hard to plug in and unplug. Quite solid.
it should feel stiff to plug into thats a good sign
I used to be an advocate of using NEMA 14-50 outlets and a mobile charger or a plugin wall mounted EVSE. But, after a couple melted connectors, it just seems too easy for electricians to cut corners or simply not understand the needs of EVs. So, like Tom's recommendation on State of Charge, I now advocate hardwiring an EVSE if possible. Nearly all wall units have a hardwire option. If you need to use a 240v outlet, leave the EVSE plugged in at all times - plugging in and out of the outlet will ware down all but the most industrial outlets - which can lead to a short or fire. You also run the risk of moisture ingress if your outlet is anywhere it might get exposed to weather (near garage door). With a plugged in EVSE, I recommend inspecting the terminals and outlet every few months to make sure it is still safe.
Of course, all this is avoided if you just hardwire with appropriate gauge wiring.
Thank God no major disaster. I had a Leviton outlet that stopped working after 4 years. It didn't burn like yours but resulted in slow charged\. I replaced it with a Bryant. Those Levitons are crap but electricians still use them.
They are perfectly fine for what their intended use is, but not at all for this application. Unfortunately thats not a widely understood or known by most
My NEMA 14-50 was installed 6 years ago for the 40A Gen1 mobile connector. Tesla advised to leave it plugged in, probably due to limited number of receptacle insertions. When you bend wires to fit in box, they can loosen, so always re-torque before final assembly. Many electricians perform the wiggle test on wires and re-torque.
The cheap Leviton receptacle is good for about 10 insertions similar to number of times a home owner might change electric range over a lifetime. The $55 Hubble is often used at RV parks where insertions are hundreds.
Never insert or remove a NEMA 14-50 plug with power on. It’s much too dangerous !
cheers
You are a troll. The BRYANT is a serious upgrade to the LEVITON.
@@HowardPaulTaylor I have no experience with Bryant so cannot comment on it’s quality.
yes, torque, wiggle wires vigorously, re-torque. wiggling will compress/settle the strands and the re-torque with tighten take up the slack in the newly settled strands. the failure in the video appears to be lack of final re-torquing...
@@warped-sliderule That would be my guess. Proper torquing would eliminate many problems, if you properly torque the connections they will not settle when you wiggle them because they are already compressed together, leaving no room between the strands. You can check this yourself by trying it using a proper torque wrench.
Here is a good tip. Even if you have a Leviton Plug. How to preserve it, even if you need to plug and unplug. BUY A PLUG EXTENSION and Keep it plugged in always. Then plug and unplug from the Extension. After a while the extension will eventually ware out, just like the Plug. Then simply replace the extension. Your actual wall Plug will last much longer
I’m glad you are ok
me too
Never plug or unplug a nema 14-50 while energized. Curious how often you plugged and unplugged the outlet.
The breaker box is inches above the Nema…. Literally eye level. 😬
A lot of group on Facebook posting this a while back with the white plastic plate melting burning don’t use those and best to leave it plugged for mobile connector
probably cycled the plug 15ish times since November 2022
I leave mine plugged in as long as possible. I actually bought mine because of the middle thumbnail you showed. Do not go cheap on something that can burn your house and EV down!
hello, can you please explain “probably cycled the plug 15ish times since November 2022” do you mean you plug & unplug 15ish times?
you lucky you still breathing Brother..God bless you..Thanks for heads up
For sure
Same thing happened to me. I initially cheaped out and installed the Leviton 14-50 receptacle and used the included mobile charger for both home and work meaning I had to unplug the receptacle every day. The car actually warned me first by sending a message through the app of a high charging temperature detected which subsequently reduced the vehicle's charging speed. The receptacle was really hot. A quick internet search lead me to the Hubbell receptacle. It's noticeably heavier than the Leviton and I haven't had the issue since. It's surprising your electrician wouldn't have known that about your install. Great channel btw!
yea, that sounds about right
Is there anything in the procedure for connecting and disconnecting that plug that prevents hot switching?
If there is any ability for intelligent switching sequencing, there should be no current draw at all at the time the plug is connected and disconnected.
It's like unplugging or plugging in a hair dryer while the switch is on vs having the switch off.
The instant the plug makes contact, if there's a big current surge, the heat generated is very high at the contact point because the resistance is high. Power is resistance times the current, and that high heat from the power will degrade the contacts.
Did the power supply equipment have any way to be turned off prior to connection or disconnection?
Good work brother
cheers
Thank you for this important information. HEY YOU, COMMENT READER: Watch this video. I am a 3 year Mach E owner, frequently plug/unplugging the portable charger, and my NEMA plug looks even more janky than the one you had. Getting that corrected immediately. Thank you, again.
Hubble/Bryant plugs are much deeper than standard plugs as you found out. Hubble makes metal J boxes that are designed specifically for these deeper plugs. The diameter of the nylon portion of the plug is also larger than cheaper 14-50 plugs, and Hubble sells a metal faceplate specifically for these larger plugs. It is recommended to install 14-50 plugs being used in EV charging installs inside metal j boxes with metal faceplates to help contain the fire/melting potential in the event of a failure. I would recommend you do that, especially since you have the box mounted below your panel, and as you saw in your previous install, the fire can burn right up through the plastic j-box/faceplate and straight to your main panel.
good tips, thanks for sharing.
that's scary. thank you for sharing
yes it was, and I am glad to be here to share the story.
We had two of these plugs that we replaced when they got hot to the touch. The car would reduce the power draw when that happened. After the second time, we replaced with a Hubble industrial grade unit. No issues since.
Purchase a Hubbell 14-50R Receptacle (HBL9450A). It’s rated for more insertion cycles, so the contact surfaces are made of better material and gave more contact. They typically also have better wire connectors.
yep, links are in the description
If you were going to add the extension you would have been much better of leaving a single U shaped loop on each wire. This ensures there is no undue tension on the cable after you secure it down. In Australia we have much better designs for high amperage plugs. There's usually an outer retaining plastic screw bezel which locks the connector to a corresponding thread on the socket and they are nearly all switched. We only have single phase 230VAC and three phase 400VAC so no split phase sockets like the US which seem designed to kill you.
We had a Nema 14-50 put in with industrial setup by an electrician that does USC Medical hospitals in all of southern CA. We are using a 200 amp panel and a 40 amp breaker and only using a 30 or 32 amp output. 10 to 12 hours is OK with us. We don't drive less than 40% so we are good. Temp stays down and batteries don't get abused by heat which kills a Tesla if fast charged only. We also don't charge much over 90 to 95% so regen doesn't abuse the full batteries every time we drive.
I have the Leviton 14-30 outlet in the garage for my tesla. I use the mobile charger and don’t really ever disconnect it. I also have a metal box and faceplate, I will take apart and look inside next time I unplug it.
Thanks for the heads up on this potential issue! ✌️
check it and consider replacing with a heavy duty one
The good news is that at 30 amps the risk is reduced vs 50 amps.
Leviton do make commercial grade stuff as well so it's not a bad brand, its using residential grade for a heavy duty application that the issue.
Determine if yours is residential grade or commercial grade, there should be a part number on it. If it 10 years old or more replace anyway.
@@JeanPierreWhite it’s most likely a home grade one. The outlet was used for a clothes dryer and is original to the house, which is now a bit over 14 years old…so I guess this settles it lol. Thanks!
From the looks of things, the circuit breaker failed to trip and if the whole house went dark, it means the 200 amp main circuit breaker tripped to save your bacon. Remove the old circuit breaker and get a new one, it is probably defective, like the plug.
yea, it was the whole breaker panel (200 amp)
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I think he's talking about the 60 amp breaker on the outlet. It should have tripped first and left the main on. Replace the 60 amp breaker. Also, ground is a failsafe path and should not be a return path for load. If you have an electrical burn in the ground receptacle, something in your equipment shorted to ground or the internal parts of the outlet shorted to ground. Without knowing what failed, you should check your equipment to ensure it is functioning correctly. (Essentially, no part of your load wires should be contacting any metal parts of the chassis which is grounded and your plug should be in good working order as well. Your cable could also have a stress fracture in the insulation around either of the load wires anywhere along the cable and they may have shorted to ground.) Probably best to hire an electrician to look into this. Something else is going on.
@@anthonylosego the 60 amp is for the hardwired Autel charger, this 14-50 is on a 50 amp
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I replied before you opened the panel. Lol I just assumed 60. Whichever it was, the point remains. Grounds don't normally carry load. Something is afoot.
A fast, strong short can trip the main breaker. This is not at all uncommon, and does not mean the 50 amp breaker failed. It just means it was an intense event.
Thankfully when I bought my Tesla a few months back I went and bought the Bryant plug myself before having an electrician install it. Never let them get it for you. Also the plated finish like that is if you get it install on the outside of your drywall rather than inside (told by an electrician)
interesting, thanks for sharing that...dont know what application you'd have the backplate exposed, but ok haha
@@BeardedTeslaGuytotally agree with that lol
Hey Bearded Tesla Guy, why not wire the Tesla wallcharger directly to the panel to skip out on the Nema Plug?
I think he wanted to use the outlet for something else too. But he needs a GFCI for the outlet by NEC code.
I use this outlet to test chargers frequently
Wire directly! It’s the only safe way period. It’s your family’s life at stake people don’t fool around !
That is what Tesla recommended over 14-50R or any other plugs.
I had a similar failure and I'd only ever plugged in my charger once the day it was installed, and had left it plugged in. About 3 months later it failed exactly like yours.
At my new house I had a hard wired charger installed instead, and the electrician who installed it mentioned they won't do 14-50 any more because of the risk.
A lot of times this happens cuz the contact screws are not torqued enough, causing slight arcing. That arcing over several hours of charging builds heat until it bursts into flames.
It absolutely could have been me not torquing the terminals properly
Good info! I'm curious about two things you didn't cover though. One is how your main breaker tripped before the dedicated 50A breaker: seems like the 50A breaker is not doing it's job. Second, you showed a burned finger: how was there enough current while plugging in or unplugging to cause that type of burn? Unless you unplugged it while the car was charging, there should be minimal current being drawn when you first plug it in (i.e. while your hand is on it).
I never unplug or plug into a 240 volt outlet without turning off the breaker… just my own safety measure this way my hand or body is clear when I energize it.
I test charging equipment quite frequently so thats why I have more cycles than most people
Buy NEMA 50AMS from Lowes. Good thing I did good amount of research before installing it.
Thanks for all the great tips. Glad to know you and your family are safe. Would it be advisable to just purchase the 14-50 piece that snaps into the charging base? Or do you recommend just buying a whole new mobile charger?
I actually used a cheep levaton 14-50 for years to charger my tesla. Plus I used a gen 1 tesla charger so I actually charged at 40amps. I never had a problem I think because almost never unplugged my charger. Plus I made sure the wire in the back were torque to spec.
Most important thing with there high power 240volt 8,000+watt outlets is first make sure the wires are torque to spec and recheck them ever year. 2nd make sure that it’s tight when you plug it in. If it’s loose then you need a new outlet. Try to avoid unplugging and plugging it in a lot.
Torque leads is critical for safe use.
The big difference is the Hubbells have a < > type clamp for the wires instead of a screw . This is usually where the heat is generated.
Sandy Munro dod a video on this. Basically if you bought a $15 outlet, you made a mistake. The good ones are $100+. I learned this from the electrician who wired my wood shop for 220 volt machines.
Better yet, hard wire your Tesla wall connector.
$83 for my industrial Hubbell. Prices have varied greatly based on supply/demand though! These industrial 14-50 receptacles are definitely necessary for EVs!
Yep, these big box store outlets are not up to snuff for this.
you definitely should not be unplugging and plugging back in on a regular basis
indeed. But 15ish times since November of 2022 doesn't feel like a regular basis to me
My NEMA14 end is always plugged in. I only unplug the charger from the car end. Sometimes twice a day. I've used the same outlet for over 4 years.
Mine caught on fire while we were asleep 2am. I got up to pee and smelled electric burning. Man we’re we lucky
Jesus
What is worse is having your new refrigerator front panel catch fire while you are in bed and your wife is in front of the refrigerator at 11:30 PM.😁😁
Thank you very much !
Welcome
Sparky here. Evitp certified. That has signs of a short. My guess is that the receptacle was loose and made contact with the ground wire in the box. That's why your breaker tripped.
Or it was under load
It absolutely could have been poor torquing of the terminals
@@BeardedTeslaGuy loose wires don't typically trip breakers, that burn pattern is from a quick hot arc created from either a short, or opening under load. Loose wires would have caused melting of the plastic, and further spread browning around the drywall. Definitely a sudden flash .
Just replace it with an L-1450 twist lock receptacle and male plug end, you’ll be good with that, appears to be an arcing situation, wether it was a loose ground, or loose jaws in the ground pole in the receptacle from overuse (doubtful). Leviton is fine, hubbell/Bryant are the same company, and do make a more robust device, and pass and seymour is fine as well, just use a twist lock my friend.
Doesn’t matter how shiny the steel is or the appearance of the nylon etc, most important is to keep the terminations screws in the devices torqued tightly.
I think most people would be surprised how tight 75 in/lbs is, and most probably are not torqued properly
For extra safety it won't look beautiful but look at getting a receptacle safety switch. It is interlocked so you can only insert and remove the plug when power is disconnected. I'm an electrical engineer so this was helpful, as a profession we will need to be dillegent on how we specify these products. contractors unless required will use the cheapest product. I am imagine th3 NEC will catch up eventually especially since the manufacturers can make more money if these products are required
interesting, thanks for sharing.
You are so right. Tesla Vision socks! I trust the warnings on my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
NEMA 14/50 is also used extensively in RV applications and that plug is designed to be pulled in and out (when not energized) looks like a ground fault. I didn’t watch your entire video but it looks like the earth ground plug is what took the hit, not the hit terminals. Don’t pull it out when there’s current flowing through that plug like when it’s charging your EV. I’m glad you’re OK. 240Vis no picnic. 240V at 50hz is even worse. Be careful !
dont know. It could also be simply heat rising over time, thats where the flame was when it happened, so maybe that? I dont have a good answer for you on this one.
I am really happy though that this ended the way it did. Whether I could have been killed or not, like I said in the video, it felt like I could have and I escaped death this time. Very grateful and want everyone to know what happened here so it doesn't happen to them
I agree, this looks like a ground fault.
I just got my Tesla charger installed today. I told the electrician to directly connect it to the wall charger. It's much safer that way
Indeed it is!
OK guys. Firstly, use 4 AWG copper wire to reduce heat issues. Second don't woose out on buying the industrial grade socket as shown in this video. Thirdly please replace the breaker running this plug with a top quality fast trip breaker to minimize issues if they occur.
Finally, if you are going to spend $50 bucks on the socket and then money on new 4 AWG wires and a new breaker..... think that for just a little more money you can get a wall mounted hard wired charger and avoid this problem to begin with.
you can likely get a wall connector set up for the same money with these "upgrades"
Had ours replaced as it failed so electrician hard wired charger to panel. Excellent psa thank you
Leviton meets UL specs. Rv’s use this plug. In and out all the time.
Don’t unplug or plugin under load.
It looks to be bad connection in the box. Installer didn’t torque the connection well. It happens.
You could always check the connection every few yrs. Been hooking these up for 36yrs.
Thanks for your video, I have watched a few of these videos recommending using an industrial grade 14-50 plug like Hubbel/ Byrant. I am curious to know what type of breaker is in your panel box that tripped, a regular breaker, an ARC fault breaker or and ARC fault/GFI breaker?
Probably not an arc fault considering a 50amp is like 500usd. Right? Definitely would suggest one!
Have to change customers $100 extra for the superior product.
Thanks for this advice. Going to replace my Leviton today, since it won't allow full 32A sometimes to our Tesla, which says that outlet temp is too high and lowers charging to 16A or even lower. Bought Bryant outlet and in the installation instructions on the bottom is says "Bryant - A subsidiary of Hubbel" - so they're very much related ;)
Glad it helped
I seem to recall reading that if you go the 14-50 outlet route instead of direct wired, you should pony up for a AFCI/GFCI circuit breaker. They cost more, but the added protection could save your life. If you direct hardwire your charger, bypassing the outlet, this more expensive circuit breaker is not necessary.
Although it’s code in some places it’s also pointless because any wall charger has its own GFCI protection built in. In fact they recommend against a GFCI breaker because 2 GFCIs on the same circuit causes nuisance tripping often
those GFCI breakers interfere with wall connectors, and its not code here, so I dont mess with it
What code book has your area adopted? Isn’t it 2017 for Florida?
Glad you, your family, and home are okay but I do want to mention the wall connector isn’t meant to be used with a pigtail. Since it wasn’t installed per the manufacturer directions (hardwired) it actually voids the UL safety listing. Same as if you mounted on the floor and it flooded, the instructions state to mount so many feet high, so the UL safety listing would be void.
I see you had it limited to 32A which is great and hopefully with the higher quality 14-50 you won’t have any issues, but for others reading, PLEASE hardwire and torque to spec or have a licensed electrician do so
The Hubbell and Bryant certainly look the same on the outside. What about the internal parts? Are the internals the same steel, thickness, and strength? The thickness can certainly affect the ability of the connection to handle a long term, high current load (like a multi-hour EV charging session). The design and material strength can affect the ability of the receptacle to handle many plug insertions and removals over time while retaining the receptacles' ability to maintain a strong contact force with the plug. You could contact the manufacturer to answer these questions or cut up both of the receptacles and make your own comparisons. Determining the difference in materials and strength should be easy for the manufacturer, but would be costly to do on your own. In any case, I'm very thankful that your injuries are minor and damage to your home was minimal.
The metallic materials appear to be the same as well.
They better not be steel.
HAVE TWO CAR GARAGE WITH SHOP. INSTALLED 50 AMP THREE FOOT WELDING PLUG ONTO TESLA WALL CHARGER. USED 50 AMP EXTINCTION CORD AND PLUGGED INTO SPARE WELDING OUTLET. WORKED GREAT FOR 5 YEARS. WILL BE CHARGING MODEL 3 AND CYBER TRUCK.
Unless you used a torque wrench to reconncet the electrodes, there is a high probability that when you disconnected and reconnected the electrodes to the plug you did not torque them connection properly. If not torqued properly, the vibration from the flow electricity is sufficient to loosen the connections over time and this will cause the overheating or arcflash. As a homeowner, unless you are a licensed electrician, many municipalities prohibit you forbdoing electrical work yourself for these eact reasons. Also, never go with the lowest cost provider when dealing with critical electrical work. You were definitely lucky. Stay safe.
Definitely recommend hard wiring the tesla charger vs plugging and unplugging a 14-50.
100%. Always best to hardwire where possible
Stranded cables can squish and get looser during installation. The Excellent Laborer says to wiggle the wires and re-torque the screws, repeat 3 or 4 times, so that they stay tight.
You might want to go do that if you haven't!
Hi thanks for a great video would you mind pointing me to the box extender that you used on Amazon ? I am in process of replacing my outlet and now my box is not large enough thanks
Use a Hubbell 14-50 or Briant. Leveton does have a 14-50 that is OK but it will not be at a local hardware store I saw a good Leveton at a Tesla showroom. If you look carefully at the cheep bigbox outlet the contacts inside they are less than 1/2 of the contact area than the good one. Also if you take the good one apart you will see an additional spring clamp to hold the contacts together so better power transfer and will not overheat. Monroe had a episode on the same problem.
Yep, just upgraded to the Bryant
Ugh,.. need to check the wiring on my OLD 10-30 wall outlet. Just got an EV and did quite a lot ot jigggling with it for the first few days until I got a "y-splitter" (which the mfg for some reason suggests not using, maybe worried that user will run two devices at once!). Now there's no fiddling about with the rickety feeling old wall outlet, both dryer and car charger are plugged in, and any (rare) unplugging is done remote from the wall, with hands able to grip both sides of the connection.
Definitely now need to inspect for any damage the initial jiggery-pokery might have caused behind the outlet! Thanks for the heads up!
Even if you dont unplug in screws holding wire inside tend to loosen overtime which leads to contacts overheating and receptacle plastic getting warped and brittle. That may cause it to short out eventually.
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