Huge disappointment today

[pacman7474]

I was told today that the junction box coming to our house is only 100amps (not the breaker box on the house). I wanted to add a 40a so that I could charge my car coming later this summer, but the latest electrician said its not possible with what we currently have. I'm at a loss at what I can do and still be in code (regulations from the park). The guy today said he could install a separate box for the dryer outlet and the new outlet I want to add and just have a manual switch between the 2. This would mean everytime I want to charge my car or run the dryer I'd have to switch the box to which I want to use.

I'm hoping to find a solution before my car comes in July.

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[GW Shark]

I'm sure the expense of changing your 100 amp box to a 200 amp one might be steep; but you may wish to compare the cost with your junction box option. That said, my MME is an outside car (no garage) so I had the 240 plug placed on a post near my parking place. I keep the breaker off unless I'm using it to charge (similar to your option) and find it's no real problem. I generally find a weekly charge session overnight fulfills most of my needs. Good luck and the car is fantastic!

 

[Larry Paul]

Hmm...I had a 100A service and a 40A breaker and it worked fine-legally installed and permitted etc.

The issue is you have to be mindful about what you are running when you are charging if you have big power users like electric stove/oven/AC system. If you charge when you sleep this is not typically a big problem.

Another option is go with a smaller L2 charger like this:

https://store.clippercreek.com/featured/lcs-25p-nema-14-30

It will charge slower than a 32 or 40A circuit...but it is FAR faster than L1 @120 VAC.

When I did other work on the house, I upgraded to a 200A service and replaced panels...but perhaps this would be an option?

 

[ponEpwr]

Do you have a picture of your panel at your house? A picture with the door open. Sounds like your electrician is saying your panel is full?

 

[dtbaker61]

I'm sure the expense of changing your 100 amp box to a 200 amp one might be steep; but you may wish to compare the cost with your junction box option. That said, my MME is an outside car (no garage) so I had the 240 plug placed on a post near my parking place. I keep the breaker off unless I'm using it to charge (similar to your option) and find it's no real problem. I generally find a weekly charge session overnight fulfills most of my needs. Good luck and the car is fantastic!

In the long run for future home value/resale/renovations you may want to bite the bullet now and upgrade your service to 200a. It would make it easy to add circuits for charger, future mini-splits, and/or back-feed from Solar.

*some* Solar companies include 'service upgrade if needed' as part of their pitch, and you'd get 26% fed tax credit on the amount if they fold it in under solar costs.

 

[highland58]

junction box coming to our house is only 100amps (not the breaker box on the house)
(regulations from the park).
This sounds like a box outside of his home, belonging to the (mobile home?) park. That box feeds a breaker box in his house. Getting a bigger breaker box in the house won't help without more current fed from the junction box. The park would have to change something to get more fed from the junction box, the home owner does not own the junction box. Not a good situation...

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

We don’t know what all the OP already has and “the park” may mean he’s living inside the boundaries of some state or national park, which can have goody rules worse than an HOA.
To OP, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t come up in your research before deciding to go electric. Let’s fill in the story and see if we can help.

 

[pacman7474]

Hmm...I had a 100A service and a 40A breaker and it worked fine-legally installed and permitted etc.

The issue is you have to be mindful about what you are running when you are charging if you have big power users like electric stove/oven/AC system. If you charge when you sleep this is not typically a big problem.

Another option is go with a smaller L2 charger like this:

https://store.clippercreek.com/featured/lcs-25p-nema-14-30

It will charge slower than a 32 or 40A circuit...but it is FAR faster than L1 @120 VAC.

When I did other work on the house, I upgraded to a 200A service and replaced panels...but perhaps this would be an option?

We live in a mobile home park and the power provided to the house is what they call a pedestal. The pedestal is only 100A so we wouldn't even be able to upgrade our panel to 200A. We don't have AC, and actually our stove and oven are gas. I looked at our panel at there is actually a breaker for an AC unit, so maybe there is hope.

 

[Larry Paul]

Do you have a picture of your panel at your house? A picture with the door open. Sounds like your electrician is saying your panel is full?

Even if the panel is full, if they are modern breakers, chances are some can be doubled up with a modern dual breaker or two. Something like 4 of these:

This will enable a 40A larger double breaker to fit.

 

[pacman7474]

In the picture I realized that #12 is to the nonexistant AC unit (30 is the dryer).

Yes this is a mobile home park with a 100A pedestal. The park does not have a way to upgrade to provide more power to the house. Can we tap into the AC breaker for the 40A outlet?

 

[Deleted member 9461]

There is a wall unit that you can plug into your dryer plug, and you plug your dryer and your charger into it, and will only run one at a time. if you want I can send you the link, it's 300 dollars though. but it's got some cool features, like tells what it's pushing to the car or, charger off, drying.

 

[alangant]

It sounds like the 50A breaker is unused. If so, you can use that to feed a 40A 240V service for your EV. (40A plug requires a 50A breaker.). If you use the 30A breaker shared with the dryer, you can only use 24A with your charger. You would have to get another charger that allows you to adjust max current, such as Grizzl-E.

 

[Larry Paul]

Is it an option to just replace the panel with a new panel that has more breaker openings?

Still keeping it 100A, just more available breakers. Like this:

If not, removing the breaker for the AC that is not there may be an option??? (but I think a replacement panel may be required.

 

[ponEpwr]

Even if the panel is full, if they are modern breakers, chances are some can be doubled up with a modern dual breaker or two. Something like 4 of these:

This will enable a 40A larger double breaker to fit.

Yeah I was hoping to see a panel full of non tandem breakers. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[NoMoShocks]

could you use a NeoCharge to share the dryer plug?

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