Using Dryer Outlet With Smart Switch for Charging

[agoldman]

be careful! I've had a normal ev charge receptacle and plug melt down once already early on.

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[nuMach]

conductors need to be rated at 120% of rated full current .

I don't know how much the switch is, but the same can be achieved using an emporia charger, with the panel current sensing option. The EMS / charger kit from Emporia, I believe would be a better solution and the same or less cost.

see here

 

[HuntingPudel]

conductors need to be rated at 120% of rated full current .

I don't know how much the switch is, but the same can be achieved using an emporia charger, with the panel current sensing option. The EMS / charger kit from Emporia, I believe would be a better solution and the same or less cost.

see here

That’s 125% of rated draw. ??

 

[tucsondivots]

Be careful with getting anywhere close to max amperage on that dryer line. The circuit is not designed for high continuous draw at max amperage. The codes for EV wiring vs most any household load is different. Your dryer doesn’t pull 24A continuously, it cycles. The EVSE will pull 24A continuously, and it has higher wire gauge requirements. Best to have an electrician out to inspect and advise. See what gauge wiring you have to the dryer outlet and set your EVSE appropriately.

Yeah, the QMerit installer told me the dryer wiring will not support.

 

[ExtremeSkiBum]

be careful! I've had a normal ev charge receptacle and plug melt down once already early on.

Most people don't realize it but the "Dryer" outlet is not designed to handle the voltage for a long period of time, it will work but over time it will melt. Very dangerous. The best 240 plug to use is the Bryant Electric 9450FR 50 Amp outlet. Make sure the electrician knows this.

 

[tucsondivots]

Most people don't realize it but the "Dryer" outlet is not designed to handle the voltage for a long period of time, it will work but over time it will melt. Very dangerous. The best 240 plug to use is the Bryant Electric 9450FR 50 Amp outlet. Make sure the electrician knows this.

Thanks. The electrician from QMerit agreed with you. Said the wiring not able to handle load. Decided to run wire from electrical panel on side of house across through the crawl space and down into the garage.

 

[MACH-E Mountain Way]

I have been using a SplitVolt that is rated for 24 Amps max plugged into my dryer outlet (which is conveniently on the other side of the wall from my garage). Due to the fact that my townhome is over 50 years old and has some aluminum wiring, I was concerned about using this setup initially. I've had an electrician do required remediation repairs to the system some years back but was still apprehensive.

Once I discovered that my dryer is actually on a 40 Amp circuit while most are on a 30 Amp, I realized (read: hoped) that the 24 Amp draw of my charger probably wouldn't be a problem. Needless to say, I've been using this to charge for well over a year without an issue. I do try to monitor it frequently during charging and haven't noticed any significant heating of the wiring during even prolonged use (ie charging for 10-12 hrs).

I know that this is not an ideal long term solution but it will work in the interim since the cost of adding a new dedicated 200 Amp sub panel would be over 5K without any rebates. I'm planning to have some other electrical work done in the near future and will ask the electrician their opinion but I feel like I'm in good shape since I'm not taxing the circuit due to the 24 Amp charger. I get about 17 miles added per hour give or take so it is more that adequate to charge overnight most of the time.

And, yes I've heard about some of the horror stories that some people had with bad installs and melted wiring or worse. If I only had a 30 Amp circuit, I would probably reconsider my options.

 

[sukhoi_584th]

Be careful with getting anywhere close to max amperage on that dryer line. The circuit is not designed for high continuous draw at max amperage. The codes for EV wiring vs most any household load is different. Your dryer doesn’t pull 24A continuously, it cycles. The EVSE will pull 24A continuously, and it has higher wire gauge requirements. Best to have an electrician out to inspect and advise. See what gauge wiring you have to the dryer outlet and set your EVSE appropriately.

Most people don't realize it but the "Dryer" outlet is not designed to handle the voltage for a long period of time, it will work but over time it will melt. Very dangerous. The best 240 plug to use is the Bryant Electric 9450FR 50 Amp outlet. Make sure the electrician knows this.

The wiring and receptacle are fine. You just have to derate to 80% of the dryer circuit breaker amps as an EV charger is a continuous load. So, a 30 A dryer circuit can at most run a 24 A EV charger.

The situation that makes people call for the Bryant receptacle is constant unplugging/plugging of the EV charger. If you're leaving it plugged in any receptacle is theoretically fine.

 

[n2585722]

I use the 10-30 dryer outlet with a SplitVolt switch and a SplitVolt 10-30 charger. The charger is limited to 24 amps. I have been using it since I got the Mach E without any issues.

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