wwhitney
Senior Member
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- Occupation
- Retired
If the charger is being hardwired, just use 4/2 NM or 6-6-6 copper SEU.
Cheers, Wayne
Cheers, Wayne
Tesla charging station
- Thread starter jim123
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
EMT in what you've shown wouldn't be a problem so if that's what you want insist that they use it. If the contractor still says that it's a problem you probably need a more experienced contractor.
wwhitney
Senior Member
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- Occupation
- Retired
Stupid question: how do you run it through all the joists? If you drill holes 2" up from the bottom of the joist, is a stick of the requisite diameter sufficiently flexible you can get it to slide in from below? Or do you just have to use a bunch of 30" pieces?
Cheers, Wayne
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Typically you would use short pieces as you've suggested and several couplings.
Two questions:
1. Do you intend to sheetrock the ceiling? If not, this would be a piece of cake: the conduit can be surface mounted to the bottom of the joists.
2. If you do intend to sheetrock the ceiling, I see no reason to go above the top plate; just stay in the wall and go up high enough to clear the side door. And why not make things easier by coming down the same wall as the panel (next to the door, where the shovel handle is resting)?
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sunbear
Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Engineer
1. Not initially, but I want to reserve the option to do so easily. Therefore I would prefer that the conduit run either through or above the ceiling joists
2. The handle on the tesla charger is on the right. So it will be easier to de-holster it if the charger is located at the area shown in my picture above. I guess I will need to ask the electrician what the cost difference would be to have the ideal location
2. The handle on the tesla charger is on the right. So it will be easier to de-holster it if the charger is located at the area shown in my picture above. I guess I will need to ask the electrician what the cost difference would be to have the ideal location
Does anyone have any suggestions for a more experienced electrical contractor serving Essex County, NJ who is also fair in terms of pricing?
Perhaps it's an optical illusion, but from your photo, there appears to be at least as much space between the side door and the corner as there is between the corner and the garage door track.
Personally, I don't like installing anything in the small space next to the garage door track. And ergonomically, it will be more awkward to unholster/reholster the charger handle if you install it as planned.
qcroanoke
Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
- Location
- Roanoke, VA.
- Occupation
- Sorta retired........
This makes entirely too much sense....
This would make sense if the OP wasn't intent on using foam-in-place insulation. But I think it's unwise to embed NM (or similar) in foam.
Barbqranch
Senior Member
- Location
- Arcata, CA
- Occupation
- Plant maintenance electrician Semi-retired
Would it be worth considering mounting it right next to the panel instead of by the roll up door? Don't they have a fairly long cord. Do you intend to have the car inside the garage while charging?
The Tesla charging port is located at the left-rear corner of the vehicle. I'm sure that's the motivation for the OP's placement of the charger.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I would use 4-4-4-x aluminum SER.
wwhitney
Senior Member
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- Occupation
- Retired
Pretty sure the product specifies copper only for the internal connections. So you could do that with a NEMA 14-60 Al/Cu receptacle and a NEMA 14-60p cord with copper conductors, assuming the internal lugs are rated for the stranding of the cord conductors, and the cord is at most 12" long. And depending on what version of the NEC applies and which TIAs if any have been adopted, you provide GFCI protection for the receptacle.
Or you could hardwire with a junction box to copper conductors for the EVSE, but you'd only need 4-4-x Al SEU coming in.
Or you could just hardwire with 4/2 NM or 6-6-6 copper SEU. Or any other 60A copper wiring method.
Cheers, Wayne
SceneryDriver
Senior Member
- Location
- NJ
- Occupation
- Electrical and Automation Designer
You need a different electrician. He's being lazy IMO. I've run EMT through studs and rafters plenty of times before. Yes, you use short pieces and lots of couplings. And yes, you have to make sure the holes are drilled straight(ish) and that they're all in a straight line. It's not rocket science. I'd oversize the conduit to ensure any future upgrades are easy / possible.
That said, MC cable is a good option if you have no plans to ever upgrade to a higher capacity charger.
SceneryDriver
He said he was installing a Tesla charger.And virtually every other EV has it located on the front of the car.
Fred B
Senior Member
- Location
- Upstate, NY
- Occupation
- Electrician
Or use Flex. But if you drill it right maybe a little oversized, I have been able to get thru 3 or 4 joist or stud sections before a splice point. Biggest point of interference will be the wall/ceiling transition.
sunbear
Member
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Engineer
Thanks for everyone's helpful advice so far.
Does anyone know any electricians in the Essex County, New Jersey area who would be willing and capable of running conduit through studs? If so, please can you send a direct message to me with the contact details?
The electricians I've spoken to so far don't seem willing and confident about being able to do this. One electrician told me that if he were to use 90 degree conduit couplings (to make the turns required to follow the path from the electrical panel around the top of the side door and then down) then every 90 degree coupling would need to remain accessible through the sheetrock. He say that code requires this. Is this correct?
He said that the code requirement for accessibility doesn't apply if the pipe is bent using a pipe bending tool, but he doesn't think that there is enough space to be able to make the bends and avoid 90 degree elbow couplings (the studs are spaced 16" on center).
If couplings are necessary and need to remain accessible, how is this requirement typically achieved? Is an electrical box installed at each 90 degree turn and is a hole left in the sheet rock for each box?
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
Pretty hard not to if you have any outlets in a wall. Never heard of any issues from it.
SceneryDriver
Senior Member
- Location
- NJ
- Occupation
- Electrical and Automation Designer
An LB (conduit body) does need to remain accessible. Conduit couplings do not need to remain accessible. Your photo does seem to show some tight bends that could be difficult to bend and install in EMT. I'd use MC cable with copper conductors.
SceneryDriver
- Status