240V Charging and Extension cables (Amazing-E)

[bradleydavidgood777]

Found this interesting thing. Not for me but maybe for someone else:
https://www.amazon.com/AC-WORKS-S103014 ... op?ie=UTF8

[JoeS]

bradleydavidgood777, a lot of ideas running around in the last few days. Leave you to your own devices with perhaps a few thought -

1. Not having a well-grounded input panel is disconcerting. I'd be inclined to have the electrician have a look at this as there must have been a ground there somewhere in the past.

2. While the electrician is there, discuss your scheme for disconnecting the A/C and utilizing those wires for car charging. He may offer some suggestions which would allow you to be code-compliant, as well as offer some other new ideas.

3. If you do setup a 20A 240v circuit for charging the car, I'd be inclined to go with an L6-20 outlet and same for extension cord. Dunno about code compliance.

4. If you disconnect the A/C will your power company sense this and send someone out there to check? You risk losing $80/year and maybe getting dobbed in for messing with the wiring?

5. Regarding your future hot-water heating, I'd look at Heat Pump Water Heaters rather than the on-demand units. Do the math first.

6. Consider PV solar in the future? Maybe there are some cost incentives that might partially pay for a new input panel and wiring upgrades? Anyway, amortization would be a function of how long you plan on owning this house.

7. Bear in mind that many of us on this forum offer all sorts of suggestions, many of which may or may not result in code-compliant installations. The monkey is on your back to determine what's right for you.

Have fun!

[Don]

Bear in mind that many of us on this forum offer all sorts of suggestions, many of which may or may not result in code-compliant installations

I stand guilty as charged!

As one example, I have Romex stapled all over in my garage which really should be in conduit . . . . but I don't have an extension cord laying on a public sidewalk

Don

[JoeS]

. . . . but I don't have an extension cord laying on a public sidewalk.

Aaah yes, but I think he does a nice job of covering that cord crossing the sidewalk. I carry these collapsible cones in my cars and do occasionally use them on unprotected charging cables.
https://www.harborfreight.com/collapsib ... 94111.html

[jray3]

I've been using one of these flexible cable curbings across my garage since 2012, with no premature wear issues, but it mainly sees foot traffic, not cars. I'd consider an upgrade to stiffer protection if rolling a vehicle over the cable protector regularly.

https://www.discountramps.com/cable-con ... 5djqlusist

In fact, the gas water heater is 9 years old. A good brand (Bradford White) but near end of life for sure. I've been considering electric instant hot water instead.

Don't count on that hot water tank going bad anytime soon- my AO Smith tank from 1995 is going strong. The original plastic dip tube disintegrated around 2010, but that and a replacement anode rod gave it a new lease on life, and though I have a low-hours salvage instantaneous gas, solar collectors and storage tank awaiting installation, just that marginal cost makes payback too long to raise the priority. I'll probably run this one until the water gets rusty or it springs a leak (it's in my garage, which is at a lower elevation and drains to the outside).

[bradleydavidgood777]

https://youtu.be/yNTyNjYAK1Q

[JoeS]

Cool, now you can cut off that Neutral pin and use your Amazing E in either 14-30 or 14-50 (or 14-60 if you ever see one). That's what this one does:
https://www.evseadapters.com/collection ... arger-evse

[bradleydavidgood777]

bradleydavidgood777, a lot of ideas running around in the last few days. Leave you to your own devices with perhaps a few thought -

1. Not having a well-grounded input panel is disconcerting. I'd be inclined to have the electrician have a look at this as there must have been a ground there somewhere in the past.

2. While the electrician is there, discuss your scheme for disconnecting the A/C and utilizing those wires for car charging. He may offer some suggestions which would allow you to be code-compliant, as well as offer some other new ideas.

3. If you do setup a 20A 240v circuit for charging the car, I'd be inclined to go with an L6-20 outlet and same for extension cord. Dunno about code compliance.

4. If you disconnect the A/C will your power company sense this and send someone out there to check? You risk losing $80/year and maybe getting dobbed in for messing with the wiring?

5. Regarding your future hot-water heating, I'd look at Heat Pump Water Heaters rather than the on-demand units. Do the math first.

6. Consider PV solar in the future? Maybe there are some cost incentives that might partially pay for a new input panel and wiring upgrades? Anyway, amortization would be a function of how long you plan on owning this house.

7. Bear in mind that many of us on this forum offer all sorts of suggestions, many of which may or may not result in code-compliant installations. The monkey is on your back to determine what's right for you.

Have fun!

Hey Joe,

Thanks for all of this. Good things to think about.
The ground - I did a bit of research and found that older houses commonly were grounded thru the water pipe. A second ground to a rod was required later. I'm grandfathered in. One post said that the water ground was much more solid than the rod. I'm getting two grounds right now. One to the water pipe, and one to the utility. The 3 prong tester I have is registering ground and the Amazing-E likes it too, so I think I'm leaving this one alone until I upgrade the panel, at which point code will require the earth rod.

I'm not concerned with codes. I feel very safe with the 20A breakers on this line which is all 10 gauge. I'm going to take the flexible conduit off the A/C unit, remove the wires in it, and replace the connection that outdoor switch box with the 50 foot 10 gauge extension cord. Hard wired to the box. I don't need it to be removable and don't need to take that cord elsewhere. Then make the flex conduit go straight down under the rocks, and lay the 50 foot cord under the rocks until after the fence. No one will even notice it.

The power company thing runs a separate flex conduit to the A/C unit and this works as a switch. I'm sure that this is connected separately, but have not confirmed that yet....doing that today. That thing is just going to think that I never turn on my A/C, which is what it has been seeing. There should be no red flag there. And no safety issue. I have rewired every wire in my house myself. Only help was with the main box. And only got shocked a couple of times! I get the basics of electricity and have even done some more complicated things, like wiring up the whole house fan with a relay and thermostat.

Solar - I've had 3 companies come out in the past and all of them said no way because of the huge red oak on the west side of my house with huge branches hanging over the house. That tree gives me great shade and keeps my house cool. And it is the city's tree so I can't remove it and would not want to. I love it. I possibly could put a small array on the back lower roof but its really not that big and I don't like the idea of a battery bank and the gasses from it in the house. Plus I just have too many other house projects right now I'd rather get done and don't want the distraction although I have been tempted and have played around with it.

Thanks

[bradleydavidgood777]

. . . . but I don't have an extension cord laying on a public sidewalk.

Aaah yes, but I think he does a nice job of covering that cord crossing the sidewalk. I carry these collapsible cones in my cars and do occasionally use them on unprotected charging cables.
https://www.harborfreight.com/collapsib ... 94111.html

Those cones are nice! So nice I bet they may not last out on the street. Even tho not many things disappear here ever. I've got a full size one behind the fence. They took down the big tree yesterday because it was dying and that was my blocker for foot traffic so I may take the full size one and put it near the EVSE, or even hang the EVSE from it to keep it off the ground.

[bradleydavidgood777]

Bear in mind that many of us on this forum offer all sorts of suggestions, many of which may or may not result in code-compliant installations

I stand guilty as charged!

As one example, I have Romex stapled all over in my garage which really should be in conduit . . . . but I don't have an extension cord laying on a public sidewalk

Don

Me too. I tend to try to keep it safe but don't comply with everything in life. No fun that way.