Anti-theft solutions for UMC in public garage?

Don't worry about unplugging each day if feel you need to. Outlets at RV parks are plugged/unplugged all the time, and if it does wear out it's really cheap to replace.

LonghornDub said:

I live in a condo with a large shared garage, and while it's a pretty safe and secure building, I don't want to leave my UMC sitting in the garage all day while I'm at work with the car. One solution would be to unplug it and take it with me every day, but I've been told that repeatedly plugging/unplugging from a 14-50 outlet will wear down the outlet over time.

Is anybody aware of any solutions to help secure the UMC while the car is gone? My outlet is installed on a large cement column with room above and below it, so feasibly I could install some sort of secure device to "lock in" the UMC when I'm not there. But I have no idea what type of device I should be looking for.

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Here's an older thread on the topic:

Securing the UMC in my public parking spot?

I have been plugging/unplugging my 14-50 at work and home for the past year and 23,000 miles without a problem

TexasEV said:

Don't worry about unplugging each day if feel you need to. Outlets at RV parks are plugged/unplugged all the time, and if it does wear out it's really cheap to replace.

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If the connection is loose, the car should detect a voltage drop on stop charging. But if for some reason it keeps drawing current and arcs, it could burn your house down. I'm not sure it's a very likely outcome, but I would be careful, anyway.

Ven Rala said:

I have been plugging/unplugging my 14-50 at work and home for the past year and 23,000 miles without a problem

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Same here.

Not always possible but I usually try something like this. You can also wrap the cable around and lock...

Pic from last winter.

LonghornDub said:

but I've been told that repeatedly plugging/unplugging from a 14-50 outlet will wear down the outlet over time.

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I still have yet to see anyone post any PROOF of this claim. Until then, I'm inclined to chalk it up as Tesla forum rumor/hearsay.

I have looked for rated number of insertions/removals for Leviton and Hubbell outlets, to no avail.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. I'd pay attention if the outlet seems to "loosen", and I'd occasionally check it for heating while under load (which is probably not a bad idea, anyway).

I'm with many of the people here. Just plug/unplug the UMC from the wall. If your outlet does eventually wear out it is such a easy cheap fix to replace it. Not worth worrying about.

Now if you wanted to say taking your UMC with you every day is a hassle, that is a different question.

LonghornDub said:

Well, it certainly is a hassle, but I'm not sure it's anymore of a hassle than, say, locking up the cable every day.

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You don't necessarily have to lock up the cable, though. You could rather come up with something that locks up the adapter end, and leaves the cable free. Depends on how much you're worried about someone cutting off the cable.

Kalud said:

Not always possible but I usually try something like this. You can also wrap the cable around and lock...

Pic from last winter.

View attachment 49876

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PERFECT, I'm going to copy you.

-m

Not sure if this is an option for you, but this is what I did at home;



There's a slot cut into the bottom of the box, too small to fit the adapter (if one were able to unplug it, the door only gives about 15 mm clearance to the back side of the adapter). A special key is needed to open the door of the box. Bought the wall hanger from Tesla.

KenN said:

Not sure if this is an option for you, but this is what I did at home;

View attachment 50374View attachment 50375

There's a slot cut into the bottom of the box, too small to fit the adapter (if one were able to unplug it, the door only gives about 15 mm clearance to the back side of the adapter). A special key is needed to open the door of the box. Bought the wall hanger from Tesla.

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yea i like this idea too. good job. i'll probably duplicate this.

The box should be available from most electrical suppliers, most important is to get a NEMA 3R rated box. That will give you a weatherproof enclosure to keep any water out. I can measure up the box dimensions when I get home tonight if interested.

For the install, we have conduit running just above floor level inside the garage, then bend up, then out through the wall of the garage. I could have put the 14-50 outlet inside the garage but didn't want to be bothered with opening/closing the garage door all the time. This setup lets me leave the UMC outside, easy to access when I want to plug in. I'm actually not overly concerned about theft, but we do get the occasional small groups of drunk teenagers on summer nights, so didn't want to leave the temptation for unplugging as a little "joke".

Can you stuff the module thing on the UMC into the box as well? Looks like there might be room. Kinda weatherproof the whole thing then with only the cable coming out of it. Great idea!

-m

invisik said:

Can you stuff the module thing on the UMC into the box as well? Looks like there might be room. Kinda weatherproof the whole thing then with only the cable coming out of it. Great idea!

-m

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I imagine you could, just by mounting things so the 14-50 outlet is up near the top of the box. The UMC module is weatherproof though, so I didn't worry about it. Also, hanging as it is, I can see the green light strip on the UMC from my living room window so easy to confirm charging!