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My (--1--) HPWC install...

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:)I've had my Model 3 for two weeks. I ordered the Tesla HPWC prior to delivery. I have a Leviton 40A EVSE that I've used for my previous BMW i3 BEV and my current Chevy Bolt. Although it would add 35 MPH per hours charge, I wanted the Tesla HPWC first, and charging at 48A, 44 miles, the highest rate. Once I received it, I realized I would have to upgrade the wiring and I faced several obstacles with the install. Thought I just sell the HPWC since it was unopened. I considered several mounting locations but they were all complicated. What I finally decided, for ease of installation, and a short and straight 20 foot 6 AWG (THHN) wiring run in conduit to the electrical panel, was to mount my HPWC on the garage ceiling, directly above and left of my P3D's charge port. Perfect location, overall easy installation. I also ran about 12 feet of the 24 foot thick cable that connects to the car through the ceiling, looping it back down leaving about 12 feet. Out of sight HPWC and a easy manageable 12 foot cord. I can grab the cord one handed and insert it in one motion. The best home EVSE is one that's close by, and easily connected.
 
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View attachment 411482 View attachment 411483 View attachment 411484 View attachment 411485 :)I've had my Model 3 for two weeks. I ordered the Tesla HPWC prior to delivery. I have a Leviton 40A EVSE that I've used for my previous BMW i3 BEV and my current Chevy Bolt. Although it would add 35 MPH per hours charge, I wanted the Tesla HPWC first, and charging at 48A, 44 miles, the highest rate. Once I received it, I realized I would have to upgrade the wiring and I faced several obstacles with the install. Thought I just sell the HPWC since it was unopened. I considered several mounting locations but they were all complicated. What I finally decided, for ease of installation, and a short and straight 20 foot 6 AWG (THHN) wiring run in conduit to the electrical panel, was to mount my HPWC on the garage ceiling, directly above and left of my P3D's charge port. Perfect location, overall easy installation. I also ran about 12 feet of the 24 foot thick cable that connects to the car through the ceiling, looping it back down leaving about 12 feet. Out of sight HPWC and a easy manageable 12 foot cord. I can grab the cord one handed and insert it in one motion. The best home EVSE is one that's close by, and easily connected.

I love the cleanliness of the install!

Sadly, I have a couple of things to point out:

1. I am unsure if the Wall Connector is rated for operation in that orientation. I do wonder if the contactor inside the Wall Connector is rated for horizontal operation. It might cause a wear issue long term or it may be tested expecting gravity to assist in retraction.

2. This install is not code compliant as you can’t run the vehicle cord through walls. In addition to that rule issue, from a practical standpoint, you want to be 100% sure that the sheetrock is fully patched with fire rated stuff since it is a fire barrier to the rest of the house. Also, the Wall Connector probably is supposed to be mounted in a serviceable location would be my guess (but I can’t think of the code reference that requires it, so perhaps they don’t have one yet).

I am not suggesting that you do anything about either of these comments necessarily, but I just figured I would throw it out there for your and others sake for those who may come across this thread in the future.-
 
... What I finally decided, for ease of installation, and a short and straight 20 foot 6 AWG (THHN) wiring run in conduit to the electrical panel, was to mount my HPWC on the garage ceiling, directly above and left of my P3D's charge port. Perfect location, overall easy installation. I also ran about 12 feet of the 24 foot thick cable that connects to the car through the ceiling, looping it back down leaving about 12 feet. ...

Nice!

How come you didn't mount the Wall Connector on the wall just a few feet away from your current ceiling mount? I'm thinking the Wall Connector cable is probably not plenum-rated.
 
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Interesting install. Almost certainly a code violation due to the cord in the ceiling. Also, I wouldn’t want the cord hanging like that. In addition, the internals of the wall connector may really not be designed to work in that orientation, either for heat dissipation or other reasons.

So, while I applaud your thinking outside the box, that is a recipe for disaster. If it started a fire, an insurance adjuster would void any claim if it was found the wall connector caused it with a not-to-code install.
 
FWIW, I suspect heat in that orientation won’t be an issue since the unit is sealed anyway and does not depend on convection through it from outside air. Since the manual does not say anything about it, then the orientation thing is not a code violation. The accessibility issue might be. The running through the ceiling definitely is.

I would be fine with the plug hanging like that in a garage. I doubt moisture would be an issue as long as it is off the floor. Dust could potentially be depending on the environment, but I think a ton of folks don’t have a holster for theirs.

Thanks for sharing your install! Sorry if folks may be a little harsh. I like the creativity!
 
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FWIW, I suspect heat in that orientation won’t be an issue since the unit is sealed anyway and does not depend on convection through it from outside air. Since the manual does not say anything about it, then the orientation thing is not a code violation. The accessibility issue might be. The running through the ceiling definitely is.

I would be fine with the plug hanging like that in a garage. I doubt moisture would be an issue as long as it is off the floor. Dust could potentially be depending on the environment, but I think a ton of folks don’t have a holster for theirs.

Thanks for sharing your install! Sorry if folks may be a little harsh. I like the creativity!

:)Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Eprosenx, thanks for you're electrical expertise. I've read most of your posts under "Battery & Charging", big help. Facts, just the facts. HPWC mounting, I believe I read "no lower than 15" and max height of 60". Not sure where I read it. For me, mounting on the ceiling put my HPWC in the best position for my use and the easiest for install. It's installed and wired properly. It's only slightly out of normal position. Someone else here mentioned they mounted their HPWC on the ceiling. Their electrician questioned the location, but later admitted it made sense. The HPWC is "solid state", with no moving parts, It doesn't know it's not vertical. Serviceability? A six foot step ladder to reach, and four screws and three electrical connection to remove in ten minutes. The issue with the charge cord? Twenty four feet is normally too long and nine feet would almost always be too short. I didn't have to route it the way I did, but for my daily need, it made sense to hide half of it. Someone said it was routed through a wall, it's not. It's routed through the 3/4" sheetrock garage ceiling into an open 12' high plus attic. If this was a unfinished garage, would it still be an issue? I can easily adjust the length of the exposed charge cable as required, even to facilitate outdoor charging. I do have a dark sock covering the charge handle, to protect from damage, debris, and moisture. I'm most surprised by the comment, "So, while I applaud you for thinking outside the box, that is a recipe for disaster. If it started a fire, an insurance adjuster would void any claim if it was found the wall connector caused it with not-to-code install". Please, quote me "to code" install? My reply, my HPWC is properly secured and wired. My charge cable remains in the garage, half divided by 3/4" sheet rock. In my opinion, my only sin, my installation doesn't look like a traditional EVSE. I'm open for further discussion, but be rationale.
 
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:)Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Eprosenx, thanks for you're electrical expertise. I've read most of your posts under "Battery & Charging", big help. Facts, just the facts. HPWC mounting, I believe I read "no lower than 15" and max height of 60". Not sure where I read it. For me, mounting on the ceiling put my HPWC in the best position for my use and the easiest for install. It's installed and wired properly. It's only slightly out of normal position. Someone else here mentioned they mounted their HPWC on the ceiling. Their electrician questioned the location, but later admitted it made sense. The HPWC is "solid state", with no moving parts, It doesn't know it's not vertical. Serviceability? A six foot step ladder to reach, and four screws and three electrical connection to remove in ten minutes. The issue with the charge cord? Twenty four feet is normally too long and nine feet would almost always be too short. I didn't have to route it the way I did, but for my daily need, it made sense to hide half of it. Someone said it was routed through a wall, it's not. It's routed through the 3/4" sheetrock garage ceiling into an open 12' high plus attic. If this was a unfinished garage, would it still be an issue? I can easily adjust the length of the exposed charge cable as required, even to facilitate outdoor charging. I do have a dark sock covering the charge handle, to protect from damage, debris, and moisture. I'm most surprised by the comment, "So, while I applaud you for thinking outside the box, that is a recipe for disaster. If it started a fire, an insurance adjuster would void any claim if it was found the wall connector caused it with not-to-code install". Please, quote me "to code" install? My reply, my HPWC is properly secured and wired. My charge cable remains in the garage, half divided by 3/4" sheet rock. In my opinion, my only sin, my installation doesn't look like a traditional EVSE. I'm open for further discussion, but be rationale.

What folks are referring to “code” is routing a power cord(the charging cable) thru the wall ...I don’t think you are necessarily “routing” the cable it looks like it’s just sitting on drywall above the garage ;)

See NEC ARTICLE 400 Flexible Cords and Cables General 400.1 Scope
 
As long as the cord does not run through a firewall, which is usually 5/8" drywall separating a living space from the garage (the OP says it does not) then I do not see any code violations here unless the attic space heat that the cord is exposed to is a code violation I'm not aware of.
 
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:)Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Eprosenx, thanks for you're electrical expertise. I've read most of your posts under "Battery & Charging", big help. Facts, just the facts. HPWC mounting, I believe I read "no lower than 15" and max height of 60". Not sure where I read it. For me, mounting on the ceiling put my HPWC in the best position for my use and the easiest for install. It's installed and wired properly. It's only slightly out of normal position. Someone else here mentioned they mounted their HPWC on the ceiling. Their electrician questioned the location, but later admitted it made sense. The HPWC is "solid state", with no moving parts, It doesn't know it's not vertical. Serviceability? A six foot step ladder to reach, and four screws and three electrical connection to remove in ten minutes. The issue with the charge cord? Twenty four feet is normally too long and nine feet would almost always be too short. I didn't have to route it the way I did, but for my daily need, it made sense to hide half of it. Someone said it was routed through a wall, it's not. It's routed through the 3/4" sheetrock garage ceiling into an open 12' high plus attic. If this was a unfinished garage, would it still be an issue? I can easily adjust the length of the exposed charge cable as required, even to facilitate outdoor charging. I do have a dark sock covering the charge handle, to protect from damage, debris, and moisture. I'm most surprised by the comment, "So, while I applaud you for thinking outside the box, that is a recipe for disaster. If it started a fire, an insurance adjuster would void any claim if it was found the wall connector caused it with not-to-code install". Please, quote me "to code" install? My reply, my HPWC is properly secured and wired. My charge cable remains in the garage, half divided by 3/4" sheet rock. In my opinion, my only sin, my installation doesn't look like a traditional EVSE. I'm open for further discussion, but be rationale.

One point of clarification: The Wall Connector is not solid state. It has a contactor (huge relay) that turns the power on and off that is mechanical.

As you point out, the wall connector very clearly dictates minimum and maximum mounting heights in the manual so since NEC requires equipment to be installed per manufactures instructions, this could hang you up code wise.

It does not specify orientation, but the height requirements would likely rule out the ceiling.

I would not be surprised if code had some specifications for where you are allowed to install devices, but I don’t know the references off the top of my head (but I could also see code not specifying this as well as things like garage door openers need to be up at the ceiling...)

I do know I have read on code that you are not allowed to run cord through walls. But I don’t have the reference handy. Will try to look it up at some point.

Sheetrock wise: I don’t think garages are allowed in houses anymore with exposed beams. The sheetrock is a fire barrier to slow a fires progression from the garage to the house to give occupants more time to evacuate and the fire department more time to show up. The smallest hole can eliminate this protection if not properly fire stopped.

I don’t particularly find this install dangerous, though the fire stopping from the garage is probably my main concern. The serviceability issue is mostly personal preference... Though there is a real chance the high voltage contactor is not rated for that orientation (but you might have to track down the manufacturers specs to get an answer on that) I have seen one post by someone who replaced his contactor in a gen 1 HPWC I think. He tracked down the manufacturer for that specific part and sourced a replacement.