Seeking opinion

[ai4px]

I'm kinda torn on this.... I travel for a living and so I spend time scouting for hotels that have 120v plugs and even unlisted L2 equipment. Yesterday I came upon a hotel in a town where I have a client that has a L6-30 receptacle near the parking lot. They say it used to be used by an icecream truck that used to make a route thru town. I'd like to volunteer to change the receptacle to a 14-xx for them to make it easier for other travelers. The issue though is that the wiring supports 30amps (24 continuous).

Its against electric code to install a 50 amp outlet on a 30 amp circuit (I think). There's a part of me that wants to install the 14-50 because it's so darned common and label it as 24amps continuous. Then there's the right thing to do which is install a 14-30 receptacle and make a note in plugshare advising folks they'll need the 14-30 adapter.

As it is, there are no premade L6 type adapters for Teslas... you'd have to make your own.

So if the hotel owner agrees to allow me to change the plug, 14-30 or 14-50?

 

[Rocky_H]

So if the hotel owner agrees to allow me to change the plug, 14-30 or 14-50?

Uh...neither.
(14-50) You shouldn't put a 50 amp outlet on a 30 amp circuit.
(14-30) You can't put a 4 wire outlet on a 3 wire wiring run.

Some people seem to be stuck thinking the 14 series of outlets is all that there are. But when you have to use an existing wiring run, that sometimes isn't an option. The 6 series of outlets are perfectly valid, current, and code compliant. That one happens to be a locking version, but you could easily replace it with a standard non-locking 6-30 outlet.

As it is, there are no premade L6 type adapters for Teslas... you'd have to make your own.

Nah, that's nonsense. This is 2019. EVSEAdapters has been selling premade adapters for quite a while, and they are proper ones that plug directly into the Tesla UMC and have the circuitry to set the amps correctly and even the temperature sensor in the plug.
Here is the one for an L6-30:
L6-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3 Gen 2 – EVSE Adapters
And here is one for the regular 6-30:
NEMA 6-30 Adapter for Tesla Model S/X/3 Gen 2 – EVSE Adapters

 

[Bill_75D]

How about changing the plug to a 10-30 and using the Tesla 10-30 adapter?

 

[Rocky_H]

How about changing the plug to a 10-30 and using the Tesla 10-30 adapter?

Electric code has forbidden installing new 10 series outlets for many years.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

So buying an EVSEAdapter the hotel can keep at their desk would be one way to go.

Possible pricier alternatives:
1) Pay for a 24A J1772 and have it hard-wired.
2) Pay for re-wiring to 14-30, and for a Tesla 14-30 adapter to keep at the desk.

 

[ai4px]

You guys are right, I was / am trying so hard for compatibility with the 14 series of plugs, I failed to think about the neutral. It could come to pass that an RV might plug into that outlet at some point in the future and he'd have no neutral. So I'll skip on that... NEMA 10 looks like a good alternative. Another alternative that just appeared is that the plug originates from the sub panel on the pool deck just a few feet away. I may find that there's a spot in there that I can install another breaker and do a 14-50 correctly. I'll see once I get into that panel box. The pool fence was locked when I went by on my lunch break.

The next nearest hotel with charging is 30 miles away, so I'm really looking to make this one work since it's 5 minutes from my client's plant. As it is, I'm home brewed an L6-30 adapter and turned my car down to 24 amps, so it's working out for me either way.

 

[Rocky_H]

Possible pricier alternatives:
1) Pay for a 24A J1772 and have it hard-wired.

Really, that's probably the best or most straightforward thing if you want to make this available as a service to various types of electric cars. Every car comes with a J1772 charging port, if you pick any one kind of outlet, odds are that most people would not have a portable EVSE in their car that has a plug for whatever type of outlet you pick.

It would be a little bit pricey for the EVSE itself, like a Clipper Creek:
24A Level 2 EVSE HCS-30 Hardwired | ClipperCreek
But it can use the existing wiring run, so installation would be cheap.

Another alternative that just appeared is that the plug originates from the sub panel on the pool deck just a few feet away. I may find that there's a spot in there that I can install another breaker and do a 14-50 correctly. I'll see once I get into that panel box.

Yeah, if it's close like that, redoing the wiring run probably would be simple, and you can get those outdoor outlets with the plastic flip covers that protect from rain, so that would be a nice clean option, but it would then only be available if people have the right plug for it.