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Wall socket is NEMA 10-30R for my dryer. Will 10-30 adapter work or cause problems?

NulightNulight
in Model 3
As title says. I just purchased a standard range plus model 3 and I was told by a Tesla rep that the 10-30 adapter would work just fine, but upon further research it seems like it could cause hazardous problems. This is what my wall socket looks like:

https://imgur.com/a/1Hz4xa2

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Comments

  • GMP001GMP001
    You might want to read

    https://teslatap.com/articles/tesla-model-3-home-charging-guide/
  • BighornBighorn
    What problem? I’ve use a 10-30 for over 7 years with both types of UMC.
  • NulightNulight
    > @Bighorn said:
    > What problem? I’ve use a 10-30 for over 7 years with both types of UMC.

    Do I need to manually set my Tesla to charge at 24A? The 10-30R socket draws 30A and the adapter caps out at 24A, so does my Tesla need to manually be set to charge at 24A? I'm not very knowledgeable with electricity and don't want to destroy my car/house.
  • GHammerGHammer
    Using a tesla 10-30 adapter will set the charge current to 24 amps.
  • BighornBighorn
    A Tesla adapter tells the car to charge at 24A max. A homemade adapter would need to be set to 24A in the car on the screen which is also no big deal.
  • NulightNulight
    Oh ok, I purchased the 10-30 adapter from Tesla shop, so I should have no worries plugging this into my 10-30R socket, correct? Thank you for the information.
  • BighornBighorn
    Yes and it’s easily confirmed on the charging screen. You’ll see a ratio of actual and max current i.e. 0/24 will ramp up to 24/24.
  • NulightNulight
    Thank you very much! Our house came with a 10-30R socket in our garage from the previous owner using it for an electric dryer and this is a major relief to know. Easily saves me $400-600.
  • GHammerGHammer
    I had a spare 10-30 in my garage and used it for 6 months until i decided to install a wall connector.
  • BlueBlurBlueBlur
    Same car, exact same set up, no issues for almost a year.

    > @Nulight said:
    > As title says. I just purchased a standard range plus model 3 and I was told by a Tesla rep that the 10-30 adapter would work just fine, but upon further research it seems like it could cause hazardous problems. This is what my wall socket looks like:
    >
    > https://imgur.com/a/1Hz4xa2
    >
    > Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
  • BighornBighorn
    Happy to help. I didn’t “find” my 10-30 outlet for a few months. I had constructed my own adapter for a 20A welding outlet that was more obvious. It is nice not to have to bring in an electrician.
  • apodbdrsapodbdrs
    I purchased my 10-30 adapter from the Tesla on-line store a couple of years ago for about $25 and it works fine. Our 10-30 washer/dryer wall socket was unused so it made it even more continent.
  • Lonestar10_1999_98049184Lonestar10_1999_98049184
    If you plan on many years of Tesla ownership it makes sense to upgrade the 10-30 to a 14-50 setup. One of the best benefits of BEV is knowing you can leave home with a fully charged car. The higher the charge current the quicker you reach full charge. Life’s too short to compromise on home changing equipment. Go for it.
  • in7_98388832in7_98388832
    I used a 10-30 setup because that's what is already in the house for my dryer. It replenishes my daily charge just fine in 3 hours every night while I sleep. If I upgraded the house to a 14-50 setup it might finish replenishing my daily charge in just 2 hours while I sleep, but what's the point? I sleep 8 hours each night, so it's no biggie whether my nightly charging finishes in 3 hours or 2 hours.
  • NulightNulight
    > @Lonestar10_1999_98049184 said:
    > If you plan on many years of Tesla ownership it makes sense to upgrade the 10-30 to a 14-50 setup. One of the best benefits of BEV is knowing you can leave home with a fully charged car. The higher the charge current the quicker you reach full charge. Life’s too short to compromise on home changing equipment. Go for it.

    I will eventually, but I just moved into my house early Oct. and am now buying a brand new 2021 M3. Need to chill out on expenses for a few months lol. My commute is about 60-70miles round trip every day and I get home by around 5PM so I should be more than fine for now.

    Side question: Do you guys charge your car to 90% or let it charge to 100%? I've been seeing mixed reviews about people stating that capping it at 90% is more efficient for battery longevity. Thanks.
  • TeslaTap.comTeslaTap.com
    Yes, it's recommended to charge to 80 or 90% when you don't need the extra range for a trip. The car will even warn you if you leave the charging at 100% for 2-3 days, but it will allow it.

    For a trip that needs the range, don't be hesitant to charge it to 100%, but its' healthiest for the batteries to drive shortly after reaching 100%. Again it's not ideal to charge to 100% and leave it there. Even if you don't follow these suggestions, it doesn't affect the warranty.
  • bjrosenbjrosen
    You should only charge to 100% if you have a long trip that can't be made at a lower level. 90% is fine but a lower number would be a little better. I'm charging to 75% these days because I'm not doing any road trips.

    If you are planning on using your dryer's 10-30 you might be interested in this
    https://electrek.co/2020/09/04/neocharge-240v-smart-splitter/
    It's a smart splitter that will allow you to have your dryer and your Tesla plugged in at the same time.
  • HAL2001HAL2001
    > @Nulight said:
    > Side question: Do you guys charge your car to 90% or let it charge to 100%? I've been seeing mixed reviews about people stating that capping it at 90% is more efficient for battery longevity.


    https://youtu.be/MrwmNKtnh84
  • BighornBighorn
    I’ve seen no reason to upgrade from a 10-30 in all these years.
  • TronguyTronguy
    And, just something that nobody here mentioned: When one looks at an adapter/socket like a NEMA10-30, the "30" is the Maximum Amperage. It's also the value of the breaker in the breaker box.
    However, the National Electric Code states that if one has a 30A breaker, the maximum nominal steady-state load shall be no more than 80% of that. Hence, when one uses the NEMA10-30 adapter, the Tesla respects that, and won't draw more than 24A (that is, 0.8*30A).
    This shows up in lots of places. With the NEMA5-15 adapter which uses the standard 120 VAC single-phase wall socket, maximum current is 80% of 15A, and the most the car will draw is 12A.
    The NEMA14-50 is an oddball. Turns out that somewhere in the depths of the NEC, it's allowable to put a 40A breaker on a NEMA14-50 socket. Tesla doesn't know what kind of breaker one has out there, 50A or 40A, so they plop for the lower amperage one in the interests of safety. And THAT is why the maximum current draw on a NEMA14-50 adapter is 32A, rather than 40A.
    If one has a Long Range or Performance M3, the car can actually do 48A of charge at 240 VAC (the SR can't do more than 32A), but the only way to do that is with a Tesla Wall Connector (TWC) hooked up to a 60A breaker, using 60A capable wire, with the switches/software rigged to do 48A, max.
    Having said all that: The difference between using a NEMA10-30 and a NEMA14-50 is 24A vs. 32A. That's something, but not as much as one might think off-hand.
  • NulightNulight
    Thank you for the information @Tronguy

    It looks like I'll just be riding out the NEMA 10-30 for a long time, as my commute doesn't warrant more than 70 miles a day. Any additional advice for the 12V issue people keep talking about after 2 years? Should I just have it changed after 50k miles/2 years(whichever comes first)
  • BighornBighorn
    12V?
    Mine is just needing to be replaced after 6.5 years and 275k miles. Obviously, don’t be so quick to latch onto internet lore. There are a lot of fools out there spreading lies aka FUD. The car has excellent diagnostics that will alert you to an impending problem. Usually you have months to address it, so a prophylactic change at two years is both expensive and unnecessary.
  • NulightNulight
    > @Bighorn said:
    > 12V?
    > Mine is just needing to be replaced after 6.5 years and 275k miles. Obviously, don’t be so quick to latch onto internet lore. There are a lot of fools out there spreading lies aka FUD. The car has excellent diagnostics that will alert you to an impending problem. Usually you have months to address it, so a prophylactic change at two years is both expensive and unnecessary.

    Thanks, we've been getting into every possible potential situation that we may encounter because this is our first EV and we just want to be ready for any future maintenance we may encounter, so we don't get surprised when something expensive pops up. That is quite a bit of mileage & years, what year / model is your tesla?
  • BighornBighorn
    I have a 2013 S with 305k miles and a 2018 Model 3 with 73k miles.
    It’s really not psychically healthy to be primed for worst case scenarios. Remember, you’re under warranty for 4 years, so there’s not much to worry about preparing for. That, and the problem your neighbor has is statistically quite unlikely to be the problem you have. I’ve had no service visits for the Model 3 since I picked it up in August of 2018. I had the battery breather valves replaced for a harmless clunking sound when cold supercharging when the ranger came to my house to work on the Model S. Plus, in four years, if you’re also investing in TSLA stock, you may have more money than you know what to do with.
  • NulightNulight
    That is a good point. Really impressed with the lack of maintenance you needed.

    How has your model S been on maintenance?

    So I'm looking at break fluid and battery coolant every 4 years/50k miles and tire rotation every 6-7k miles?
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