Quick and Easy DIY 240V Outlet Install | 50 Amp NEMA 14-50

With the adoption of electric cars on the rise having a 50 Amp 240 Volt outlet in your garage is becoming more and more common. This type of project does not need to cost $1000 and if you have the know how you can even get it installed for under $100.

Supplies

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[ianbelletti]

Tip from a pro. To confirm stud location, start from the middle of the box location and cut towards the stud. You will feel when you hit the stud. Then cut up and down next to the stud before making your remaining marks and cutting the rest of your hole.

[rickrparker]

When taking the entire power off the main breaker I'd recommend that you turn off any thermostats, and unplug computer /TV type appliances. Turn off breakers one by one then throw the main breaker. Reverse process after you have completed your install. Point being, don't surge/slam the power off and especially back on. I think it's just a good best practice.

[vincentrusso]

I did it myself (Owner Builder) as described in this video. It was not difficult at all. My total cost was around $100.00 Now I can charge my Model 3 Tesla at home with the Tesla mobile charger which gives me 32 amps. Great Video and well worth the upgrade.

[karimshaban]

As some people have already mentioned, you should buy the commercial grade receptacle. The other thing you should upgrade is the box - getting a 3 1/2 inch deep box will make your life MUCH easier. And those are only 3-4 bucks more (Hubell Raco 696 is one example).

Lastly, nobody does this, but I believe code now requires you to use a GFCI breaker for a 240v outlet in a garage - that will run you an extra $100.

[davidgiles]

IMPORTANT--- If you're installing this for EV at home charging, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, use a commercial grade NEMA 14-50r and use copper wires. My initial install (done by an electrician with aluminum wires) failed and the residential grade NEMA 14-50r melted. The constant high load draw of EVs when charging is significantly higher than people might think. Don't skimp on costs by using less than optimal parts! I was very lucky and it didn't cause a fire in my garage, but it could have been really bad. I had a different electrician repair the mistakes, and ended up just doing a hard wire install with my Grizzl-E EVSE. BTW, I tried contacting the original electrician, and the phone number has been disconnected...

[TigerLM]

Good demo on cutting the drywall with just the tip of the saw. Some studs have wires stapled to them, and you don't want to hit those with a saw. In the vid, clearly there was no existing branch going down from the electric panel, but other homes may be different. Thanks for the video. I feel confident now to install my own.

[gnormhurst]

Great video. The tip about clamping the connector to the wire first and then snaking it was really helpful to me!

[rickm]

Great video! I would add that you correctly left some conduit cover inside each box when exposing the wires. I would use a multimeter to check that the bus bars are really "off" after tripping the main. I also use a level when cutting the hole for the new box. Thank you so much !

[brandonh]

Cool video but 2020 came with some changes for 240.

1. 210.8 (A) - requires GFCI protection to include the 240 volt receptacles for ranges that are within 6' from the edge of sinks and for 240 volt receptacles located in laundry rooms for the dryers. 2. 210.8(A)(5) - requires all receptacles in a basement (either finished or unfinished) to be GFCI protected.

Now, that 20$ breaker is around 115$. I’ll admit though, we charge 500-1000 depending on the run, so this is useful for homeowners :)

[dancolestock]

The heavy-duty industrial grade NEMA 14-50 receptacles (Hubbell, Bryant) are constructed of fire-resistant Bakelite rather than injection-molded plastic, and their 4 contact springs are heavy-duty with heavy plating, specifically designed for thousands of insertion/removal cycles rather than a few dozen. They also feature specially plated clamp-style wiring connections with set screws which must be carefully tightened using a calibrated torque wrench. A side-by-side comparison is compelling, and there are a rapidly-growing number of photos of melted/scorched/burned NEMA 14-50 outlets posted on the Internet. Sadly, many of these dangerous receptacles were installed by licensed electricians.
Less-expensive, lower-quality NEMA 14-50 receptacles are unsafe for EV charging and should all come with a warning that they are not designed for and must not be used for EV charging applications. Given the risk, home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowes, ACE Hardware, etc) should completely stop selling them, and online stores should be required to have detailed warnings. The national wiring codes should also be updated appropriately. No one should die or lose their home over this issue.
That said, a safer, more reliable option is to have an EVSE permanently wall-mounted with a dedicated, hard-wired connection rather than installing a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. And PLEASE hire a licensed, experienced electrician. Don't risk your home and loved ones to save a few bucks. Seriously.
Now that the Tesla/NACS connector is being adopted for EV charging in 120/240Vac North America, the Tesla (Gen 3) Wall Connector EVSE is an excellent value with a large installed base and a well-earned reputation for safety and reliability.

[jamiemacdonald]

Great install! I have one suggestion. I would highly recommend paying the extra money for the commercial grade 14-50 receptacle. I realize they start in the $50+ range, but this is not the area I would want to save money on if it were my house. Again, nice easy to understand demonstration and clean install. 👍

[JDCNY]

Installed mine 4 years ago, 30 minutes and been issue free ever since

[efthegop]

I do the horizontal cuts first to accurately find the stud, then mark and cut the rest.

[twoweeledsoto]

Many of us really appreciate people like you making videos. It helped me get mine done. I wondered why you came in the side of the box, instead of the top? Easier to handle the wire? Thanks again for making these videos.

[Kevin_M_Hall]

Very useful video! Went with the much beefier 14-50 receptacle. Car is currently charging now. Thanks for making such a well-focused video. It covered all the useful issues, so I was able to get it right the first time without making any mistakes.

[charles-huru]

I could make one suggestion, when cutting your hole for your box, your first cut should be horizontal for the length of th box. This would insure there are no studs in the way. In the case of this video you would start in the center and cut toward the stud to find the edge. Use that as a point to re lay out your box if needed.

[markbloyd]

I've recently watched a video on Sandy Munro's channel about the risks involved with these installs. People are assuming that the cheap outlets from the big box stores, or online can do the job just fine. The problem is that they worked just fine for what people used them for before, like they're dryers, where the current is running through it for less than an hour or so, every few days. But in an EV charging application, the receptacles are melting and becoming serious fire hazards. If you are wanting to get this done for your EV charging needs, I highly recommend watching that video to learn what type of outlet to purchase, or do plenty of research. Even professionals don't always know what is best in this situation, because it's still relatively new technology. Hope this helps save some homes.

[MaxJackson]

Man, what you just provided was awesome!!! Providing those of us who are techies, proffesionals or novices with this kind of information. Thank You!

[dontbanmebrodontbanme]

Everything in this video was great, except for one thing: the outlet chosen. Yes, that is a NEMA 14-50 plug, but it's designed for electric dryers. Electric dryers are on for 30 minutes, maybe an hour and then it's off and might not be used again for the rest of the day. They're not designed for hours and hours of continuous charge and a lot of these cheap, $9 outlets have been catching on fire. Make sure you get one rated specifically for charging EVs. The ones I've seen have a slightly larger diameter, and therefore need a slightly bigger wall plate. They're also a tad thicker, so need a deeper box.

[anhnghianguyen]

Thanks, this video is very helpful, I've just setup an 240 outlet follow it. Just want to add: before turn to test voltage, you should test connections/crossconnection to ensure it setup as expected. Also be aware with your main board, need to buy those match its branch