NIMA 14-50

Can a NIMA 14-50 receptacle be wired up with #10 wire ? What if you doubled up each wire ?

Would that meet code ? what if you found one wired up that way ?

Any help appreciated. Thanks

Reply to
Sid
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Ask your insurance company.

When they find that mess after the fire, they prolly won't pay the claim.  Hehehe!

Reply to
Neil Kelly

Not properly.

Not legal. Would that meet code ? No.

Redo it with wire sized for the maximum amperage of the receptacle which is 50 amps. The one at Amazon is rated for 50 amps. Amazon says the outlet can use 4,6, and 8 copper wire.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

is a hack job. Never put more than one wire under a screw.. Do it right. Houses burn down from hack jobs.

If I found one wired like that in my house I would disconnect it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Short answer no, on a couple of different counts.

Reply to
gfretwell

Found a professional electrician to pull conduit and wire up 50 amp receptacle in garage. He stated that we needed #6 wire for the two mains, but that #10 wire could be used for the ground. All could be pulled in 1/2" conduit, but the conduit would be full and any additional wires would be overfill.

Not knowing the electrical code, Is this correct ? Do you guys agree ?

Thanks

Reply to
sidwelle

If you go with 1" EMT you'll have room to grow.

Reply to
Nadia Sparky

I thought the ground was supposed to be the same size as the mains.

Also, 1/2" conduit won't be any fun to work with. Go bigger if you can.

Reply to
Jim Joyce

He said that 3/4" would be too hard to get around the corner ?

Reply to
sidwelle

The pictures I've found show that as a 4 wire receptacle. I'm thinking you need 4 wires, not three. A rule of thumb is the neutral can be one size smaller than the two incoming hot wires which would put it at #4. So 2 #6, 1 #4, and 1 #10.

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NO on the #10. See below. The equipment ground wire sizing depends on the overcurrent device used. (Circuit breaker or fuses) He's apparently going to use a 60 amp breaker. BUT., the outlets I've found specify 4,6, and 8 awg so he isn't supposed to use the #10. Here's a calculator.
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Wire fill isn't supposed to exceed 40% of the conduit area. 3/4" won't quite cut it. Anyhow, I think 1" is what you should use. Wire sizing should be 2 #6, 1 #4, and 1 # 8. I'm curious what Fretwell has to say.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

OOPS. #8 is the first size smaller then #6.

I messed up. It should be 2 #6, and 2 #8. So 3/4" EMT conduit would work.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

If you read the recommendations on the Tesla site they recommend 3/4" conduit and #6 wires.

Reply to
sidwelle

Code would let you down size the neutral and equipment ground a little. There's sure nothing wrong with making them bigger. 3/4" EMT would be big enough according to the first site I mentioned. Conduit fill would be just over 38%. Up to 40% is allowable.

Fretwell is the resident expert on this stuff.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

I'm afraid I don't have a copy of latest NEC at my Pandemic Safety and Secret Location, so can't double check.

However, my recollection is that while a smaller neutral had been ok, this was revised a couple of years ago (which could easily be a decade by now..) so that all three wires (the two hot legs and the neutral) had to be the same size.

(Not sure about the safety ground).

As always, best to check with The Local Authority Having Jurisdiction.

Best wishes to all.

Reply to
danny burstein

You would need to show me a load calculation to downsize the neutral but 250.122 lets you use a #10 cu ground on a 60a circuit. Typically anything feeding a receptacle needs a full sized neutral because we don't have a clue what the user might plug in. You can get three #6s and a #10 (THHN/THWN) in 3/4" but I wouldn't want to pull it very far. If you are going around a corner, I would suggest an LB conduit body for an outside turn or an LL/LR for an inside corner. You can make the turn tighter and it gives you another pull point.

Reply to
gfretwell

Question. The receptacles I've found are sized for 4,6,and 8. Doesn't that rule out #10 as the equipment ground?

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

I thought the EMT was the ground and the receptacle required 3 #6 wires ? (2 hots and a neutral ?) This will be an inside corner and the run is not very far as the electrical panel is in the garage. Wall is not finished, but I requested the conduit be in the wall so when I do finish it, it will look nice.

Reply to
sidwelle

I used to work with three phase and four wires were mandatory because of the nature of the work. We just got used to running four wires. I'd want four wires if it was mine. Two hots, a neutral, and an equipment ground. There would be only two connections for the equipment ground. EMT as the equipment ground would probably require a few connections in the equipment ground. The connections are subject to expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. The equipment ground is there mainly for safety reasons. I went back to the first site to check conduit fill. Even three #6 would need 3/4" EMT. Would flexible non metallic conduit be an option? Carflex is one brand. You would have to run four wires. Four #6 would just stay under

40% conduit fill for 3/4". Your guy might be able to put the wire in the conduit first then put the conduit in the wall. Fretwell knows the code upside down so I'm again curious what he has to say.
Reply to
Dean Hoffman

Contractor stated that the city code would not allow 'Romex' or Flex, that's why he did not want to run through the ceiling or use something other than EMT. 4 pieces of 1/2" was already purchased, but that can be returned.

Reply to
sidwelle

Could he use schedule 40 3/4" PVC ? 4 #6s are just 0.01% over the official limit. Using 1 #8 would be legal and help make things easier. The PVC would bend a little so it would make things a little easier. PVC electrical conduit has slant Ls for bends. They're pretty gradual so I have no idea if if would work for you. There are PVC access fittings. That would make a 90º bend. That might work with a little creativity. Using schedule 80 PVC means going to 1". One could use 4 #6 wires then. As far as I know, PVC for electrical is gray and PVC for plumbing is white. I think I'm about of silly ideas for now.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

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