Something I've learned from my electrician friends - when you do turn on that breaker (or disconnect switch) - stand to the side and look away. If things go sideways, arc flash burns on the back of your head are more fun than on your eyeballs :)
IF NOTHING ELSE YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS VIDEO, GUYS . . . this tip is THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL . . . YES!! Please DO look away JUST in case something HAS not been connected in the proper way OR there is an equipment malfunction - it IS unlikely but what if there IS an arc? You'll be thanking this tip for saving your eyes from going blind!!!!
If your doing any of this without wearing eye protection you deserve whatever you get... In addition if your so scared of what might happen and you turn away looking scared out of your mind while turning the power back on I seriously doubt your anywhere you SHOULD be, i.e. employed as an electrician. Not to mention I seriously doubt if the customer is watching like they usually are you'll never get any repeat business 😂
@@jeremyvanbuskirk4148 Yes, pretty much goes without saying that you should be wearing the appropriate PPE per the Arc Flash hazard level for that equipment. My point was more that even if that is the case, putting your face not in the line of fire of an unlikely arc flash is a good idea.
If your installation is in the USA, there are 3 National Electrical Code violations. 1- The 2-gang box clamps are not rated for the use of #6 cable (110.3(B). 2- The conductors inside the 2-gang box are not long enough (300.14). 3- The #6 NM cable requires a supporting means and passing through a hole does not meet that requirement, It must be secured. (334.30). One other point. Make sure your service is rated to handle the additional load. Enjoyed the video.
THANK YOU! I was looking for this comment. I thought I was the only one who noticed! Will it work? yes...but, will it pass inspection? NO!!! Also, he had a chance to locate the outlet farther on the other stud. One has to check for the height requirements. And, torque drove me crazy, he used a power drill and is not allowed, he has to torque, wiggle, torque wiggle, and then tighten again because it will become loose when is stranded wire. VERY DANGEROUS having a loose connection with that juice. I believe is this is a NEMA 14-50 the torque is 75 and I am sure it is not there. More so, I like sturdy metal boxes even if need to pigtail and ground because they won't move like the plastic one will in less than a year. The outlet is tight and pulling it a few times will make those nails wiggle. Some other things are worth mentioning, like the brutal load in a 125AMP panel...he should upgrade to 200AMP soon....
More than 3 violations. A recep is not allowed for this installation. Because that's not a portable or readily-removable (no tool) charger, it must be hardwired. Other issues, violation of box-fill rules, recep box is too small. An EV charger is a continuous load, therefore it can't be on a 50A breaker. Largest breaker allowed in this installation is a 45A. Just because it works that doesn't mean it's done correctly.
Use a box that is listed to use #6 wire. Many contractors use them for installation of a flush range (stove) receptacle. Conductors must be long enough to extend out beyond the front of the box a minimum of 3 inches.
I did it. My brother has a Tesla and I needed to have a place for him to charge it. Watching your video helped me dispel some of the fear of opening that breaker box and running wire. $100 dollars of parts from the hardware store and about 4 hours of work in total. Thanks MMM.
Informative video! The only thing I would add would be the need to calculate the existing electrical load on the panel. Probably not a huge deal as long as you're not running a lot of appliances all the time, but if the homeowner has a limited panel, electric heating in the winter, electric dryer and electric stove all running while charging his or her car... Might run into an overload.
One correction is while the panel is not complicated, for people without an at least basic knowledge of electricity it can actually be dangerous. An additional tip would be to install the circuit breaker close to the top of electric panel to limit voltage drop across circuit breakers above it. Voltage drop can cause the breakers above a double breaker to drop below their rating, which lights or whatever is on that breaker circuit to dim or blink during initial power up.
God, thank you. So many times I've listened to someones voice for hours, painted pictures with their words or their music, and then when I see their real face I'm like "oh God, that's not right. That's not at all right" You, sir, have a face that fits your voice and your intellect
Thanks for making and sharing content like this, Pete. You're saving a lot of us a lot of time, money, and confusion through your simple approaches. Please keep making the world better.
As an electrician that specializes in EVSE installations, if your must do an outlet setup, make sure to use a commercial grade outlet. Not clear but it looks like the cheaper box store outlet. The commercial are more expensive and about 2.5 inches diameter compared to just 2 inches for the cheaper ones. They are fine for dryers and ranges but not designed for the continuous load of an EVSE and we are seeing a lot of over heating and melting. Also, in most areas, an outlet requires a more expensive gfci breaker. Best bet, cheaper, safer and higher output is always go for a hardwired unit.
I installed one of these myself last year, but ran the power outside from the house panel inside PVC conduit, and used a weatherproof box and cover mounted on the side of the house. There was no garage sub panel or space to charge the car in the garage, unfortunately. It is definitely doable, and this is a nice video. To anyone reading this, depending on where you live, you'll likely need permits.
Do NOT consider doing this kind of work if you are not fully educated on basic household electricity. It is very easy to "overlook" something. Just a point to note, that is NOT how to install a box. No experienced electrician EVER feeds any wires through a box with the jacket still on. The jacket is removed first, with the correct amount removed ....THEN feeds the line through the boxes, outlet and mains, to the correct position. Trying to trim back the jacket with the wire inside the box is the most ridiculous, backwards way of doing this very simple task. .
Thanks to you, I have a functioning level 2 charger for my 2016 Leaf that I bought a few weeks ago. Thanks so much for making this relatively easy to do myself.
Nice instructional video. A couple of points I'm sure you're already aware of. 1) You need a permit at least in my area (Oregon) you do. Around here at least a homeowner is allowed to do any electrical work on their OWN house (with the afformentioned permit). You cannot do your neighbour a favour and do it for him/her, even if you happen to be a professional electrician! 2) In Europe/Australia/much of Asia the electrical system is slightly different in that they do not have two 120V phases 180 degrees out of phase.. i.e +120V and -120v about a neutral like we do. "Over there" they have a single phase wire which is +240V (in the UK, 220V mainland Europe) above the neutral. Thus 220 -240V is wired directly to each outlet in the house. You mentioned 208V, typically that is two legs from a 3 phase transformer which are 120 deg apart.. Not found in a homeowner situation as far I know.
I would add, that if your 125 amp panel is nearly maxed out you might have to recalculate your load to ensure you dont constantly trip your main breaker and also be in compliance with your authority having jurisdiction. Breakers that have tripped weaken with every trip and eventually fail to either reset or fail to trip. If it fails to trip you will very likely have a fire, and if found to be started by unpermitted work you could be held liable for the damages. A couple hundred dollars for a permit is way better than paying out of pocket to rebuild your house. To add, I see 208v in the apartment construction industry all the time. So I imagine it's possible in say larger condominium complexes, but I could be wrong.
Added benefit of charging at 240V (level 2) instead of 120V (level 1) is the added efficiency, it goes up to almost 90% instead of only 80% so it saves you money! Another thing to point out is tour existing leaf charger can be either modified or sent off by someone to be modified to make it work on 240V or 120V since the wire it comes with will handle it, it’s fairly complicated and may be cheaper to just buy the level 2 charger but good to know the option. I have a 2011 Leaf with 8 capacity bars and 30-40 mile range so I charge quite frequently but it was only $6k when I bought it a bit over a year ago and it saves me $0.12/$0.14 per mile over driving our 2012 Subaru Forester!
Cool, that's a very frugal electric runabout! ... although I still think Nissan is killing their reputation with those early Leafs - the car is kind of synonymous with battery degradation, even though newer electric cars don't display this problem at all. If I were Nissan, I'd offer NEW 40 kWh batteries that were compatible with the original Leaf, and subsidize the cost heavily (maybe down to $3000 or so), so that these not-all-that-old cars could be like any other 2011 car: still almost as good as new, with the benefit of a 150 mile range and a 15 year future lifespan. Come on Nissan! You're just GIVING the market away to Tesla by missing obvious public relations wins like this! :-)
Mr. Money Mustache agreed! And they actually had a warranty where if it dropped to 8 bars before 60K miles or 6 years, something like that then you got the new lizard cell battery for free! This car missed out on that by like 6 months which is why I got it so cheap but I factored in a potential new battery at $5,500 after the rebate for the core, that is Nissan installed and the 2014-2015 lizard cell battery technology. I agree with the public perception issue but as a mechanical engineer it doesn’t borrow me and I want to keep driving this as long as I can and see how much more the battery degrades. The first 15 months have seen no degradation at all and I have more than 7k miles on it more since I bought it.
@@martincourtney8114 You mean this video wasn't enough!! 😂😂😂 Did course at Trade skills 4U. Yes it was OK. You need to do quite a bit of homework though. Also you need to have passed the 18th edition wiring regs exam first.
Bought a lightly used Chevy Bolt a few days ago, and have been thinking of installing a level 2 in my garage. I probably don't need it, considering how much I drive. But it will be a fun project. So thanks, great vid (and I love your shirt -- I usually put more miles on my bicycle per year than I do on my vehicles). This is my first EV car, and I'm loving it. I've been riding an electric motorcycle (Zero SR) for three years, which is awesome fun.
Interesting how much regulations vary across the US. In my area of the country, permits and inspections are only required for "substantial work" which is defined as complete house re-wires, sub-panel installations, breaker panel replacements, or service upgrades. Additions to existing circuits, or new circuits can be done by a homeowner without permit or inspection. Though the local inspector did say they would still come out and inspect for safety on such installations if requested assuming they had time available to do so. The defined "substantial work" can actually still be performed by a homeowner, assuming it is done to the current NEC (National Electric Code).
The utility transformer's single phase 240 volt secondary winding is tapped at the center to provide two 120 volt wires of opposite polarity -- this is called split phasing. The 208 volts (square root of 3 times 120 volts) applies to three phase power delivery systems, which serve uncommonly large loads that few homeowners have.
I don't even have an electric car I was just curious to see how one of these wall units works. I ended up learning about my electric box in the process lol
Don’t own and probably never will own an electric car but watched anyway because I figured I’d learn something. Wasn’t disappointed esp the breaker box. Of course I’m just taking baby steps into home repair and home work. I’m proud I was able to take apart. Diagnose. And successfully repair a dryer (faulty contact in the main switch). Amateur stuff by MMM standards it’s going to take me awhile to get comfy with wiring houses or plumbing (beyond replacing toilet guts).
Thinking about getting an ev. This video was very good and it helped me tremendously. If I do decide to go that route I'm confident that I could install a charger. Thank you
I did a very similar project to wire an inlet for a portable generator. It was quite a bit easier than I would have ever anticipated. Thanks for sharing with the world.
Excellent and highly useful video. Thanks for taking all the mystery out of this job and educating us on how straight forward this project is! Thank you Pete.
Thx for the lesson - our leaf barely gets over 80miles on full charge anymore - BUT.....we're looking towards the future when we'll need the L2 charger
Super awesome! Just purchased a used Leaf. Battery probably only has 16kwh capacity left and so Level 1 charging has been more than sufficient for me; however, this video is still super useful! I've done some light electrical work and am always terrified when installing a new breaker. Thanks for helping me learn a bit more!
A few comments on some of the things said on basic electrical stuff. 1. 240V residential service comes from a split phase arrangement where the home side of the Transformer has full 240V between two phases. The center of the transformer winding is split to derive two 120V AC supplies with neutrals. It's not quite -120V and +120V in DC sense. 2. Cable is not DC. It's an AC cable typically rated for 600V 3. Watch out for bending radius. Sharp 90deg should be avoided. 4. Knockout bushing shouldn't be hammered like that. It defeats the purpose by potentially creating burrs and sharp edges. Should remove the extra ring in the knockout to have the full 3/4". 5. I'd check the panel label on the side where it shows the maximum "sum of the breaker amps" allowed for each leg to make sure that's not exceeded.
Well done. I was hoping you chose a more challenging plug location to show us how you would have fished the wire behind the wall. If you have such a video, please share.
Great video to help home owners do some of these easy things without having to pay someone $500 to do it. I do have one comment though, That Leviton connector is only good for someone who is plugging in, say a dryer, and it will never get unplugged. That Leviton connector is cheap because like i mentioned, its designed to have something plugged into it maybe a handful of times in its life. If someone like myself who has an electric motorcycle was to use this setup and plug and unplug every few days, that would be an issue and could, over time, result in a fire. They make other similar connectors that are designed to handle repeated plugging and unplugging, but they are around $80 instead of $12. Could save you from disaster later on though.
Awesome video honesty. But for beginners I would've fast forwarded throuh the part of connecting the wires to the breaker. I know how but that's a important piece of info a beginner should know
Lmao exactly. I'm a mechanical engineer and often work in live-ish power situations. It isn't hard to follow. Red/black is a wire. Metal is conductive lol
Far out man...I like 3 phase better than single phase...I’ve worked with electricity for over 35 years and I’m not an electrician...I learned from the best of the best at Yale University. Local 35 union...love frequency drives too...who needs a license🇺🇸⚓️
2 suggestions -1 don’t use a cordless screwdriver for tightening electrical terminals. 2 test circuit before making live. (Both best practices) Don’t forget to wear your PPE. And remember ‘isolating before opening’.
You talk like I do when I'm high on cocaine. The way you explain everything in a perfect thought train. This is a breaker box. This is what a breaker box is for. This how how a breaker box gets its power. This is what power is. This is how you know how much power. This is a breaker. This is how a breaker works. This is how you remove a breaker. I love it. So many people just tell you what to do from direction to direction. But you, my friend, you give a direction, then go off on a tangent, then give another direction, then another tangent about how direction 1 and 2 are connected and how we got there. Fucking brilliant
why do you need the juice box? my EV adapts directly to a 240 plug, cant i just plug it directly into the outlet without doing the additional step of installing that juice box?
As a lifetime Electrician, I highly recommend that you turn the power off when you are pulling wires in and connecting in the panel (or load center). You don't want to mess up your panel or get hurt by shorting-out anything on the "hot" panel. There's no need to work it "hot". We all know how, but whenever possible, just turn the power off; especially if you are not a skilled electrician.
Plenty of dodgy methods demonstrated here. 1. Never tighten terminals using a power drill, it weakens the brass threads. 2. Don't cut electrical cable with a grinder (especially without a disc guard on) use shears. The heat causes resistance in the strands.
One tip to anyone else that is going to do this. The NEC calls for 6" of wire from the face of the box out, there is a reason for that. Why short yourself on having plenty of wire to terminate the receptacle, looks like he had plenty of wire. I recommend buying the right cable cutters, better yet hire one of us licensed electricians.
My electrical teacher showed us this video to point out the safety issues and I watched in total despair. I do not like being the negative comment guy, but here goes... Hey folks, ALWAYS wear safety goggles or glasses, ALWAYS wear non-conductive gloves. ALWAYS ALWAYS look away when flipping a breaker. ARC FLASHES are no joke and can burn your face or even kill you. NEVER use a circular cutting device to cut through cable or wire. You can seriously injure yourself or cut through live wire and still injure yourself. If you don't have cutters, the store you purchase the cable from will have no issues cutting it to the proper length for you, simply take the time to measure. AGAIN, use gloves. Using a utility knife is perfectly fine, but not without gloves. There is still a chance you can cut yourself, but it will be less serious with GLOVES ON. Make sure to take precaution to not cut through any of the wires within, as well. That can cause an ARC FLASH once powered on. Be sure you do some research on how much power you can draw from that panel because you can ultimately overload and a fire hazard is a possibility. I am not concerned with Mr. Money Mustache being offended by this... I'm more concerned about the safety of human lives watching this video.
@@brianredmond4919 Haha, Im actually in bed while reading this comment. Are you watching me? If you think that what this guy is doing in this video is great, then by all means, go for it. Too bad if I offended you with my long winded “Mr. Safety” comment.
I've been driving an electric car for the last year and a half or so, and haven't installed a 220 outlet or charger yet because I charge at work all day on a 110 v 20 amp outlet, which charges a bit faster than a 15 amp outlet (the charger draws 12 amps on a 15 amp outlet and 16 amps on a 20 amp outlet) and translates to 6 mph (20a) vs 4 mph (15a). I get a bit over 50 miles of range per day. Occasionally I'll charge on a 110 at home for a night or two, as you said, because I only drive 25 miles a day or so.
If you have a good kwhr rate like I used to have 6.5 cents/ kwhr. And an EV, you can charge a Tesla or Bolt for like $10. For 40kwhr. A 240 Volt doesn’t take all day. A 240 volt only takes a few hours. Have several people that have it.
Funny your store has the breakers that are easily accessible. In Montreal, all the hardware stores have them safed behind locked windowed panels. Apparently, they're a high-risk theft item.
If you have ever been NFPA certified you have seen breaker manufacturer videos of workers getting their hands and face flashed - fried . Some of these people will never work again. Some died. Yes he makes sense sometimes, but be very careful! Electricity is invisible. Fact : number one cause of electrical deaths in America is residential . Paying for some help is way cheaper than a serious injury or death. Take care people and be wise.
Something I've learned from my electrician friends - when you do turn on that breaker (or disconnect switch) - stand to the side and look away. If things go sideways, arc flash burns on the back of your head are more fun than on your eyeballs :)
is that osha approved
IF NOTHING ELSE YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS VIDEO, GUYS . . . this tip is THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL . . . YES!! Please DO look away JUST in case something HAS not been connected in the proper way OR there is an equipment malfunction - it IS unlikely but what if there IS an arc? You'll be thanking this tip for saving your eyes from going blind!!!!
@@internetshaquille you are... not the person i expected to see here.
If your doing any of this without wearing eye protection you deserve whatever you get... In addition if your so scared of what might happen and you turn away looking scared out of your mind while turning the power back on I seriously doubt your anywhere you SHOULD be, i.e. employed as an electrician. Not to mention I seriously doubt if the customer is watching like they usually are you'll never get any repeat business 😂
@@jeremyvanbuskirk4148 Yes, pretty much goes without saying that you should be wearing the appropriate PPE per the Arc Flash hazard level for that equipment. My point was more that even if that is the case, putting your face not in the line of fire of an unlikely arc flash is a good idea.
If your installation is in the USA, there are 3 National Electrical Code violations. 1- The 2-gang box clamps are not rated for the use of #6 cable (110.3(B). 2- The conductors inside the 2-gang box are not long enough (300.14). 3- The #6 NM cable requires a supporting means and passing through a hole does not meet that requirement, It must be secured. (334.30). One other point. Make sure your service is rated to handle the additional load. Enjoyed the video.
THANK YOU! I was looking for this comment. I thought I was the only one who noticed! Will it work? yes...but, will it pass inspection? NO!!!
Also, he had a chance to locate the outlet farther on the other stud. One has to check for the height requirements. And, torque drove me crazy, he used a power drill and is not allowed, he has to torque, wiggle, torque wiggle, and then tighten again because it will become loose when is stranded wire. VERY DANGEROUS having a loose connection with that juice. I believe is this is a NEMA 14-50 the torque is 75 and I am sure it is not there. More so, I like sturdy metal boxes even if need to pigtail and ground because they won't move like the plastic one will in less than a year. The outlet is tight and pulling it a few times will make those nails wiggle. Some other things are worth mentioning, like the brutal load in a 125AMP panel...he should upgrade to 200AMP soon....
More than 3 violations.
A recep is not allowed for this installation. Because that's not a portable or readily-removable (no tool) charger, it must be hardwired.
Other issues, violation of box-fill rules, recep box is too small.
An EV charger is a continuous load, therefore it can't be on a 50A breaker. Largest breaker allowed in this installation is a 45A.
Just because it works that doesn't mean it's done correctly.
How can 1 and 2 be fixed?
Use a box that is listed to use #6 wire. Many contractors use them for installation of a flush range (stove) receptacle. Conductors must be long enough to extend out beyond the front of the box a minimum of 3 inches.
I did it. My brother has a Tesla and I needed to have a place for him to charge it. Watching your video helped me dispel some of the fear of opening that breaker box and running wire. $100 dollars of parts from the hardware store and about 4 hours of work in total. Thanks MMM.
When can I expect you over to do my garage?
What a coincidence just got an EV and researching home L2 chargers and up pops a notification of this video!
You’re a great teacher, MMM! This gave me much more confidence in doing electrical work around my home, than any other video has.
Thank you, MMM! I'm useless with this kind of thing, but your wonderfully clear explanations show me that I am able to learn.
Informative video!
The only thing I would add would be the need to calculate the existing electrical load on the panel. Probably not a huge deal as long as you're not running a lot of appliances all the time, but if the homeowner has a limited panel, electric heating in the winter, electric dryer and electric stove all running while charging his or her car... Might run into an overload.
Dude I got the ev car and I use my standard ev plug. Now it does take a long time to charge but It does the job for me. Props for doing it yourself.
One correction is while the panel is not complicated, for people without an at least basic knowledge of electricity it can actually be dangerous. An additional tip would be to install the circuit breaker close to the top of electric panel to limit voltage drop across circuit breakers above it. Voltage drop can cause the breakers above a double breaker to drop below their rating, which lights or whatever is on that breaker circuit to dim or blink during initial power up.
God, thank you.
So many times I've listened to someones voice for hours, painted pictures with their words or their music, and then when I see their real face I'm like "oh God, that's not right. That's not at all right"
You, sir, have a face that fits your voice and your intellect
Thanks for making and sharing content like this, Pete. You're saving a lot of us a lot of time, money, and confusion through your simple approaches. Please keep making the world better.
As an electrician that specializes in EVSE installations, if your must do an outlet setup, make sure to use a commercial grade outlet. Not clear but it looks like the cheaper box store outlet. The commercial are more expensive and about 2.5 inches diameter compared to just 2 inches for the cheaper ones. They are fine for dryers and ranges but not designed for the continuous load of an EVSE and we are seeing a lot of over heating and melting. Also, in most areas, an outlet requires a more expensive gfci breaker. Best bet, cheaper, safer and higher output is always go for a hardwired unit.
This was SO satisfying to watch for some reason! :)
Cheers MMM!
Damn, you're my hero. The most intimidating part of deciding whether to get an electric car just became so much easier.
I installed one of these myself last year, but ran the power outside from the house panel inside PVC conduit, and used a weatherproof box and cover mounted on the side of the house. There was no garage sub panel or space to charge the car in the garage, unfortunately. It is definitely doable, and this is a nice video. To anyone reading this, depending on where you live, you'll likely need permits.
All the 240 breakers needs to be connected in the service panel no on the subpanel you did it right
Awesome video. Production and editing was solid. Thank you for sharing another DIY project.
Most informative electrical advice I’ve ever seen. I’ve always been afraid to do things like this but this is helping me gain courage!
Do NOT consider doing this kind of work if you are not fully educated on basic household electricity. It is very easy to "overlook" something. Just a point to note, that is NOT how to install a box. No experienced electrician EVER feeds any wires through a box with the jacket still on. The jacket is removed first, with the correct amount removed ....THEN feeds the line through the boxes, outlet and mains, to the correct position.
Trying to trim back the jacket with the wire inside the box is the most ridiculous, backwards way of doing this very simple task.
.
@@taxicamel LOL, that's it? So you charge someone $1,000 just to strip the wire correctly?
Thanks to you, I have a functioning level 2 charger for my 2016 Leaf that I bought a few weeks ago. Thanks so much for making this relatively easy to do myself.
....AND WHY DO YOU HAVE A CHARGER WHEN THE LINE IS ALREADY 230 VOLTS????
WHAT AM I MISSING?
.
Love love love the rustic wood paneling in your garage.
Nice instructional video. A couple of points I'm sure you're already aware of. 1) You need a permit at least in my area (Oregon) you do. Around here at least a homeowner is allowed to do any electrical work on their OWN house (with the afformentioned permit). You cannot do your neighbour a favour and do it for him/her, even if you happen to be a professional electrician! 2) In Europe/Australia/much of Asia the electrical system is slightly different in that they do not have two 120V phases 180 degrees out of phase.. i.e +120V and -120v about a neutral like we do. "Over there" they have a single phase wire which is +240V (in the UK, 220V mainland Europe) above the neutral. Thus 220 -240V is wired directly to each outlet in the house. You mentioned 208V, typically that is two legs from a 3 phase transformer which are 120 deg apart.. Not found in a homeowner situation as far I know.
I would add, that if your 125 amp panel is nearly maxed out you might have to recalculate your load to ensure you dont constantly trip your main breaker and also be in compliance with your authority having jurisdiction. Breakers that have tripped weaken with every trip and eventually fail to either reset or fail to trip. If it fails to trip you will very likely have a fire, and if found to be started by unpermitted work you could be held liable for the damages. A couple hundred dollars for a permit is way better than paying out of pocket to rebuild your house. To add, I see 208v in the apartment construction industry all the time. So I imagine it's possible in say larger condominium complexes, but I could be wrong.
Added benefit of charging at 240V (level 2) instead of 120V (level 1) is the added efficiency, it goes up to almost 90% instead of only 80% so it saves you money! Another thing to point out is tour existing leaf charger can be either modified or sent off by someone to be modified to make it work on 240V or 120V since the wire it comes with will handle it, it’s fairly complicated and may be cheaper to just buy the level 2 charger but good to know the option. I have a 2011 Leaf with 8 capacity bars and 30-40 mile range so I charge quite frequently but it was only $6k when I bought it a bit over a year ago and it saves me $0.12/$0.14 per mile over driving our 2012 Subaru Forester!
Cool, that's a very frugal electric runabout! ... although I still think Nissan is killing their reputation with those early Leafs - the car is kind of synonymous with battery degradation, even though newer electric cars don't display this problem at all.
If I were Nissan, I'd offer NEW 40 kWh batteries that were compatible with the original Leaf, and subsidize the cost heavily (maybe down to $3000 or so), so that these not-all-that-old cars could be like any other 2011 car: still almost as good as new, with the benefit of a 150 mile range and a 15 year future lifespan. Come on Nissan! You're just GIVING the market away to Tesla by missing obvious public relations wins like this! :-)
Mr. Money Mustache agreed! And they actually had a warranty where if it dropped to 8 bars before 60K miles or 6 years, something like that then you got the new lizard cell battery for free! This car missed out on that by like 6 months which is why I got it so cheap but I factored in a potential new battery at $5,500 after the rebate for the core, that is Nissan installed and the 2014-2015 lizard cell battery technology. I agree with the public perception issue but as a mechanical engineer it doesn’t borrow me and I want to keep driving this as long as I can and see how much more the battery degrades. The first 15 months have seen no degradation at all and I have more than 7k miles on it more since I bought it.
@@MrMoneyMustacheChannel correct
I really loved this video. Simple and straight to the point. Thanks MMM.
Currently on an EV installation course in the UK. Our tutor played this video in class after a gruelling day of theory, to make us all laugh! 😅😅😅😅😅
hey Ursa Major65 - can I ask what course it was? any good? thinking of getting involved in this emerging line of work myself
@@martincourtney8114
You mean this video wasn't enough!! 😂😂😂
Did course at Trade skills 4U. Yes it was OK. You need to do quite a bit of homework though. Also you need to have passed the 18th edition wiring regs exam first.
That was awesome! Great video! Straight forward and to the point, no bs talking or unnecessary jargish. Props to you my friend
Bought a lightly used Chevy Bolt a few days ago, and have been thinking of installing a level 2 in my garage. I probably don't need it, considering how much I drive. But it will be a fun project. So thanks, great vid (and I love your shirt -- I usually put more miles on my bicycle per year than I do on my vehicles). This is my first EV car, and I'm loving it. I've been riding an electric motorcycle (Zero SR) for three years, which is awesome fun.
Interesting how much regulations vary across the US. In my area of the country, permits and inspections are only required for "substantial work" which is defined as complete house re-wires, sub-panel installations, breaker panel replacements, or service upgrades. Additions to existing circuits, or new circuits can be done by a homeowner without permit or inspection. Though the local inspector did say they would still come out and inspect for safety on such installations if requested assuming they had time available to do so.
The defined "substantial work" can actually still be performed by a homeowner, assuming it is done to the current NEC (National Electric Code).
The utility transformer's single phase 240 volt secondary winding is tapped at the center to provide two 120 volt wires of opposite polarity -- this is called split phasing. The 208 volts (square root of 3 times 120 volts) applies to three phase power delivery systems, which serve uncommonly large loads that few homeowners have.
Great explanation. Mostly steady camera. Microphone close to speaker. This was a pleasure to watch.
Wow - super solid video, thanks for taking the time to walk through each step and explain how it all works.
Not being a professional, for my own peace of mind. I'd add a step of checking the receptacle with a multimeter before using it.
Nice job MMM, good to see the channel is expanding.
I was glad to see you had safety glasses on while using the grinder. Good job - safety first in ALL things.
I don't even have an electric car I was just curious to see how one of these wall units works. I ended up learning about my electric box in the process lol
Thanks for un - scarifying some of this, Pete! This is one of your best videos as far as I believe. Thanks for not getting ‘lectrofried on
camera!
Great instructional! I still am not confident that I could do it, but you've laid out these steps so well.
Always love your blogs and content, please post more
This video answered so many questions I've had about house electricity
Don’t own and probably never will own an electric car but watched anyway because I figured I’d learn something. Wasn’t disappointed esp the breaker box.
Of course I’m just taking baby steps into home repair and home work. I’m proud I was able to take apart. Diagnose. And successfully repair a dryer (faulty contact in the main switch). Amateur stuff by MMM standards it’s going to take me awhile to get comfy with wiring houses or plumbing (beyond replacing toilet guts).
Thinking about getting an ev. This video was very good and it helped me tremendously. If I do decide to go that route I'm confident that I could install a charger. Thank you
I did a very similar project to wire an inlet for a portable generator. It was quite a bit easier than I would have ever anticipated. Thanks for sharing with the world.
Excellent and highly useful video. Thanks for taking all the mystery out of this job and educating us on how straight forward this project is! Thank you Pete.
Thank you! I could have saved $400-800 after I saw this video. Next home I am installing it for my EV.
You still need to pay for the permit for adding a new circuit and an electrician to inspect the circuit.
I had to give you a thumbs up man, for your effort!
Good overview of the process + smooth music.
MMM you rock! Thanks for showing us all this!
I probably won't ever do this, but it was interesting to watch lol
Thanks for the educational video! Love all your stuff, and hope you and your son keep these videos coming!
Thx for the lesson - our leaf barely gets over 80miles on full charge anymore - BUT.....we're looking towards the future when we'll need the L2 charger
That's all I needed, charger type, wire size, outlet type and breaker size.
Nice work on the videos. This one's inspiring me to do more of my own electrical work.
Super awesome! Just purchased a used Leaf. Battery probably only has 16kwh capacity left and so Level 1 charging has been more than sufficient for me; however, this video is still super useful! I've done some light electrical work and am always terrified when installing a new breaker. Thanks for helping me learn a bit more!
Very informative and useful video for every homeowner
A few comments on some of the things said on basic electrical stuff.
1. 240V residential service comes from a split phase arrangement where the home side of the Transformer has full 240V between two phases. The center of the transformer winding is split to derive two 120V AC supplies with neutrals. It's not quite -120V and +120V in DC sense.
2. Cable is not DC. It's an AC cable typically rated for 600V
3. Watch out for bending radius. Sharp 90deg should be avoided.
4. Knockout bushing shouldn't be hammered like that. It defeats the purpose by potentially creating burrs and sharp edges. Should remove the extra ring in the knockout to have the full 3/4".
5. I'd check the panel label on the side where it shows the maximum "sum of the breaker amps" allowed for each leg to make sure that's not exceeded.
I enjoyed this. Looking forward to more DIY videos. Thanks again for what you do!
Well done. I was hoping you chose a more challenging plug location to show us how you would have fished the wire behind the wall. If you have such a video, please share.
Great video to help home owners do some of these easy things without having to pay someone $500 to do it. I do have one comment though, That Leviton connector is only good for someone who is plugging in, say a dryer, and it will never get unplugged. That Leviton connector is cheap because like i mentioned, its designed to have something plugged into it maybe a handful of times in its life. If someone like myself who has an electric motorcycle was to use this setup and plug and unplug every few days, that would be an issue and could, over time, result in a fire. They make other similar connectors that are designed to handle repeated plugging and unplugging, but they are around $80 instead of $12. Could save you from disaster later on though.
Awesome video honesty. But for beginners I would've fast forwarded throuh the part of connecting the wires to the breaker. I know how but that's a important piece of info a beginner should know
Thank you MMM!
More videos please how to save $$$
That was so well done. Thanks for getting to the point, great teaching.
Step one
turn off main breaker before removing panel
Here endeth the lesson
Step one: cut a hole in a box.
@@GH-yt7eg Step 3: Turn the breaker back on!
I’d love to see a video on “how to” high density foaming insulation :)
I wish you would have clearly showed how you connected all 4 wires to the breaker and the plug. Otherwise, I really liked and appreciated the video.
Fantastic for the money!
You made it so easy to understand. Great job!
As a fellow cyclist and in top of that even not-a-car-owner I have to say, your T-Shirt is so awesome :)
Where did you get it?
Thank you sir! Way more simple then I thought!
Hey man, as an electrician, how dare you open a panel cover without proper training 😂
Lmao exactly. I'm a mechanical engineer and often work in live-ish power situations. It isn't hard to follow. Red/black is a wire. Metal is conductive lol
Far out man...I like 3 phase better than single phase...I’ve worked with electricity for over 35 years and I’m not an electrician...I learned from the best of the best at Yale University. Local 35 union...love frequency drives too...who needs a license🇺🇸⚓️
@@e22ddie46 True,but still illegal. Energized parts must be de-energized or you must have the proper PPE.
First time watch.... I missed the amp requirements but that wire was fracugkin huge!
2 suggestions -1 don’t use a cordless screwdriver for tightening electrical terminals. 2 test circuit before making live. (Both best practices) Don’t forget to wear your PPE. And remember ‘isolating before opening’.
You talk like I do when I'm high on cocaine.
The way you explain everything in a perfect thought train.
This is a breaker box. This is what a breaker box is for. This how how a breaker box gets its power. This is what power is. This is how you know how much power. This is a breaker. This is how a breaker works. This is how you remove a breaker.
I love it. So many people just tell you what to do from direction to direction. But you, my friend, you give a direction, then go off on a tangent, then give another direction, then another tangent about how direction 1 and 2 are connected and how we got there.
Fucking brilliant
Great video! Please more of this. Very interessting...
3:34 your fingers got really close to those contacts. Really careful
You should have explained what you did with the 3rd wire in the 14-50 box.
3rd wire ? What about the 4th ?
Diagram: www.pinterest.com/pin/726627721107067615/
why do you need the juice box? my EV adapts directly to a 240 plug, cant i just plug it directly into the outlet without doing the additional step of installing that juice box?
The juice box has a phone app that sends notifications, etc
As a lifetime Electrician, I highly recommend that you turn the power off when you are pulling wires in and connecting in the panel (or load center). You don't want to mess up your panel or get hurt by shorting-out anything on the "hot" panel. There's no need to work it "hot". We all know how, but whenever possible, just turn the power off; especially if you are not a skilled electrician.
Hi so where exactly do the neutral, earth and 2 hot wires connect to in the breaker box.?
Lol. i didnt realized it was MMM. watching the video , I was like : I know this guy! .. until he mentioned.
Thank you so much for your lovely video it saved me a lot of money and the most important that i have learned something new.
Plenty of dodgy methods demonstrated here.
1. Never tighten terminals using a power drill, it weakens the brass threads.
2. Don't cut electrical cable with a grinder (especially without a disc guard on) use shears. The heat causes resistance in the strands.
So cool! I don't even have a car but I enjoyed this. Nice camera, I can really see well. Is it new?
Excellent work! More how-to videos please!
I have the same LEAF (not a lot of brown ones out there!) I also installed my own charger. Thanks to RUclips.
Thank you
Uhm, isn't your angle grinder missing the safety guard? 😂
Wow. So helpful.
It's just two 120V legs, there is no positive or negative in an AC system.
Can you do a video on gas vs electric appliances?
One tip to anyone else that is going to do this. The NEC calls for 6" of wire from the face of the box out, there is a reason for that. Why short yourself on having plenty of wire to terminate the receptacle, looks like he had plenty of wire. I recommend buying the right cable cutters, better yet hire one of us licensed electricians.
My electrical teacher showed us this video to point out the safety issues and I watched in total despair. I do not like being the negative comment guy, but here goes... Hey folks, ALWAYS wear safety goggles or glasses, ALWAYS wear non-conductive gloves. ALWAYS ALWAYS look away when flipping a breaker. ARC FLASHES are no joke and can burn your face or even kill you. NEVER use a circular cutting device to cut through cable or wire. You can seriously injure yourself or cut through live wire and still injure yourself. If you don't have cutters, the store you purchase the cable from will have no issues cutting it to the proper length for you, simply take the time to measure. AGAIN, use gloves. Using a utility knife is perfectly fine, but not without gloves. There is still a chance you can cut yourself, but it will be less serious with GLOVES ON. Make sure to take precaution to not cut through any of the wires within, as well. That can cause an ARC FLASH once powered on. Be sure you do some research on how much power you can draw from that panel because you can ultimately overload and a fire hazard is a possibility. I am not concerned with Mr. Money Mustache being offended by this... I'm more concerned about the safety of human lives watching this video.
Just stay in bed .
@@brianredmond4919 Haha, Im actually in bed while reading this comment. Are you watching me? If you think that what this guy is doing in this video is great, then by all means, go for it. Too bad if I offended you with my long winded “Mr. Safety” comment.
Even better advice. Hire a professional electrician to do the work. ,!
Thanks!
I've been driving an electric car for the last year and a half or so, and haven't installed a 220 outlet or charger yet because I charge at work all day on a 110 v 20 amp outlet, which charges a bit faster than a 15 amp outlet (the charger draws 12 amps on a 15 amp outlet and 16 amps on a 20 amp outlet) and translates to 6 mph (20a) vs 4 mph (15a). I get a bit over 50 miles of range per day. Occasionally I'll charge on a 110 at home for a night or two, as you said, because I only drive 25 miles a day or so.
If you have a good kwhr rate like I used to have 6.5 cents/ kwhr. And an EV, you can charge a Tesla or Bolt for like $10. For 40kwhr. A 240 Volt doesn’t take all day. A 240 volt only takes a few hours. Have several people that have it.
Funny your store has the breakers that are easily accessible. In Montreal, all the hardware stores have them safed behind locked windowed panels. Apparently, they're a high-risk theft item.
Very helpful
If you have ever been NFPA certified you have seen breaker manufacturer videos of workers getting their hands and face flashed - fried . Some of these people will never work again. Some died. Yes he makes sense sometimes, but be very careful! Electricity is invisible. Fact : number one cause of electrical deaths in America is residential . Paying for some help is way cheaper than a serious injury or death. Take care people and be wise.
Great instructions but I am still not comfortable with the different colors of wire to connect or use.
awesome!
Eaton bought Cutler-Hammer back in '74, giving us Eaton CH breakers and panels. Same with BR but I can't remember what company that was from.
Excellent and useful information. Thanks
Loved it! Keep up the good work.