adding a 240v outlet to garage

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
wanting to look into adding a 240w outlet in my garage. Fuse panel is on the back wall and to the left is a (I'm guessing) a 120v GFCI outlet. I am a total newb when it comes to electrical work, but how much would it typically cost to add a 240v outlet hiring someone to do it.
 
You’ve got a fuse panel?
How old is the house?

For reference we charge $125/manhour. Drive time paid.
 
I paid $300 to have one installed last year, the run was only about 2ft though (literally the backside of the panel). I didn't shop around but looking at Ron's numbers I think I did alright.

Duane
 
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Ballpark $500 to $750.
DIYing it is maybe $100-150 in parts depending how much wire you buy.
Not a hard job but I'm not recommending you diy this. Code matters and so does not dying.

As mentioned the most important question is whether you have two adjacent slots available in the box.
 
I'd like to point out that OP @Cherokeekid88 just bought a used Tesla. I'd bet my hat this is for his charger.

There's more to this than just voltage. How many amps do you need? Hence what ga wire? Is there is a special kind of plug? Will this plug on the other side of the wall from your box be in the right place for plugging in the car?

With only 3 open slots and you're about to use 2 of them... how is the rest of the power situation in the garage? If you're running a heavy gauge wire for 240 anyway, is it worthwhile to make it a 60A and put a sub panel on the other end in the garage and be ready to tee off your charger line plus a few more 120s later? Its hardly any more work, all the PITA work will be running the wire, not the hookups.

OP came here asking about the cost to have this done by somebody else. IMO he's on the right track. This isn't a hard task, and would definitely be a journeyman job for an electrician. I'd do it myself w/o thinking twice but I've also cumulative spent weeks of my life reading code and years building up comfort - my impression is OP has no experience doing electrical and IMO running a 240v isn't the place to start DIYing. There's a lot of little things that matter to do it to code.

IMO best scenario is to find a knowledgeable friend to pay and do for you and walk you through it, or just pay a local guy and politely ask if you can watch what he does so you can understand better.
 
RatLabGuy said:
I'd like to point out that OP @Cherokeekid88 just bought a used Tesla. I'd bet my hat this is for his charger.

There's more to this than just voltage. How many amps do you need? Hence what ga wire? Is there is a special kind of plug? Will this plug on the other side of the wall from your box be in the right place for plugging in the car?

With only 3 open slots and you're about to use 2 of them... how is the rest of the power situation in the garage? If you're running a heavy gauge wire for 240 anyway, is it worthwhile to make it a 60A and put a sub panel on the other end in the garage and be ready to tee off your charger line plus a few more 120s later? Its hardly any more work, all the PITA work will be running the wire, not the hookups.

OP came here asking about the cost to have this done by somebody else. IMO he's on the right track. This isn't a hard task, and would definitely be a journeyman job for an electrician. I'd do it myself w/o thinking twice but I've also cumulative spent weeks of my life reading code and years building up comfort - my impression is OP has no experience doing electrical and IMO running a 240v isn't the place to start DIYing. There's a lot of little things that matter to do it to code.

IMO best scenario is to find a knowledgeable friend to pay and do for you and walk you through it, or just pay a local guy and politely ask if you can watch what he does so you can understand better.
Click to expand...
Ding Ding Ding

From what I have researched, 40-60 amps is needed for 240v for charging, Also the NEMA 14-50 plug. The breaker box is on the back wall of the garage and there is currently a 110v (?) outlet to the left of the box, which is the only usable outlet in the garage besides the ceiling mounted one for the garage door opener.

This is def not something I would ever attempt to tackle myself, but I like to know what I need, so that when I connect with someone who can do it, I can explain what I need and not feel like I am being sold on something I don't need.
 
RatLabGuy said:
I'd like to point out that OP @Cherokeekid88 just bought a used Tesla. I'd bet my hat this is for his charger.

There's more to this than just voltage. How many amps do you need? Hence what ga wire? Is there is a special kind of plug? Will this plug on the other side of the wall from your box be in the right place for plugging in the car?

With only 3 open slots and you're about to use 2 of them... how is the rest of the power situation in the garage? If you're running a heavy gauge wire for 240 anyway, is it worthwhile to make it a 60A and put a sub panel on the other end in the garage and be ready to tee off your charger line plus a few more 120s later? Its hardly any more work, all the PITA work will be running the wire, not the hookups.

OP came here asking about the cost to have this done by somebody else. IMO he's on the right track. This isn't a hard task, and would definitely be a journeyman job for an electrician. I'd do it myself w/o thinking twice but I've also cumulative spent weeks of my life reading code and years building up comfort - my impression is OP has no experience doing electrical and IMO running a 240v isn't the place to start DIYing. There's a lot of little things that matter to do it to code.

IMO best scenario is to find a knowledgeable friend to pay and do for you and walk you through it, or just pay a local guy and politely ask if you can watch what he does so you can understand better.
Click to expand...
This is a great point and the angle I was going to go.

I know I am about to sound snarky, and I am all for DIY. But electricity is the one thing that can burn down your home and kill you. And EV chargers are pretty much by far the largest power consumers most folks will have in their home.

Based on OP's posting history, it is highly likely he is going to ignore the next two things I post ( :flipoff2:) but I will offer unsolicited advice anyway.
As someone who has installed a few hundred EV chargers. For home personal use
- Buy the damn Tesla brand charger, dont try to save a few bucks.
- Buy the 'Wall Connector' not the 'Mobile Connector'

All joking aside, if its as you describe - if you were local we'd supply the Tesla 'wall connector', wire it and mount it for ~$1,000-1,200.
$600 of that is the device.

If you have a sparky friend you probably have under $100 in materials and 2 hours of labor
 
Shreddinlettuce said:
Do you have 2 empty slots on your fuse pannel? If so you could get a 2 pole breaker added pretty easy, if not it could get pretty expensive
Click to expand...
Does Not Compute No Brain GIF by THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS


:D:flipoff2:
 
Ron said:
This is a great point and the angle I was going to go.

I know I am about to sound snarky, and I am all for DIY. But electricity is the one thing that can burn down your home and kill you.
Click to expand...
Over the years as I've increased my DIY comfort scope across many domains, for electrical things my personal rule has always been to limit myself to what is on the edge of my current comfort zone. Not completely out of it. Build up slowly.
And lots and lots of reading. And details matter.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
Ding Ding Ding

From what I have researched, 40-60 amps is needed for 240v for charging, Also the NEMA 14-50 plug. The breaker box is on the back wall of the garage and there is currently a 110v (?) outlet to the left of the box, which is the only usable outlet in the garage besides the ceiling mounted one for the garage door opener.

This is def not something I would ever attempt to tackle myself, but I like to know what I need, so that when I connect with someone who can do it, I can explain what I need and not feel like I am being sold on something I don't need.
Click to expand...

You need to figure out hardwired or nema plug. If you nema plug you will be limited to 40amp charging vs hard wire you can do 48 (and will need a 60amp breaker). Both have plus and minuses
 
BECO has a great reputation in high point, but they are big enough - that your experience will depend on who gets sent out.
 
Also check duke energy if you have them. Depending on your area they have rebates for doing a home charger wiring and even have contractors they can put you in touch with.

Can’t remember if somebody already said this or not
 
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