Electrical and dimension requirements

[Wrecker]

Greetings - long time lurker. I appreciate all that everyone puts into this site. I’m a dual motor guy with a reservation at about 100k. I chose this as a retirement gift (USAF - 25 years) for summer 22. I kept my end of the bargain …. Looking at you Elon…

Anyway, it’ll all work out. We’re moving from NC (bragg) to Dallas and buying a build house. I fly out next week to put in an offer. Scheduled completion is august, so I have time to influence some minor changes. The house is three car garage (2 car and split one car). I’d like to reserve the 2 car for my wife since it enters at a mudroom/laundry room, and she’ll have the kids most the time.

I owe her a new(ish) car after we move, so we could end up with a 3 or Y as her primary driver.

1) What dimensions will I need to put the CT in the one car and have adequate room?

2) what (specifically) should I have asked to be installed in both garages power wise? And other requests to ensure proper loading in the house?

thanks fellas

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[rr6013]

Min. Dimesions

 

[kraal]

This picture can help you to have a good idea of space needs. It is not the true CT, but..

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

The riginally-published dimensions were 232" length x 80" width x 75" (min) height. You would need walking room on either side of at least 2' or you couldn't get things into and out of the car, and you would want at least 12" clearance above, but a standard garage might be aboe to accommodate width and height requirements. The problem would be in the length. You need the garage to be long enough that you can get around the front or back so you probably need another 2', so 254". 288" would be 20', so you are looking at about 17' clear.

You will want 220v service with at least a 60-amp breaker for each charger.

 

[Crissa]

Remember you also need room for doors both on the car and on the house, as well as slop space to fit ^-^

-Crissa

 

[Wrecker]

Thanks all. Just returned from a whirlwind trip. The housing market in DFW is just nuts right now.

I took photos of a same model in another community and need some input. I’m trying to negotiate, but I’m not there.

The electrical panel was in the one car garage, along with a 14-50 outlet. However, looking at the panel later, I’m confused. Is this a sub-panel? I don’t see the A/C or a master switch (so I’m not sure if it’s 100A or 200A to the house). Also, it appears the 14-50 is on a 20A fuse.

- is there any way to tell Amps for the house from this photo?
- I have requested 14-50 with 50A circuit for both garages. Is there room on this panel?

any other suggestions would be helpful. I’ve talked to the sales counselor and she just doesn’t know. The electrician won’t be in until tomorrow, and I’d like to have a better understanding before I talk with him.

( The garage will be tight on space. I’ll have to find where I right down the measurements)
Thank you

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

The main panel is probably where the meter is. My main is outside my garage and my subpanel is like the one you show. The subpanel label says 200 amps but that might not be the full service at the main. This subpanel has about 15 15-amp breakers and about 10 20-amp breakers on it and it looks like there might be room for 2 breakers at the top. You cannot tell the total actual load from the breakers as, if these were all being used at once at rated amperage you would be well over 200 amps and you aren't supposed to use more than 80% of the rated maximum (I am not an electrician so someone else will surely correct this if wrong). Your electric bill might provide that information and if you could read the meter it would.

 

[Crissa]

The panel expects that you aren't using them all at once.

-Crissa

 

[ajdelange]

This is a sub panel. It is not the service entrance as there is no main disconnect. The service entrance is probably in the 2 car garage as that's where the ground (Ufer) is located. It is a 200 A (400 - pole amp) panel populated with 440 pole-amps of breakers so it is under loaded. Typically a 400 pole-amp panel will have 800 pole-amps of breakers installed.

I've never seen anything like this. These are all dual pole breakers with many of them having a separate circuit attached to each pole and many of them are GFCI breakers. The fact that you require an Ufer ground (poor soil conductivity) may have something to do with special requirements in the local code.

I don't see any labeling suggesting that one of these breakers is fo the 14-50R.

Try to find the service entrance and look for the main disconnect. There should be a set of breakers feeding this and other sub panels. Perhaps there is a separate breaker there for the 14-50R.

 

[Wrecker]

This is a sub panel. It is not the service entrance as there is no main disconnect. The service entrance is probably in the 2 car garage as that's where the ground (Ufer) is located. It is a 200 A (400 - pole amp) panel populated with 440 pole-amps of breakers so it is under loaded. Typically a 400 pole-amp panel will have 800 pole-amps of breakers installed.

I've never seen anything like this. These are all dual pole breakers with many of them having a separate circuit attached to each pole and many of them are GFCI breakers. The fact that you require an Ufer ground (poor soil conductivity) may have something to do with special requirements in the local code.

I don't see any labeling suggesting that one of these breakers is fo the 14-50R.

Try to find the service entrance and look for the main disconnect. There should be a set of breakers feeding this and other sub panels. Perhaps there is a separate breaker there for the 14-50R.

Great info. Thanks all!

 

[SparkEE]

This is a sub panel. It is not the service entrance as there is no main disconnect. The service entrance is probably in the 2 car garage as that's where the ground (Ufer) is located. It is a 200 A (400 - pole amp) panel populated with 440 pole-amps of breakers so it is under loaded. Typically a 400 pole-amp panel will have 800 pole-amps of breakers installed.

I've never seen anything like this. These are all dual pole breakers with many of them having a separate circuit attached to each pole and many of them are GFCI breakers. The fact that you require an Ufer ground (poor soil conductivity) may have something to do with special requirements in the local code.

I don't see any labeling suggesting that one of these breakers is fo the 14-50R.

Try to find the service entrance and look for the main disconnect. There should be a set of breakers feeding this and other sub panels. Perhaps there is a separate breaker there for the 14-50R.

I'm pretty sure those aren't two pole breakers rather a very lousy circuit assignment diagram. Why it provides two lines or names for each breaker is likely for those more organized or descriptive than I.

Definitely a sub panel. Main service entrance likely in basement if there is one along the wall where the utility distribution line is. I'm not familiar enough if basements are standard in Texas...

To the OP, you need to find the main panel and determine the breaker rating that feeds the sub panel. You can only get 80% of that breaker rating on useable ampereage. Similarly what is the main incoming breaker rated to - highly likely 200a. I agree with AJ that there is probably another breaker elsewhere for the 14-50 and it will be twice the size in the panel than the single pole breakers. Should look like your dryer plug breaker.

 

[ajdelange]

I'm pretty sure those aren't two pole breakers rather a very lousy circuit assignment diagram. Why it provides two lines or names for each breaker is likely for those more organized or descriptive than I.

Think you are right about that but in some cases he has a label diagonally across both fields and in others what seem to be two circuits. Here's what the guts of a 30 position 200 amp (Square D) panel look like

There are three kinds of breakers that can go in there. A dual pole (takes two slots),a single pole (takes one) and a tandem (2 circuits on a single stab). It is for the tandems (becoming quite common these days) that the label slots are dicided into 2 halves.

 

[rodmacpherson]

I've never seen anything like this. These are all dual pole breakers with many of them having a separate circuit attached to each pole and many of them are GFCI breakers. The fact that you require an Ufer ground (poor soil conductivity) may have something to do with special requirements in the local code.

I think you are mistaken, perhaps you are used to a different brand of panel, those all look like single pole breakers to me.

 

[ajdelange]

See No 12

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