Window vs dryer outlet — I have both options for my rental. Which is actually safer long-term?
Rental duplex, landlord's actually been decent about it, said either option is fine as long as I can explain the safety side. Option A is a portable Level 1 out the kitchen window down to the driveway, shortest run, maybe 15 feet total. Option B is a portable Level 2 into the basement dryer outlet with about a 40-foot extension cord run through the house to reach a window or door near where the car parks.
Landlord wants something in writing before I commit either way, which I get, it's still his house. Curious what the community actually leans toward when both options are genuinely on the table, not just "whichever one you're stuck with."
Filed under: Portable & No-Install Charging
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6 answers
6 ANSWERS
@gravelfox88July 26, 2026
Between those two, the extension cord run is the bigger red flag, not the window or the dryer outlet themselves. A 40-foot household extension cord carrying Level 2 amperage for hours isn't what those cords are rated for unless it's a heavy-gauge outdoor-rated cord specifically, most aren't. The window/Level 1 setup is the more boring, more predictable option.
That's actually the opposite of what I expected going in, I figured the window setup sounded sketchier on paper.
Window feels sketchier because you can see it, but a random extension cord buried through a house doing L2 amperage for 8 hours is the one that can actually overheat somewhere you won't notice until it's a problem.
@misty_waffleJuly 24, 2026
If you do go the extension cord route anyway, at minimum get one rated for the actual amperage of your Level 2 unit, not just whatever's in the garage already. Most household extension cords are nowhere close to rated for that continuous load.
@randomkiwi27August 02, 2026
Also worth putting in writing to your landlord which specific outlet and circuit you're using either way, so there's no confusion later about what was actually agreed to versus assumed.
@hutchridesJuly 27, 2026
Slower L1 out the window sounds like plenty for a normal commute anyway, doesn't sound like you need L2 speed if this is just daily driving.
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