Ford charger in NEMA 14 - 50, breaker flips

[circatee]

I have the Ford mobile charger, that comes with the GTPE, connected to a NEMA 14 - 50.
The NEMA 14 - 50 was professionally installed, with a GFCI and such.
A few times now, I’ve connected the charger to the car, and the breaker would flip.

Curious, any reason why?

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[Space_Pony]

What did the guy that installed the outlet say?

 

[Garbone]

Rating on the breaker? Loose lugs? Wire type?

 

[circatee]

Wire type is 6 gauge, breaker is 50. I haven’t asked the company/contractor that installed the outlet anything, yet.
I was more curious if others have experienced something similar…

 

[hybrid2bev]

Thought I read on here that the circuit should not have a GFCI. Having a GFCI on the circuit and also on the EVSE like the mobile unit has could cause the breaker to trip.

 

[circatee]

Thought I read on here that the circuit should not have a GFCI. Having a GFCI on the circuit and also on the EVSE like the mobile unit has could cause the breaker to trip.

In Georgia, the electrical code requires a GFCI…

 

[hybrid2bev]

In Georgia, the electrical code requires a GFCI…

I’m not saying what the code requires or not. I’m saying that I thought others had said having a double GFCI setup could cause nuisance trips of the breaker.

 

[4sallypat]

Thought I read on here that the circuit should not have a GFCI. Having a GFCI on the circuit and also on the EVSE like the mobile unit has could cause the breaker to trip.

Agree - the EVSE has a built in GFCI so having another upstream may introduce faulty trips.

My 60A EVSE circuit goes direct to my EVSE that has built in thermal and GFCI protection.

My electrician said none is required.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Swap out the GFCI breaker for a regular one so you can charge reliably. Yes that’s against code but it’s not really a big deal.

 

[circatee]

I’m not saying what the code requires or not. I’m saying that I thought others had said having a double GFCI setup could cause nuisance trips of the breaker.

Understood…

 

[Fremont Kid]

I recommend pursuing the accurate Georgia code specification. GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interruption and was designed for situations which can cause an imbalance, i.e. fluctuation between the hot and neutral wires. Think moisture shorting out the current between wires. Even a 4-5 milliamp difference can trigger the GFCI circuit to break. I suspect the GA code does not require GFCI indoors, i.e. dry conditions not near water, for high amp circuits such as yours. I have not measured my charger circuit, but I would not be surprised at a 4-5 milliamp variation regularly. That is just not a lot, and you aren't trying to protect someone in a swimming pool, shower, etc. from being electrocuted.
Of course, I'll defer to IBEW certified journeymen who may differ.

 

[Maquis]

Is the breaker tripping on GFCI or overcurrent? There should be an indicator.

Cascading of GFCIs is not in itself a problem. I’ve debated this on other threads, and I’m not inclined to do so again. The 2023 NEC requires all outlets in garages or outdoors that are 150V (to ground) or less and 50A or less to be GFCI-protected, so eventually this will be required everywhere in the US unless removed by local amendment.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Is the breaker tripping on GFCI or overcurrent? There should be an indicator.

Cascading of GFCIs is not in itself a problem. I’ve debated this on other threads, and I’m not inclined to do so again. The 2023 NEC requires all outlets in garages or outdoors that are 150V (to ground) or less and 50A or less to be GFCI-protected, so eventually this will be required everywhere in the US unless removed by local amendment.

Some EVSEs trip GFCI breakers when they test/calibrate their own internal GFCI by passing a small amount of current on the ground wire. To me, it's more important that the GFCI in the EVSE works and is able to be automatically tested than having the GFCI breaker, which I view as redundant in most cases where an EVSE will stay plugged into it semi-permanently.

 

[circatee]

I recommend pursuing the accurate Georgia code specification. GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interruption and was designed for situations which can cause an imbalance, i.e. fluctuation between the hot and neutral wires. Think moisture shorting out the current between wires. Even a 4-5 milliamp difference can trigger the GFCI circuit to break. I suspect the GA code does not require GFCI indoors, i.e. dry conditions not near water, for high amp circuits such as yours. I have not measured my charger circuit, but I would not be surprised at a 4-5 milliamp variation regularly. That is just not a lot, and you aren't trying to protect someone in a swimming pool, shower, etc. from being electrocuted.
Of course, I'll defer to IBEW certified journeymen who may differ.

To be clear, the install of our NEMA 14 - 50, was done by a licensed professional. And, during the process he explained that a GFCI was code, and thus it was needed.

So, I am not challenging the comments on this thread. Merely pointing out that said GFCI was installed as it was/is 'required'.

I will converse with the company that performed the install, if it happens again.
Thus far, it has happened twice. And, on both occasions, I simply plugged the Ford charger into the car (since I was not leaving the house again that day), and within a second or so, I heard the breaker trip.

 

[circatee]

Is the breaker tripping on GFCI or overcurrent? There should be an indicator.

Cascading of GFCIs is not in itself a problem. I’ve debated this on other threads, and I’m not inclined to do so again. The 2023 NEC requires all outlets in garages or outdoors that are 150V (to ground) or less and 50A or less to be GFCI-protected, so eventually this will be required everywhere in the US unless removed by local amendment.

To be honest, no idea. When the breaker trips, there is no light indicator on the Ford charger, the light is simply off...

Note: Thus far, it has happened twice. And, on both occasions, I simply plugged the Ford charger into the car (since I was not leaving the house again that day), and within a second or so, I heard the breaker trip.

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