ZuleMME

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I think the Tesla wall charger is preset to put thru 48amps..... which would be a problem thru a 14-50 plug/receptacle after a couple hours, especially if the prongs or outlet had any oxidation or debris in it.

32a continuous would be all I'd suggest putting thru a plug/outlet. So either the vehicle or charger has to limit the current.
Actually it's settable over wifi during the setup configuration, a-la chargepoint flex style...
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Glen Boise

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Or, you might look at a ChargifyEV charger. It has a 3 ft. cord and built in GFCI protection. This assumes they have received the parts from overseas to make more units.
 
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AlpaChino

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wow, scarey!

...that Menards extension looks like it had good size fat conductors but it might just be thick insulation, I wonder what gauge? 6awg I hope? I'd be curious.... did you saw it apart to see? Take it to Menards to show them?

If you had several errors previously, this indicates that you may have had some arcing going on for a while on that leg. could have been a loose/poor connection inside the plug. If you had noticed any buzzing/crackling sounds, or warmth earlier, did you put any dielectric si grease on the prongs?

Does your Grizzle have a settable 'max' current? Did you have it set to 32a, or less?
All good questions.

  • I'll get into the extension and let you know what gauge I find, likely this week. I'm not sure Menards cares to see it.
  • I never used dielectric grease, but will do on the new one. Thanks for the suggestion. And previous to this recent event I never heard any arcing or suspected anything.
  • Yes, I can set the Grizzl-e to 32 amps. Not totally sure I'll do that just yet, as when we have the kids all day during the summer there are situations where I need to get charged back up asap, and there aren't any level 3's near me or on my way to any common destinations. But school is back in session in two weeks and I'll set it to 32 amps then.
 
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AlpaChino

AlpaChino

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Or, you might look at a ChargifyEV charger. It has a 3 ft. cord and built in GFCI protection. This assumes they have received the parts from overseas to make more units.
I'll look into this! Thank you.
 

Maquis

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Right off hand it's not to code which requires GFCI within 1 foot of the outlet if the cord exceeds 1 ft. That's why all the EVSE's only give you a 1 ft cable. This would give you a cable designed for this purpose:

https://store.openevse.com/collections/all-products/products/ac-cable-nema-14-50p-50a
That’s correct. To add, the 2020 NEC requires all receptacle outlets in a garage to be GFCI protected anyway, so if this is the case, the requirement to have an integral GFCI on the EVSE cord becomes unnecessarily redundant. This is a case where the code making panels responsible for the different sections don’t talk to each other.

I like the cable you linked!
 


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Slowmotion

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The biggest moral of this story (and ALL EV charging setups) is to from time to time feel your install after charging for 30 min to an hour and watch for weird heat levels. This was likely a simple manufacturing defect in either your extension or evse plug end. But you never know when it'll manifest. And if in doubt, run lower amperage levels. I like to charge at 24 amps because it's plenty to charge up 2 cars overnight and much much safer against random defects like this causing issues.
You make an important point. I believe output on the Grizzle can adjusted with dip switches inside. If this EVSE is set at 40amps it should be changed to 24 or 32. Most owners don't need any more than that for overnight charging and it's safer all around.
The biggest moral of this story (and ALL EV charging setups) is to from time to time feel your install after charging for 30 min to an hour and watch for weird heat levels. This was likely a simple manufacturing defect in either your extension or evse plug end. But you never know when it'll manifest. And if in doubt, run lower amperage levels. I like to charge at 24 amps because it's plenty to charge up 2 cars overnight and much much safer against random defects like this causing issues.
 

ChasingCoral

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It’s not about inductance - the cable is generating heat from resistance and current flow. It’s about surface area and convection to air.
there are plenty of pictures of extension cords melting when coiled up.
Agreed. However, a loop or two won't change that at all. It really should be a shorter line.
 

JohnFoxeSheets

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Is there an alternative you would recommend?
If it were me I would move the EVSE close enough to the outlet that the proper 1' cord supplied with it would reach. (obviously you'll want to contact Grizzl-E and get a replacement cord.) In that type of situation, I mount a piece of 3/4 plywood straddling the two nearest studs and then mount the heavy item to the plywood instead. In your situation the electric panel is in the way though, but you could use a ~30" wide piece of 3/4" ply and mount it to the next two studs left of the panel, with enough extending toward the panel (but not overlapping it) to mount the EVSE. two lag screws into each of the studs will do the trick just fine. You may need to turn the outlet over in the junction box in order to allow the 1' cord to reach easily.

If you don't have a table or circular saw to cut the plywood, Menards should be able to do it for you. (I think - I know Lowes and Home Depot will.)
 

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Thanks for sharing. Ignore any clowns who give you grief.
 

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JRT

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I would have moved the charger, as recommended several options that would be a nice neat installation with a piece of finished plywood spanning the studs. Opening the charger and changing a cord for an appliance seems like another issues waiting to happen to me.
 

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Thank @AlpaChino you for posting this! Sorry to step on your thread with a long reply, but I figured posting my experience here would make more sense than starting a new thread.

I'm in the process of correcting a similar problem. I have learned that at Lowe's, there is a range cord available with 6 gauge wire for the hots, 8 gauge for ground and neutral -- I used this one. They also have one with 8 and 10 gauge respectively, which I think is the same gauge as the original Grizzle-e cord I'm replacing. I went with the larger gauge.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Utilitech-...rong-Black-Range-Appliance-Power-Cord/1006201

My original plug was getting hot, like too hot to hold your finger against, at the "Y" terminal, the opposite hot from yours, so the left one with ground up (right with ground down). I tried replacing the outlet, same behavior so clearly it’s the plug.

Sent a request to Grizzle-E for a replacement cord. Haven’t heard back after a couple days which is disappointing. In the mean time I decided to go ahead and buy the 6-gauge range cord which I’ve installed. With the new cord, the cord and plug are now essentially room temperature in the warm garage after an hour or two of charging at 40 amps, and the cord to the car is warm but not spooky warm, just like before.

But the cord’s too long now (6’), and the beefy wires with ring terminals don’t bend easily so the strain relief that should go around the insulated assembly is defeated -- I don’t want to force the wires to bend and put too much strain on the crimped terminals.

So… I’ve got some 6 and 8 gauge ring terminals and an appropriate sized crimp tool on order so I can shorten the cord and get the strain relief feature back. In the meantime my installation looks like Electrician Amateur Hour, but I feel way better about charging my car now.

Ford Mustang Mach-E 🔥 PSA: AVOID 14-50 extensions!  What you need to know. rotwang-metropolis-1536x876
 

bellyer

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As someone who had an overheating issue with his Grizzl-E a few months back (without an extension cord; see here -> Faint burning smell while charging? | MachEforum - Ford Mustang Mach-E Forum, News, Owners, Discussions), I am now wondering if this is an issue with Grizzl-E EVSEs. Grizzl-E sent me a replacement power adapter to install in the unit and I have not noticed much heat coming off the adapter/14-50 NEMA outlet, since I changed out the power adapter cable, but I do wonder if there might be others who are running into heat issues with the Grizzl-E...
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