Burned out wall receptacle and plug. ugh (JuiceBox 40)

[agoldman]

Smelled plastic melting one night and thought is was from the car. Power failure in the charger so tripped the breaker. The charging handle was burning hot. So Unplugged it and tried it again later and seemed to work. The next day the breaker went off again and this time I noticed that the 14-50 plug and receptacle in the garage had completely melted down all the plastic and burned out the whole plug and inside of the 14-50 receptacle. Scary.. thank god there was no house fire.

Removed the plug with a crow bar since it was fused in place, then removed the 14-50 plug and the JuiceBox, and then had an electrician place a new ChargePoint Home charger on the new spot after trimming the burnt areas of the 50 amp wire. Plugged that charger in the mach e and charged fine, except now I felt the cable near the charger and it was quite warm. maybe I never noticed that the charging cable gets pretty warm? Anyway, I have no idea what went wrong since this has been working firn for almost 2 years. I'm afraid to let it charge overnight now. Any thoughts on this?

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[Nklem]

Check the temperature if you must with an infrared thermometer. My CP cable to the car gets “warm” as well but no issues for 2.5 years. I assume your CP is hard wired now?

 

[Mrn]

My guess would be a poor wire connection inside the NEMA 14-50 box. If the same electrician who did the original install also did the repair, it's probably not something he would comment on.

 

[agoldman]

Check the temperature if you must with an infrared thermometer. My CP cable to the car gets “warm” as well but no issues for 2.5 years. I assume your CP is hard wired now?

No I used the ChargePoint 14-50 plug version since I need to carry it easy to another location. I think the issue is mainly the cheap 14-50 receptacles they sell locally. I'm going to try to get a more commercially rated one at an electrical supply house.

(used different electrician this time)

 

[ripperAZ]

Absolutely the culprit is probably the receptacle I had the same problem with cheap Chinese knock off crap but it’s all over the marketplace. Get a local industrial supply, electrical supply place that provides fittings to schools and government buildings. Expect to pay 4 times what you thought you would

It’s worth it, so you don’t burn your house to the ground

Jes sayin.

 

[agoldman]

pics of the plug and outlet

 

[ZuleMME]

This is exactly why I like to have a FLIR module around and every once in a while you (or after any unplug/plug cycle) check the installation after charging for at least 45 minutes or so... Note this is my Tesla mobile charger I was checking here going to a Neocharge adaptor. Note how the wall outlet area is not even as hot as the Neocharge (intelligent switching of 1 outlet to 2 devices).

 

[Mrn]

Can you share with us the brand name of the failed 14-50? That would be a good data point to have on the forum.

 

[methorian]

Yes - Please let us know the brand of the 14-50. It is somewhat well known that cheaper brands (IE - Leviton) are not robust enough to handle the continuous load of an EVSE, especially if you're plugging and unplugging regularly.

Highly recommend you replace with Hubbell or possibly Eaton branded receptacle.

 

[Blue highway]

My car charges when I am sleeping, so I really don't want any surprises.

A few things to consider

Get a cheap IR temp gun (less than $20) and check the temps of your breakers in the fuse box, 14-50 plug, even the CCS plug going into the car. Note the temp rise after an hour. (20-30 degrees? over ambient) Check the rise every few months, if the rise is more, you are headed for a problem.

Even the 6 gauge wire gets perceptibly warm over time. Think about that.

Warm is "ok" Hot is never "ok"

After a year of running my L2 at 40A, I'm more comfortable running my charger de-rated to 32A instead of 40A (which is the max continuous for a 50A circuit). The charge time add going from 40-32 is insignificant because of when I charge, but the heat reduction is significant.

 

[SirLamerok]

One more reason to hardwire the charge point.

 

[Mrn]

Mine came from Ace Hardware and is a Leviton. It hasn't been put into service yet but I will use the 32 amp charging hookup provided by Ford and leave the short 14-50 4 blade connector in place on the wall connector. I think Leviton is a mid-tier brand.

 

[Blue highway]

Mine came from Ace Hardware and is a Leviton. It hasn't been put into service yet but I will use the 32 amp charging hookup provided by Ford and leave the short 14-50 4 blade connector in place on the wall connector. I think Leviton is a mid-tier brand.

I think the conduit has to be secured within 3' of the box.

 

[alangant]

Yes - Please let us know the brand of the 14-50. It is somewhat well known that cheaper brands (IE - Leviton) are not robust enough to handle the continuous load of an EVSE, especially if you're plugging and unplugging regularly.

Highly recommend you replace with Hubbell or possibly Eaton branded receptacle.

Consumer plugs like Leviton are $10 to $20. A commercial plug such as Hubbel are around $100. Significantly more robust, and you are risking a house fire! Our car chargers run for hours, don't skimp.

 

[All Hat No Cattle]

This has been discussed on the forum before, search it.

If you go to the Home Depot website, search "industrial 14-50 outlets", this pops up. Specifically mentions being usable for Level 2 charging in the specs.

Ideal for use with electric dryers, ranges, or Level 2 electric vehicle chargers

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand...yer-EV-Charger-Power-Outlet-3894CC6/100576604

https://www.homedepot.com/s/industrial%2014-50%20outlet?NCNI-5

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