EV Charger Risks: Home Charging Installation Risks and Advice [by Munro Live]

[Mrn]

Yes, a good suggestion. I did use dielectric grease on my self-installed connections on my 50 amp EVSE circuit to the NEMA 14-50 plug. I also put a thin coating on the JuiceBox 40 plug blades. I checked the temp of the connections recently and everthing is “cool”.

My plug blades are also coated with dielectric grease. The entire setup runs warm, but not hot, to the touch, while pulling 9.8 kw.

Sponsored

 

[ChehRob]

Typically breaker boxes, breakers, wires, and outlets in most homes were not expected to operate at high amperage for extended periods of time in a residence. Your electrician should be checking all of this when installing an EV charger.

 

[Blue highway]

Something to consider...

The pigtail on some EVSE's is actually 8 gauge, not 6 gauge wire... and the quality of the bond of the wire to the male blades inside the rubber plug varies.

A hot outlet is most likely the outlet, but it could be the plug.

... how I know this... my Grizzle plug ran cool enough at 24A, but rather warm at 32A... I had assumed it was the outlet. (Hubel) To test this, I plugged in the mobile EVSE and charged at 32A for a couple of hours... and the plug and outlet were nearly stone cold (5 degree or so ambient temp rise at 32A after a couple of hours) Went back to the Grizzle plug the next day and sure enough, set to 32A I was seeing ~40 degree temp rise after a couple of hours.

I replaced the pigtail on the Grizzle (which it turns out used 8ga wires) with a new one using 6ga wires... and running at 32A it's back to only a 5 degree ambient rise.

 

[dtbaker61]

Something to consider...

The pigtail on some EVSE's is actually 8 gauge, not 6 gauge wire... and the quality of the bond of the wire to the male blades inside the rubber plug varies.

A hot outlet is most likely the outlet, but it could be the plug.

... how I know this... my Grizzle plug ran cool enough at 24A, but rather warm at 32A... I had assumed it was the outlet. (Hubel) To test this, I plugged in the mobile EVSE and charged at 32A for a couple of hours... and the plug and outlet were nearly stone cold (5 degree or so ambient temp rise at 32A after a couple of hours) Went back to the Grizzle plug the next day and sure enough, set to 32A I was seeing ~40 degree temp rise after a couple of hours.

I replaced the pigtail on the Grizzle (which it turns out used 8ga wires) with a new one using 6ga wires... and running at 32A it's back to only a 5 degree ambient rise.

yes, running 32amps for 3+hours, wire should be 6awg.... on a 50amp breaker. If your breaker to outlet wiring, and outlet to EVSE wiring is not 6/3wGround, you are at risk.

loose connections and worn outlet/plug blades can be a problem if they get loose or dirty enough to reduce contact area and suffer from arcing or increased resistance.

 

[Two Trick Ponies]

that and putting space between EV charging breakers if you have 2 EVSEs and using breakers that screw onto the buss rather than plug into it.

Here's a link to the "industrial grade" Hubble 14-50 receptacle.

I'm going to have my electrician install one of these for our Mach e if we don't go hard wired on the EVSE.

Use the $100 dollars toward a hardwired charger. Much better use of the money!

 

[Mach-Lee]

Didn't see it mentioned here, but Dielectric grease is an important part of a reliable, long lasting, safe connection. It may be counter intuitive to put an insulating grease on connections, but it's worked well for me and others on permanent connections.

Is dielectric grease Ok to use on household electrical connections?

Yes, dielectric grease is generally acceptable for most electrical connections. It's formulated to lubricate and protect electrical connections from corrosion.

Dielectric grease can also:

Create a proper seal
Help create extra insulation
Prevent arcing
Seal out water and air
Prevent galvanic and general corrosion
Prevent oxidation.

...and I personally know this, having used a 40 amp 220V charger so treated for several years with no faults.

Do not put dielectric grease in the J1772 port or plug. J1772 is designed to be a dry wiping contact only. It will attract grit and contaminants.

 

[Shepherd]

I installed a 50A circuit this weekend in my garage. Used the Bryant outlet and 6/3 with ground. I removed a 30A circuit that was no longer in use. Apparently there was a dryer in my kitchen before it was renovated more than 20 years ago. And they just left the circuit there

 

[cyeung]

Resurrecting this topic to get some advice on checking my own electrical panel. I've had a Clipper Creek HCS-40 installed since 2017 or so, and it has been charging my 2014 Chevrolet Volt, so I definitely had not been taking full advantage of the charging station.

If you followed the "List of 2025 Orders and Times" thread, I took delivery of a 2025 Mach-E approximately a week ago. After setting a preferred charging window and plugging the car in, the EVSE clicked on and off quite a few times before throwing a charger error. However, deleting the preferred charging times and letting the car charge immediately yielded no issues ... the car got straight to charging.

Here are the checks I've done so far using a true RMS multimeter:

With the EVSE powered off at the main breaker panel:

1. Verified isolation between, L1 to Ground and L2 to Ground. Multimeter read OL in both cases.
2. Isolation between L1 and L2 registered 384.7 kΩ. This was with my EVSE still connected downstream.
3. Continuity checked out with the multimeter reading 0Ω.

With the circuit energized and not supplying power to the car:

1. Checked voltages at L1 and L2. They differ by 0.2 Volts.
2. Checked temperatures at all exposed terminals. Baseline temperature was approximately 24℃.

Plug in the car and wait five minutes.

Retake voltage and temperature measurements:

1. Fluctuations were less than 0.2 VAC.
2. Voltage drop between the terminals at the breaker and output terminals at the disconnect were less than 0.1 VAC.
3. Temperatures at all exposed terminals did not exceed 34℃.

Any other measurements I could take?

 

[mkhuffman]

Resurrecting this topic to get some advice on checking my own electrical panel. I've had a Clipper Creek HCS-40 installed since 2017 or so, and it has been charging my 2014 Chevrolet Volt, so I definitely had not been taking full advantage of the charging station.

If you followed the "List of 2025 Orders and Times" thread, I took delivery of a 2025 Mach-E approximately a week ago. After setting a preferred charging window and plugging the car in, the EVSE clicked on and off quite a few times before throwing a charger error. However, deleting the preferred charging times and letting the car charge immediately yielded no issues ... the car got straight to charging.

Here are the checks I've done so far using a true RMS multimeter:

With the EVSE powered off at the main breaker panel:

1. Verified isolation between, L1 to Ground and L2 to Ground. Multimeter read OL in both cases.
2. Isolation between L1 and L2 registered 384.7 kΩ. This was with my EVSE still connected downstream.
3. Continuity checked out with the multimeter reading 0Ω.

With the circuit energized and not supplying power to the car:

1. Checked voltages at L1 and L2. They differ by 0.2 Volts.
2. Checked temperatures at all exposed terminals. Baseline temperature was approximately 24℃.

Plug in the car and wait five minutes.

Retake voltage and temperature measurements:

1. Fluctuations were less than 0.2 VAC.
2. Voltage drop between the terminals at the breaker and output terminals at the disconnect were less than 0.1 VAC.
3. Temperatures at all exposed terminals did not exceed 34℃.

Any other measurements I could take?

Are you trying to determine why the charging window is failing? Where are you setting that, in FordPass or inside the car?

Regardless, it isn't a EVSE issue IMO. The EVSE just responds to what the charger in the MME tells it to do. So if it starts to charge, it is because your MME is telling it to do that.

Do you need to use the charging window? Maybe some other forum members have recommendations regarding how to get it to work. I just plugged it in when I needed to charge and set the max charge limit in FordPass.

 

[cyeung]

Are you trying to determine why the charging window is failing? Where are you setting that, in FordPass or inside the car?

Regardless, it isn't a EVSE issue IMO. The EVSE just responds to what the charger in the MME tells it to do. So if it starts to charge, it is because your MME is telling it to do that.

Do you need to use the charging window? Maybe some other forum members have recommendations regarding how to get it to work. I just plugged it in when I needed to charge and set the max charge limit in FordPass.

I am setting the preferred charge time in the car. I was wanting to set a preferred charge time to take advantage of lower rates at night.

I think the measurements were good for convincing myself that is not the EVSE or wiring giving an intermittent connection somewhere.

 

[J5hort]

The most important measurment is the guage of your wire and torque on the terminals.

Sponsored