JuiceBox 40 Fails After Only 3 Months

RickMachE

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JuiceBoxes are prewired. The connection between the house wire and the JB is in a work box. JB has no idea what connectors you are using.
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PalsyWalsy

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I have a plug-in JuiceBox 40 EVSE that has worked flawlessly since I got my '22 GT in May 2022. The JuiceBox app isn't very good, but I rarely use it anyway. The only maintenance I have done was to tighten the terminal screws in the 240V outlet when the plug and cables were starting to get a little warm. Now the plug and cables stay below about 100 F, or less than 10 to 15 F above ambient.
My juicebox and timeline mirror this, as I have a GT purchased in March of 2022. No issues with it.
 

Fremont Kid

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I understand your concern. I believe it is unfounded. A monkey can loosen a screw and pull out a wire. A monkey can also do the reverse, and tighten it. This was observed by my wife, would trimmed the wire sheathing for me (steady hand). It's not rocket science.

Insurance company would have to prove that my work caused the electrical fire. They'd have no way to do that, even if they said "it started here". Great, but what caused it?

People hang light fixtures, swap outlets and wall switches all the time. They have to prove that your work caused the problem AND that there was negligence involved.

There is no license required to connected a wire in a box by a homeowner. Yes, if I wired the entire circuit into the fuse box they might have a leg to stand on if I was negligent.
Each person needs to assess their comfort level to perform electrical work vs hire a licensed electrician. I realize you are trying to help people understand this is a simple matter of connecting wires. All good. I tend to be cautious.
 

RickMachE

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Each person needs to assess their comfort level to perform electrical work vs hire a licensed electrician. I realize you are trying to help people understand this is a simple matter of connecting wires. All good. I tend to be cautious.
To clarify, I did hire an electrician to wire up my 60amp circuit and install a workbox and the first JB48. I added the 2nd one (they do load sharing), and then replaced the first one when it died from a power surge. I myself and not knowledgeable enough to wire a circuit in a panel.
 

thekat03

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I agree with you that this can be feasibly DIY'd, but I think it's important to note that high amperage devices are especially sensitive to the torque used to properly clamp the wires.

Instructions for DIY'ing an EVSE install should include looking up the manufacturer recommended torque for each wire nut and using a torque wrench to apply the correct amount of torque.

I've seen a couple of YouTube videos of a master electrician installing a high amp EVSE, and it struck me as a surprising amount of torque required. Could be he was just playing for the camera, but it appeared he was putting real effort/muscle into the driver in order to achieve the required level of torque.
Yup. My husband and I had a professional electrician run the wiring for our subpanel in our garage and wire our first EVSE. However, when we got a second EV and wanted to switch to a pair of Wallboxes that can do load balancing, he installed them himself, and the torque required is more than what is needed for most appliances. Not saying it can't be done by a homeowner, but if someone does decide to tackle this themselves, getting the torque right isn't something I would recommend just eyeballing. If the connections aren't tight enough, it can overheat. You can buy a cheap torque wrench at Harbor Freight or probably on Amazon. Or spend the money and outsource to the professionals. That money is worth it for peace of mind and not worrying about burning the house down. Either way is reasonable.
 


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Biggest pain in the ass with replacing my Grizzl-E when the first one failed is the plug was installed in an orientation different from the Ford Mobile Charger, so I had to zip tie that to the wall while I waited for the new one to come in...
 

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I am on my 3rd juicebox, plug in 40 amp

1st unit was over heating. The plug too hot to the touch. First person I spoke to blew me off. I called a few months later and got someone who was more knowledgeable

2nd unit kept disconnecting from internet

3rd one has been working fine since end of May.
 

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One month out of warranty, the L2 pin in my JuiceBox 40 charging-connector handle started arcing and causing a "charging fault" on the MME. JuiceBox does not offer any form of out of warranty service or repair. They kindly offered to send me a new unit for full MSRP. I declined. Their app is mostly useless. And now there are many equivalent L2 units that are hundreds less expensive.
 
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MMENACE

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I am on my 3rd juicebox, plug in 40 amp

1st unit was over heating. The plug too hot to the touch. First person I spoke to blew me off. I called a few months later and got someone who was more knowledgeable

2nd unit kept disconnecting from internet

3rd one has been working fine since end of May.
Fingers crossed for your third! I used the chat option to communicate with the JB folks. It went smoothly enough. I think if the second one fails, I may seek a refund and look for another option.
 

RickMachE

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One month out of warranty, the L2 pin in my JuiceBox 40 charging-connector handle started arcing and causing a "charging fault" on the MME. JuiceBox does not offer any form of out of warranty service or repair. They kindly offered to send me a new unit for full MSRP. I declined. Their app is mostly useless. And now there are many equivalent L2 units that are hundreds less expensive.
That is unfortunate. If you register your unit with them, you get an extra 3 months of warranty. And, if you use a credit card that extends warranty, you get that also.

Also, remember that utility companies often offer discounted prices, or rebates. You can use that on a replacement unit.
 

jay1122

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I have JB48 hardwired. It has been working well for over 1.5 years now. If it fails, I will replace the unit and reconnect the wire myself. Just reconnect the wire connection the same way in the junction box. It is not that difficult.
 

djstough

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MY JB40 continued to lose the web connection after three weeks. I returned it and went to Emporia.
 

hartmms

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I myself and not knowledgeable enough to wire a circuit in a panel.
Maybe it's the electrical engineer in me, but with enough self education, wiring the panel side of things is not much more complicated. You just need 2 adjacent breaker slots open in your panel and a free open position on the neutral/ground bar. Black and red wires go into the new 60 amp breaker. Torque those suckers down. Attach the green wire to the neutral/ground bus bar. Be sure to use properly sized conduit and fittings to prevent the wires from rubbing on any sharp edges. Not to scare anyone away from learning, but the big caveat here is you assume all risk if you do something wrong on your DIY install. I'm not an electrician, but I do play one in my household.

I've wired my own EVSE, along with my own 50 amp sub panel for a 14-50 garage plug for the RV, but I had the benefit of only needing to run 5 foot of cable from the panel to the EVSE. The installs don't look cosmetically perfect (I hate drywall work), but they are electrically sound. I do wonder when I go to sell the house someone pulls the permits for my house and realizes I never got any for the work I did. Oh well, if that ever happens I'll just pay someone to make it right.
 

Jack Roberts

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We had an electrician install a hardwired JuiceBox 40 charger in late June, shortly after buying our 2023 MME CR1. The JuiceBox failed this past week, less than three months after installation. Enel X, the manufacturer, is replacing the charger but I’ll have to pay the electrician to do the uninstall/install.

Is this typical for a JuiceBox? Have others seen similar issues? I’m regretting the initial hardwiring. I could simply replace it myself if it was a plug-in. If the replacement fails, I’ll look for another brand.
I have a JuiceBox 40 that has been in use for 18 months with no problem. I had it installed plugin so if it failed or a better box came out later I could replace it myself.
 
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MMENACE

MMENACE

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I have a JuiceBox 40 that has been in use for 18 months with no problem. I had it installed plugin so if it failed or a better box came out later I could replace it myself.
Yeah. I think that’s smart. I wish I’d gotten a plug-in. Thanks!
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