Lesson Learned with 120v Charging

[Maquis]

You can't put a 20A receptacle on a 15A circuit. You can get a 15A federal spec grade outlet, which are built to handle a lot more punishment. Other than the T slot, the fed spec 15A and 20A outlets are built the same inside and can handle the same amount of current. There is such a thing as a 15A outlet that is rated for 20A passthrough.

Correct.
To add: All major-brand 15A receptacles manufactured in the past 20+ years are capable of being used on a 20A circuit. Most homes wired these days have 20A circuits for the receptacles and have 15A receptacles installed.

Sponsored

 

[woody]

Throw the extension cord out, and you also have to replace that outlet now.

120V should not be used for long-term charging. Most wiring devices are not designed for the duty cycle of EV charging.

been using 120V for charging, including long term, for years. Never a problem. GM(original Volt/Bolt) provided L1 supply equipment.

 

[ChrisO]

Correct.
To add: All major-brand 15A receptacles manufactured in the past 20+ years are capable of being used on a 20A circuit. Most homes wired these days have 20A circuits for the receptacles and have 15A receptacles installed.

Nice if you have a new home, ours was built in 1996, not really that old, but it only some 120 volt 20-amp circuits for a few dedicated lines where they expect higher current like the microwave, and the rest including the garage is 120 volt 15-amp.

I guess the best way to sum this up is that "one size" doesn't fit them all. You need to know a bit about how your outlet is setup to really decide what is OK and what isn't.

 

[jgillmer]

We've had our Mach-e for 2 years and really love it. Even though we drive it regularly we mostly charge it on a standard 120v outdoor outlet and up until now never had an issue with it. Last week I woke up to a very cold morning and an amber light on the charger and my initial thought was it just needed to be unplugged for a bit and plugged back in - it fixed itself before by doing this. However, when I unplugged it from the outlet I immediately saw the issue - the outlet was scorched and there was a clear indication of overheating on the cable prongs. Long story short, the charger didn't reach the nearest outlet so I attached a short extension chord to it. Apparently this is a no-no and after taking it to the dealer they reported that Ford told them this will cause the extension chord to overheat. So word to the wise, if you're doing this, stop now.

Go out and get an 8 guage ext cord and only use when you absolutely need it. Technically, a 12 guage should handle a 120v, 15amp connection. I recommend the extra spending for an 8 guage to be extra sure your car isnt cooked

 

[Blue highway]

Given that the damage happened at the prongs, this looks more like a loose outlet connection rather than a cord gauge problem. I've used a long, heavy duty extension cord many, many times without problem. I even once put TWO heavy duty extension cords in series on my charger, and even after charging all weekend the cords weren't warm at all, even in the middle of the day.

hmm looks to me like the connection inside the extension cord between the pin the wire is the issue.

 

[scottywc]

File this under "things Mom & Dad are supposed to teach their kids"

 

[Xanasazi]

I charge with 120v @ 10 amps everyday as thats all our apt garage outlet can handle with out popping the breaker. Bought a heavy duty cord from home depot and no problems.

 

[devmach-e]

That is a 15 amp receptacle. That happened to me with an above ground pool pump. Replace the receptacle with a 20 amp one. This has nothing to do with the breaker size. The 20 amp receptacle has one of the slots that is t shaped

Breaker needs to be matched to wire size. Expected load dictates the wire size. I have a number of 15A outlets in my kitchen that are connected to 20A breakers.

 

[devmach-e]

Correct.
To add: All major-brand 15A receptacles manufactured in the past 20+ years are capable of being used on a 20A circuit. Most homes wired these days have 20A circuits for the receptacles and have 15A receptacles installed.

Yup, that's how our kitchen was wired when we did a remodel 6 years ago. 2 20A circuits feeding a bunch of 15A GFCI/AFCI outlets at the various countertop locations.

 

[J5hort]

Again, much like the response in the infamous outlet burning threads.... wire gauge matters!
This includes hardwires, extensions, charging cables. Thinner gauges have more resistance, more resistance means more heat.

Sponsored