Took our Volt to my parents today for the first time and of course I need to plug in. Anyway, the charger won't reach the outlet but they have an extension cord. It's a grounded, pretty thick one where the charger plugged into the cord will remain in the garage. I've completely uncoiled both he charger and extension cord.

Most of the stuff I've found on the Internet seems to be the old, don't do it but if you do it should be fine variety.

The last thing I want to do is start a fire in my parent's garage so now I am super paranoid.

Is my paranoia baseless? I even have gone as far as putting the charger in reduced charging mode.

Thanks!

The reduced setting is a good starting point as it is only 8 Amps. You an check the cord and the wall socket for heat.
The extension cord some place along its length will have extra information on the Gauge and might have amp rating.

Also note the Length of the cord.

Most of us keep an extra good quality extension cord in the car back right side removable flap. ( the left flap has fuses)

High setting is 12 Amps and should be OK if nothing else is on that breaker. The heating problems are going to be at the plug if it does not fit tight. I am sure you have seen cheap cord or old sockets that will let the cord fall out of a socket

Took our Volt to my parents today for the first time and of course I need to plug in. Anyway, the charger won't reach the outlet but they have an extension cord. It's a grounded, pretty thick one where the charger plugged into the cord will remain in the garage. I've completely uncoiled both he charger and extension cord.

Most of the stuff I've found on the Internet seems to be the old, don't do it but if you do it should be fine variety.

The last thing I want to do is start a fire in my parent's garage so now I am super paranoid.

Is my paranoia baseless? I even have gone as far as putting the charger in reduced charging mode.

Thanks!


Pretty baseless, the post where things got hot did not start a fire, just discolored some plastic -- and mostly those were people using things like 3way splitters and such. I've used a 12gauage 50' cord many times.. not a hint of a problem.

And if you are in 8amp mode it should be no problem. If you are paranoid.. go feel the cord after half an hour.. That should calm your nerves. If you can touch it and hold on, its no too hot.

I had no trouble using a standard outdoor extension cord while visiting my in-laws at their cabin in Mountain View Ark. I just plugged it in and forgot about it.

Pretty baseless, the post where things got hot did not start a fire, just discolored some plastic -- and mostly those were people using things like 3way splitters and such. I've used a 12gauage 50' cord many times.. not a hint of a problem.

And if you are in 8amp mode it should be no problem. If you are paranoid.. go feel the cord after half an hour.. That should calm your nerves. If you can touch it and hold on, its no too hot.


The most important thing is the quality of the outlet. Even without an extension cord, a really old and corroded outlet can be a fire hazard at 12 amps. If you're not sure about it, replace it with a new one. It could be the best 5 dollars you ever spend. *Disclaimer* Might want to hire an electrician or a give a knowledgeable friend a case of beer if you've never done it before.

I used an extension cord for 2 months every night and it never got warm to the touch. Unless you're only extending a few feet, you definitely want a 12 gauge cable. 14 gauge is OK for real short runs if it is good quality.

I totally agree that the 8 amp mode is a great way to avoid trouble if you're stuck with a crappy cord or outlet!

Thanks everyone, My Volt is reporting that it'll be fully charged at 11:15am which is a full five hours later than full charging mode which is fine, I'll leave it in that mode and switch over in the morning.

Just went in the garage and palmed where the charger is plugged into the extension cord and while it's a tad warm, it's nowhere near hot. Don't have access to the outlet but knowing my folks it's not a half-assed, crappy one.

I have the "new" charger fwiw