Could my outlet or 120V charge cord EVSE cause a fire?

[Zod]

I hope there was some actual evidence that it was the charger that you left out. If not, given there WAS evidence that it's instead the wiring/outlet, that fireman shouldn't be allowed to speak on scenes anymore.

[scottf200]

Had it for a month. It's the only thing plugged into the outlet. Heard the car horn beeping, remembered that means something caused an interference in the charge. Thank God for that function. Checked the plug in the wall, very hot, tried to pull it out and the outlet partially pulled from the wall ON FIRE! Grabbed the extinguisher inside and put it out. Fireman said the wiring in the outlet was fine (house built in '04) said has to be a defective charger.

I feel very lucky for my family and I tonight.

So sorry for the scare and very thankful as well the car horn alerted you to a potential problem. Hopefully your electrical wiring is in conduit as it really really limits the possibility of damage/danger. Your outlet would have been in a metal box to contain things presumably.

To me as well it is clearly an outlet+wiring issue. 12amps is a lot of draw and highlights poor electrical work.

For anyone using the 120v charger at home, I would 100% recommend buying the highest quality 20amp outlet and replacing whatever outlet they are using in their garage. That way they know the wires are screwed on tight and internal resistance is minimized.

I updated the title to include "Outlet+" as I think that is the responsible thing to do/say.

[WopOnTour]

Had it for a month. It's the only thing plugged into the outlet. Heard the car horn beeping, remembered that means something caused an interference in the charge. Thank God for that function. Checked the plug in the wall, very hot, tried to pull it out and the outlet partially pulled from the wall ON FIRE! Grabbed the extinguisher inside and put it out. Fireman said the wiring in the outlet was fine (house built in '04) said has to be a defective charger.

I feel very lucky for my family and I tonight.

Car started fine after that so I assume it somehow shut off the connection instead if frying the battery luckily. Hope car is OK. Too afraid to charge after this using the Voltec charger. Will charge at work and wait until I get my charging station.

Unless this was an actual fire investigator a "fireman" generally doesn't have the qualifications to make such a determination, especially so if his opinion is being based merely on the cronological age of the outlet or wiring (as per your 2004 comment) which means absolutely nothing.Improper residential wiring practices can occur at anytime, by anyone! Even those with the necessary qualifications. Unfortunately a lot of garages have been wired by homeowners and do-it-yourselfers. A typical low dollar outlet, can technically be worn out in a very short time if used daily (plugged in and out) especially if used for a high current appliance.

Your owners manual designates the minimum requiements for the wall outlet used to charge the Volt, which demands pristine connections or excessive heat can be generated. So despite what the fireman said, it's not the wiring itself that is the concern, it's the quality of the connections both to and inside the receptacle that matters.
Were you using any sort of plug adapter, or extension cord?
What else have you ever used that plug socket for?

I would suggest you have an electrcian inspect your damaged outlet as well as others in your garage.Also the 15A breaker should be inspected as it should have opened if the current was so excessive to the extent to cause a fire.
I advise NEVER use a breaker more than 15A on an oulet to be used with the 120V EVSE. A 20A breaker actually provides LESS thermal protection.

While not impossible, IMO it's doubtful that an EVSE issue could cause a fire in that location, unless the plug itself or short pigtail cord was damaged beforehand.

Did you inspect them before plugging in?
Was there any burn marks on the plug terminals from previous charging events?
Was it an 1st gen orange pigtail cord or 2nd gen black cord model?


Furthermore, you mentioned that when you attempted to unplug the EVSE the outlet pulled away from wall? 120V outlets are to be secured by a pair of metal screws, top and bottomto a metal box, that is secured to part of the wall structure (typically a stud). Then covered with a plastic or metal bezel that is secured by a single fastener/screw in the center of the receptacle.
So how could it "pull away" from the wall?
Did the entire box pull away from the wall?
Or did the plug receptacle come out of the metal outlet box?
Was the single center screw holding the bezel and 2 screws securing the receptacle in place?

Pics please...

WopOnTour

[garymunson]

To clarify for those not familiar with some of the terms used here... 'Backstab' or 'quick connect' refer to some electrical outlets that have a small hole in the back that a stripped wire is simply pushed in and is held in place by a one-way spring gripper that supposedly both holds the wire from being pulled out and provides an electrical connection. In most cases these work OK but outlets used for high current devices should have the wires secured by the screw terminals on the side. Much better connection. There are heavier duty outlets available (sometimes called hospital grade) that are much better quality. Another good idea is replacing the outlet with a combination unit that provides one outlet and a switch so you no longer have to keep plugging and unplugging your charger. All outlets will eventually wear out and the switch will help delay that time.

[MichelleMalcho]

SaintlyDean - We will be in contact shortly regarding your unfortunate incident. We want to do some root cause analysis to gain more insight. The safety of our customers is our top priority - Michelle Malcho, Volt Communications

[WVhybrid]

I wonder if the moderators would consider changing the title of this thread. It is obvious from the context of this thread the fire was not caused by either the onboard charger or the portable EVSE charging cord.

WVhybrid

[Fulgerite]

The Volt charger draws about 12 amps. If your electrical outlet was installed using quick stabs instead of binding screws they will often overheat at 12 amps. Also... If you said the house was built in 04 that outlet is 8 years old. 8 years is plenty of time for oxide to tarnish the contacts. Tarnished contacts with weak contact springs can lead to overheating as well.

This is clearly a case of plugging in a high wattage appliance into an improperly maintained outlet.

Everyone who owns a Volt (or any appliance that draws 12 amps...) should check the outlet after an hour or two to see if the outlet is getting warm. If it is... Replace the outlet with a high quality commercial grade outlet. (NOT the 79 cent ones.) Do not use quick stabs. Use the binding screws. You should also check the breaker panel. If the circuit breaker is getting hot or tripping frequently you need to get that checked out.

[Wolfman]

People may say to make sure you install a dedicated 20A circuit for Volt 120V charging but I disagree. It's a good idea to install wiring and an outlet rated for 20A but use a 15A breaker for better protection. It should also be a GFCI outlet or breaker.

Put me up as one who not only recommends it, but also did it. My garage had two outlets for the entire place, and both were on one circuit breaker. Their location also required that I use an extension cord to charge the car. Installing a dedicated outlet is a nice insurance policy that allows the owner to insure that the circuit for charging the car is robust enough for the job of handling relatively high current for extended periods of time, AND allows for them to put in a surge protecting breaker to protect a very expensive piece of kit.

I did mine using 10/2 wire, a 120v outlet rated at 30 amps, and a 20amp GFCI panel circuit breaker. I laughed at code while deliberately overbuilding my car's charging outlet.

[scottf200]

I wonder if the moderators would consider changing the title of this thread. It is obvious from the context of this thread the fire was not caused by either the onboard charger or the portable EVSE charging cord. WVhybrid

I actually added "Outlet" to the title yesterday. I think that was enough to lessen the impact of the title.

[Koz]

Put me up as one who not only recommends it, but also did it. My garage had two outlets for the entire place, and both were on one circuit breaker. Their location also required that I use an extension cord to charge the car. Installing a dedicated outlet is a nice insurance policy that allows the owner to insure that the circuit for charging the car is robust enough for the job of handling relatively high current for extended periods of time, AND allows for them to put in a surge protecting breaker to protect a very expensive piece of kit.

I did mine using 10/2 wire, a 120v outlet rated at 30 amps, and a 20amp GFCI panel circuit breaker. I laughed at code while deliberately overbuilding my car's charging outlet.

Code is a meant as a minimum standard and I'm sure the code writers would be smiling back at you. My point was that a 15A breaker should be used not that a dedicated circuit is bad. A dedicated circuit is part of GM's recommendation as well as code for a 12A device. The 15A breaker offers more protection downstream then the 20A breaker.