Yet another problem with charging

[Patrick]

The store i went to said you cant have 10 gauge extension as it wont fit in regular 120 volt domestic outlet?

[Steverino]

The store i went to said you cant have 10 gauge extension as it wont fit in regular 120 volt domestic outlet?

Wrong. Perhaps they are thing of some special purpose cord for power generators, etc.

I have several 10 gauge extension cords, all have a standard 3 prong male/female ends and plug into standard wall outlets. Let me guess: the store doesn't carry any 10 gauge extension cords?

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Cable-...extension+cord

Home Depot
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...kuId=202891137

Sears
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/t_10153_1...sion-cord.html

[Patrick]

Actually they do. That is confusing!

I went to a Rona which is quite popular here in quebec

[Hi-Voltage]

And (correct me if I'm wrong) any drop in line voltage while charging will increase the amperage draw which will compound any circuit problems like loose connections, worn receptacles stabs, etc and increase heating at points where resistance is present.

You are correct

[Fulgerite]

I agree with what you're saying but that's not what he asked. He asked whether he had fried the outlet. If that had happened then the outlet wouldn't be working at all. Since he's been charging without a problem, before looking at the outlet I think he should eliminate the possibility that this is a one time event caused by dropping line voltage.

Still not fully true... You can damage an outlet and it will appear to work under a light load. With a heavier load it can fail completely. Depends on how much resistance the contacts have. If the contacts have been severely overheated and the contacts have high resistance die to weak springs and tarnished surfaces they might still run a light load. (Like 8 amps.) As you increase to load to 15 amps the resistance in the contacts will cause added Voltage drop and the charger will not have enough voltage to function. (Which is exactly what he described.)

[Fulgerite]

And (correct me if I'm wrong) any drop in line voltage while charging will increase the amperage draw which will compound any circuit problems like loose connections, worn receptacles stabs, etc and increase heating at points where resistance is present.

Absolutely true.

[Patrick]

If i did damagethe outlet how expensive is the repair?

[Hi-Voltage]

My 120 charger does almost exactly the same thing except I don't use an extension cord, mine is plugged directly into a 120VAC wall outlet. Mine won't charge at all at 12A, resets about 3 times and then goes to 2 red lights after about 5 minutes, charges at 8A for a few hours and then I get the 2 red lights. I replaced the wall outlet with a heavy duty one and the outlet is only about 10ft from the breaker box. The voltage drops from 119VAC to 109VAC when the car is charging at 12A, 119VAC to 113.5VAC at 8A. I've now been 24 hours trying to charge it and it is only 83% charged. I'll be visiting the dealer soon.

ddeen ,

the problem you have may be related to a loose neutral connection . If the neutral is loose in the box or in the meterbase or at the connections at the weather head or even on the pole or pad mount transformer that feeds your house . You can have a shift in voltage. The neutral is a balance point for both hot legs. If it is not connected or loose ,the voltage can shift from high too low on one of the 120 volt hotlegs . Especially under a heavy load or motor or heating element,or in this case maybe your charger.

I used to find this on poles or underground service burnouts by pulling the meter and jumpering both load side hot legs to 1 line side hot leg of 120v. I would ask the customer to turn on a hair dryer or the dryer and if the neutral was loose , the voltage would fluctuate high on one leg and low on the other or just bounce all over.

If you can ,plug in your charger and test the voltage at the main breaker on both legs and see if you are at 109 in the panel or if it is unstable.

[Fulgerite]

If i did damagethe outlet how expensive is the repair?

Changing an outlet is about $3 for the part and 10 minutes of labor for a qualified electrician to replace it. How much does your qualified electrician charge to make a minimum house call?

[Fulgerite]

ddeen ,

the problem you have may be related to a loose neutral connection .

Possible. Could be a faulty neutral. Could be a faulty hot. Could be a faulty breaker. Could be a lot of things. Probably the best thing to do at this point is call a qualified electrician to come look at it with the car plugged in. Any decent electrician will have the proper tools and equipment to diagnose and solve it easily. This kind of repair should be a minimal charge.