Charging a volt in outside without a garage

[Hollywoods]

For those of you who do not have a covered garage how do you charge your volt? What do you use to protect the charging case from the weather? Is there anything you can buy to cover the charging case to protect it from rain, snow etc?

[Rusty]

For those of you who do not have a covered garage how do you charge your volt?

Caveats: I have a covered garage (it's the thing that all the crap^h^h^h^hstuff is stored in so the Volt can't park there). And Southern California never gets any weather.

Normally my EVSE is plugged into a plug in the garage so the controller stays indoors. But for those times I can't do that I run my EVSE as I posted in this posting.

Basically I bought a boot box from the Container Store and put the EVSE controller in there. The control box is reasonably weather rated by itself, but I didn't want to just leave it laying on the ground. An advantage of this size box is it fits under the car, even with as low as the Volt is to the ground.

YMMV in snow...

P.S. I never leave my EVSE laying around without locking it up to something...

[Noel Park]

I charge my Volt outside at work. The 120v controller is hung on the wall outside next to the outdoor socket. It stays there all the time. I fabricated a little aluminum sort of eyebrow to hang off the wall and deflect the worst of the rain. It has been there since March, and there were some pretty significant rains in late March. It's working fine. It is rated to be outside, and I think it's fine to use it that way. There have been photos here from time to time of even 240v controllers mounted outside, some of them with boxes around them and some not. if you search the old threads on the forums you can probably find something which will help.

I share Rusty's concern about theft. Fortunately, my controller is behind a locked gate. We made a hole in the fence and pass the plug out to the parking lot each AM, LOL.

[Steverino]

My roof overhang keeps it pretty well protected and I plug into a covered GFI outlet. If you dont have an overhang, you could make a two sided box with a shed roof that encloses the charger and the outlet. A simple weekend project using 1x6 sides and a 1x12" roof. Plywood, pine, or cedar would work. If you want to get fancy add a simple door. I could find nothing on the unit or install instructions relating to exterior use.

I use the GFI test button to test the system daily, after I unplug the car. So it acts as an Off switch as well.

110vStation.jpgCoveredOutlet.jpg

[larry4pyro]

I just purchased a Voltec 240 VAC charger, The installations directions state "The Charge Station may be installed outside and can be mounted on a beam and wired through the conduit on the bottom of the Charge Station."

[HOUSTONVOLTAGE]

I hook my charger up at work and have to use an extension cord to reach the outlet. The cord lays on the sidewalk. It's been out in heavy rains, hot sun, with no problems so far.

[BlackVolt]

I hook my charger up at work and have to use an extension cord to reach the outlet. The cord lays on the sidewalk. It's been out in heavy rains, hot sun, with no problems so far.

I would not recommend using an extension cord to charge the Volt. On Chatper 9, Page 55 of the owners manual it states,

An extension cord should not
be used to charge the vehicle.
Use of an extension cord may
increase the risk of electric
shock or other hazards.
If an extension cord is used
because of limited access
to 120V AC power, use the
following safeguards:
The 120V AC outlet should be
GFCI protected.
The extension cord should be:
. GFCI protected.
. 12 or 14 gage, 3 conductor.
. Rated for outdoor.

But I guess if you follow those instructions you will be fine.

[Bob_Livonia]

I charge my Volt outside in the rain occasionally when I plug in the 120 volt charge cord while stopped at a location that allows me to plug in. Just keep the box connected to the short cord off the ground and out of water. The components are protected from the weather. Checking the Volt's owner's manual, I see no cautions about charging in the rain or snow (but it does warn against using extension cords).

Interestingly, on page CH-2 of the 2011 Nissan Leaf Owner's manual (shared via a link through this forum earlier), it warns "Do not plug in or unplug the plug with wet hands and do not stand in water, liquid or snow. This may cause an electric shock which may result in serious personal injury or death." They also have dire warnings against getting inside the Leaf (or opening the rear hatch) when it is charging if you have a pacemaker. They also warn to make sure there is no water in the charge port and to check that it is not damaged by rust.

My understanding is that the Volt has sufficient internal GFCI protection and charger intelligence to shut down the charge if there's any current leakage. Of course, electrical outlets and charger installations may vary, so it is a good idea not to assume there is GFCI protection on the outdoor electrical outlet, particularly if you touch the prongs that go into the 120V electrical outlet.

[ssj4vegita2002]

This is my setup: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....v-Charge-Setup

[DonC]

This is my setup: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....v-Charge-Setup

This seems like the most elegant 120v solution for outdoor charging posted so far.