Extension?

[SeanNelson]

But when you live in a house built in 1962 ...

My house dates from 1949... :shock:

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you have a breaker box then it's simple to install an updated breaker for the EVSE. If you have a fuse box then you'd want to run new cable and then use a protected outlet, or install a sub-panel with breakers for the garage.

 

[SparkE]

If you have a breaker box then it's simple to install an updated breaker for the EVSE. If you have a fuse box then you'd want to run new cable and then use a protected outlet, or install a sub-panel with breakers for the garage.

I have to disagree with this (or maybe it was a quick answer). One cannot simply switch out a breaker and add additional amps/current. Depending on the socket installed, or the current demand, the wiring must be *at least* a minimum gauge. I have a NEMA 10-30 clothes-dryer socket in my garage which I am loathe to use for charging (no ground) - but I would consider switching it to a 6-30 (with the neutral changed to a ground wire). I guess it all boils down to personal preference/comfort.

 

[IMAdolt]

If you have a breaker box then it's simple to install an updated breaker for the EVSE. If you have a fuse box then you'd want to run new cable and then use a protected outlet, or install a sub-panel with breakers for the garage.

I have to disagree with this (or maybe it was a quick answer). One cannot simply switch out a breaker and add additional amps/current. Depending on the socket installed, or the current demand, the wiring must be *at least* a minimum gauge. I have a NEMA 10-30 clothes-dryer socket in my garage which I am loathe to use for charging (no ground) - but I would consider switching it to a 6-30 (with the neutral changed to a ground wire). I guess it all boils down to personal preference/comfort.

I think SparkE means upgrading an existing breaker with e GFCI or arc fault or some combination of both, not upping the amperage on an existing circuit.

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you have a breaker box then it's simple to install an updated breaker for the EVSE. If you have a fuse box then you'd want to run new cable and then use a protected outlet, or install a sub-panel with breakers for the garage.

I have to disagree with this (or maybe it was a quick answer). One cannot simply switch out a breaker and add additional amps/current. Depending on the socket installed, or the current demand, the wiring must be *at least* a minimum gauge. I have a NEMA 10-30 clothes-dryer socket in my garage which I am loathe to use for charging (no ground) - but I would consider switching it to a 6-30 (with the neutral changed to a ground wire). I guess it all boils down to personal preference/comfort.

I didn't mean a higher amp breaker. I meant an AFCI/GFCI breaker. I should have been more clear.

 

[EddrivesEV]

I would think that something as important as a garage attached to your living space where your family lives using 12 amps for a minimum of 4 hours each night should never use an extension cord!

Hire an electrician to put in the proper 120v/240v outlet within distance needed to reach your EV without a cord in harm's way.

 

[IMAdolt]

I would think that something as important as a garage attached to your living space where your family lives using 12 amps for a minimum of 4 hours each night should never use an extension cord!

Hire an electrician to put in the proper 120v/240v outlet within distance needed to reach your EV without a cord in harm's way.

Just wow, Did you read any of this thread?

When used properly extension cords are perfectly safe.

 

[EddrivesEV]

It is a personal choice.

In the almost five years of driving my EVs, I carry both a heavy duty 120v and 240v extension cords for mobile use but rarely used them.

This thread is exploring the daily (or nightly) use of an extension cord for the primary purpose of charging their EV.

Garages are multi-purpose.

Children use them; other family members use them for many purposes, including to enter the main residence. Tools or other heavy objects can be accidentally dropped on the extension cord with consequences that are not evident for days, weeks or months, later.

For a $29,995 to $41,995 vehicle that is charging every night, consider the cost of an electrician to install a proper outlet spread over the lifetime ownership of the vehicle divided into the peace of mind gained in return for having it done properly by a professional.

It is a personal choice.

 

[LeftieBiker]

When used properly Extension Cords are perfectly safe.

I wouldn't go that far. "Reasonably safe" at best.

 

[SeanNelson]

When used properly Extension Cords are perfectly safe.

I wouldn't go that far. "Reasonably safe" at best.

IMHO the biggest risk with an extension cord of proper gauge is the fact that it's subject to wear or damage because it's not running through a protected conduit. If you can manage that risk adequately then there's really not that much to worry about.

 

[IMAdolt]

It's really no different then the charge cord you're plugin into the wall.I feel like of all the things to be concerned about in life this shouldn't be one of them, but I give up, don't use extension cords they'll burn your house down.

 

[EddrivesEV]

Apparently you do not tolerate viewpoints other than your own to be expressed on this forum. The great majority of responses offered suggestions to the OP on how to safely use extension cords. Only two posters raised safety issues; one less so than I, yet you seem to take my position personally. I am sorry you feel this way about such a trivial issue, as a post on an internet automobile forum.

 

[Bab]

Thank you for all those informations. It is my first time on that forum, and even if it is getting a little too technical for me, it is very helpful. As far as I understand, it will be fine. That house was built in 2007, the plug is on a garage detached, kind of far away from the house. I will use a 14 gauge cable I already have and check if there is any heat or fuse problem.

 

[michaellax]

I am probably the most extreme example of using an "extension" cord. However, it is professionally installed and out of the way from hazards.

The electrician wanted $1,400 to break concrete to install conduit to bring 240v into the standalone garage when I leased my Volt in 2013. For that car, it was just not worth it, so I continued to use 120v.

I tried to live with 120v with the Bolt EV for six months but just was not happy. I am not ready to spend $1,400 as I am still investigating solar and other options (the President says to support coal! :lol: ), so for $550, my electrician run an 100' 6 gauge semi-permanent extension cord mounted against the side of my building connected to a L6-21 outlet at the meter and then across to the standalone garage to a box containing another L6-21 outlet where I mounted my Clipper Creek LCS-p25 L2 that I had originally purchased in my Volt days.

Now I am a 240v 20amp happy camper!