Platinum15Ti Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:45 AM Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:45 AM I went into the garage to put something into the recycling bin and smelled burning plastic. After looking around, I found that the smell was coming from the wall outlet my car was plugged in to. I'm glad I went out there, because this could have been very bad. I typically plug the car in when I'm home for the evening and unplug it when I leave for work. Anyone else have this issue? Do you think Ford will warranty the charger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:45 AM Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:45 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:46 AM Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:46 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted June 23, 2016 at 02:11 AM Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 02:11 AM Weird - it melted on the neutral side. Many people on the Focus Electric forum have had this problem as has maybe a half dozen people on the forum here. I personally do not use the 120v EVSE except when I'm at someone else's place... I bought and installed a 240v Leviton 16A unit before I even took delivery of the car. I did get the non-hardwired one, so I had to install an outlet for it, but I've never had any heating or melting problems with the socket or cord. I believe Ford will warranty that. I don't understand why there are so many issues with it. Granted, when I use my vacuum (120v, 12A), it makes the wall socket and plug quite hot, but it's only hot for the 20 minutes I'm cleaning... not 5 - 7 hours like a car is. I think they should consider reducing the power draw of the 120v unit to 10 amps. Gives it a little more wiggle room for bad wiring, old outlets, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted June 23, 2016 at 09:46 AM Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 09:46 AM That is usually caused by a loose connection in the receptacle. It was probably wired using the push-in holes for the wires instead of clamping the wires under the screws. Those work fine for a table lamp. They are a bad idea for a full load being drawn for 5 hours. Ford may decline to replace it under warranty if the fault was a badly wired receptacle and not a problem with the EVSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:13 PM Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 01:13 PM My neighbor is a union electrician and he came by to look at it. He mentioned the same thing, then took it apart and the wires were clamped tight under the screws, so he doesn't believe that was the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted June 23, 2016 at 02:40 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 02:40 PM Do you keep your EVSE at home and never unplug it, or are you always taking it with you, unplugging and plugging all the time? Platinum15Ti 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_h Posted June 23, 2016 at 04:25 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 04:25 PM (edited) Do you keep your EVSE at home and never unplug it, or are you always taking it with you, unplugging and plugging all the time? I have no idea if this makes sense from an electrician's point of view (which I am not), but I've always been hesitant to have that L1 charger plugged into the outlet located several feet in the air and the plug bearing the weight of the entire thing. I suppose it's designed to handle it (but then again also designed to not melt like in the OP's pic above), but can't help but think that constant weight could be a factor (again that's just a layman's point of view) - so when I use the L1 charger in the garage (which is not much but sometimes) I use a 3' 15A cord (like the one below from the Lowe's weeb site) that goes from the outlet and to the L1 charger which I have resting on a spare tire in the garage. So I'm wondering if the OP's setup has the weight of the unit hanging on the plug and whether that could cause issues over time? Edited June 23, 2016 at 04:26 PM by jeff_h Platinum15Ti 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted June 23, 2016 at 08:21 PM Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 08:21 PM Do you keep your EVSE at home and never unplug it, or are you always taking it with you, unplugging and plugging all the time?I never take it with me. It's hanging by hooks in the garage, but I plug it into the wall and car when I'm done driving for the night and unplug from the car and wall in the morning. I have no idea if this makes sense from an electrician's point of view (which I am not), but I've always been hesitant to have that L1 charger plugged into the outlet located several feet in the air and the plug bearing the weight of the entire thing. I suppose it's designed to handle it (but then again also designed to not melt like in the OP's pic above), but can't help but think that constant weight could be a factor (again that's just a layman's point of view) - so when I use the L1 charger in the garage (which is not much but sometimes) I use a 3' 15A cord (like the one below from the Lowe's weeb site) that goes from the outlet and to the L1 charger which I have resting on a spare tire in the garage. So I'm wondering if the OP's setup has the weight of the unit hanging on the plug and whether that could cause issues over time? That's a good thought, I'm no electrician either so don't know if that could be the case. I don't let it hang by the cord though, it hangs from hooks in the garage wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted June 23, 2016 at 10:44 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2016 at 10:44 PM I never take it with me. It's hanging by hooks in the garage, but I plug it into the wall and car when I'm done driving for the night and unplug from the car and wall in the morning. I would suggest that you leave it plugged into the wall. Repeated plugging/unplugging can wear out the outlet. IMO the EVSE was not designed with portability in mind even though it is portable, and I feel the 90º plug/cable interface is somewhat weak. It's bad to hang it from things but it also seems to not tolerate the mechanical wear from plugging and unplugging repeatedly. I have gotten Ford to replace the EVSE in a similar situation. I replaced the outlet as well to ensure proper operation. The new EVSE has a sensor in the plug that will shut it off for a few minutes if it gets too hot. If it gets too hot again, it'll shut off for good until you unplug to reset. Replace your outlet with a good quality one, sidewire it, and leave it plugged in with one exception: You may want to pull it out once a month and polish the plug. As it ages and oxidizes, resistance will increase which means more heat (which, in turn, leads to faster oxidation). Hope this helps and good luck with Ford! Hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbort Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:03 AM Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:03 AM Its your outlet. Get a good one, and also get a 25 foot quality extension cord from home Depot, 14 gage I believe is what I have. I use the charger with the extension cord always, at home or on the road. On the road the cord will protect the charger from a bad outlet, at home put a known good outlet and your problems will be gone. That outlet you have in the picture looks real old. Get a 20amp one from home depot, the expensive ones, not one for 3 bucks. -=>Raja. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbort Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:04 AM Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:04 AM (edited) By the way, worst case scenario you cut the burnt plug off the charger and install a quality one you can get from home depot also to replace the burnt one. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, I've been using the stock charger for 3 years just about, it works and is fine for constant duty. -=>Raja. Edited June 24, 2016 at 02:06 AM by rbort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdginmo Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:27 AM Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:27 AM (edited) The receptacle may have been defective or otherwise developed a problem over time. The fact that it was only the neutral plug leads me to believe the connection on the neutral blade was loose or the outlet had an internal connection problem that reduced the overall contact surface to point where an inadequate amount of metal was carrying that 12A load. The heat was probably isolated at the outlet. Breakers trip on either high current or high temperature neither of which may have caused the breaker to trip in this case if it was still only carrying a 12A load and the heat wasn't building up at the breaker. I agree with the others. Change out the receptacle with a quality replacement. Or better yet, replace it with a GFCI which is required in garages per revised NEC codes anyway. Leviton actually sells a GFCI/AFCI combo outlet. An AFCI (arc fault circuit interrupter) may have tripped in your case if that outlet was arcing internally. Remember, in most cases you can put a 15A or 20A outlet on a 20A circuit, but you can only put a 15A outlet on a 15A circuit. So make sure you check the breaker rating first before buying the new outlet. 15A and 20A outlets usually only differ in the plug type. The 20A outlet has a T shaped blade on the neutral side. This prevents a 20A device from being plugged into a 15A outlet (for which there is only a 15A breaker). There aren't many 120V/20A devices/appliances so it's not uncommon at all for a home to only have 15A outlets even on the 20A kitchen circuits. Also, the reason why the Ford EVSE draws 12A is because that is the maximum allowable continuous load you are allowed to place on a 15A circuit. The NEC defines a continuous load as 3 or more hours per day. And you're only allowed to place an 80% rated continuous load on a circuit. Edited June 24, 2016 at 02:34 AM by bdginmo flyingcheesehead and Hybridbear 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted June 24, 2016 at 09:54 AM Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 at 09:54 AM Thank you for all of the great replies! I'm going to see if the charger can be warrantied and will be sure to get a new outlet. The house is 8 years old, so the outlet isn't ancient, but I'll be sure to get a good quality one to replace it with. I checked the breaker box and and it's on a 15A circuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryh Posted June 24, 2016 at 12:30 PM Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 at 12:30 PM (edited) I have two ruined outlets from using the Level 1 Charger--recently installed. I am using a third one that seems to be working fine for the past couple of years. Edited June 24, 2016 at 01:12 PM by larryh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Energized Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:11 PM Report Share Posted June 24, 2016 at 02:11 PM (edited) http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/SectionDisplay.jsp?section=55015 https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-AGTR1-W-SmartlockPro-Function-Receptacle/dp/B01CG8MP9W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466778064&sr=8-2&keywords=afci+outlet Edited June 24, 2016 at 02:13 PM by Energized Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted July 16, 2016 at 01:55 PM Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 at 01:55 PM After getting the new L1 charger, I installed the GFCI outlet below. It's nice, because I can shut the power off to it now without unplugging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdginmo Posted July 19, 2016 at 01:52 PM Report Share Posted July 19, 2016 at 01:52 PM I like those switched GFCI outlets. I've been thinking about getting one myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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