120v charger blew gfci outlet

[el4]

After 3,000 trouble-free miles, while charging Leaf in my garage, the circuit breaker tripped and the gfi outlet got charred and shut down. It appears to be shot; (the test and the reset button do nothing.) Having no electrical skills, I wonder why? The breaker in question has nothing but a few light fixtures on it. I was able to use the charging cord in another outlet, so it appears to be fine. I wonder if any of you folks have had this experience, and should I be concerned.

 

[bruce27513]

GFCI outlets will overtime fail like that. You will need to get a new outlet. Should be OK after that.

 

[Dalsnpals]

Had same problem and just needed to replace outlet. I have heard that pulling the plug in/out daily will cause the outlet to break. I now leave plug in all time and disconnect handle from car.

 

[davewill]

Had same problem and just needed to replace outlet. I have heard that pulling the plug in/out daily will cause the outlet to break. I now leave plug in all time and disconnect handle from car.

You want to be sure to disconnect the car end first in any case. Unplugging from the wall while charging can cause arcing, and could easily kill a GFCI outlet. The J1772 plug has a mechanism to prevent that.

 

[el4]

Thanks for your input. I rourinely leave the power cord in the outlet at all times. Almost never remove it. I always disconnect from car after charging. I will replace outlet and I'm thinking the replacement should not be gfci; a standard outlet should be ok, although my electrical knowledge is very limited. As a precaution, I'm bringing the car and the cord to Nissan to check for any possible defects.

 

[Reddy]

Pretty simple change out. Just make sure to get a good quality receptacle, turn off breaker, remove/replace, connect wires properly to screw terminals, BLK/WHT/GRND, don't kink wires, etc. It's not rocket science and lots of books to help. Make sure that you don't hand the EVSE brick on the plug prongs. Attach the brick to the wall instead.

 

[davewill]

... I will replace outlet and I'm thinking the replacement should not be gfci; a standard outlet should be ok, although my electrical knowledge is very limited. ...

Be sure you know all the outlets being protected by that GFCI before you decide to eliminate it. You can use an outlet tester to go around and see which outlets are not working right now. Sometimes, a GFCI on an outlet will be protecting outlets in other parts of the house or outdoors. You wouldn't want to remove protection from an outlet in a wet area.

The last house I had, the GFCI in my upstairs master bath was protecting the bathroom on the ground floor and several outlets on the outside of the house. My wife would sometimes hit the "test" button when unplugging something, and I would find out when I tried to run a yard tool. Then I'd have to stop, clean up, and trudge upstairs...

 

[iluvmacs]

Please be aware that the National Electric Code requires all outlets in wet locations (bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, etc.) to be GFCI protected. So unless you're charging your car in your bedroom or living room, that outlet will need to be GFCI to be up to code. Ye be warned!

 

[KillaWhat]

Please be aware that the National Electric Code requires all outlets in wet locations (bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, etc.) to be GFCI protected. So unless you're charging your car in your bedroom or living room, that outlet will need to be GFCI to be up to code. Ye be warned!

Also know that all GFCI outlets are not created equal.

If the circuit is rated at 20 amps, get a true 20 amp rated GFCI. Most are cheap 15 amp models.

If a GFCI costs $10, you got yourself a nice $5 GFCI.

I used these EVSE specific outlets.
Can get them lot's of places, but available quick and dirty from amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G6YEVK/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They even survived a lightning strike.

Good Luck

 

[KillaWhat]

Oh, and they are a pretty Green color :lol:

 

[garygid]

Standard GFCI receptacles are high-sensitivity, meant to
protect people, and they typically trip at about 6 ma of
current imbalance between the two "hot" conductors.

Thus, they usually do not even require a Ground wire to
operate normally, but the receptacle should be wired
with a proper Ground for safety.

Some "Green" GFCI receptacles are lower-sensitivity, meant
to protect equipment that would too often accidently trip
a standard GFCI, and they typically trip at 20 to 30 ma.

The typical EVSE will sometimes trip a standard GFCI
when it tests for the AC Power Ground connection.

So, when using a 120v (L1) EVSE, it may be necessary to
replace a high-sensitivity GFCI with a "green" GFCI to
avoid the annoying accidental trips.

In general, 240v AC receptacles do not have GFCI protection.