Clipper Creek March Madness LCS-25 and LCS-25/PCS-15 combo

[mwalsh]

March Madness sale starting early at Clipper Creek - $200 savings on LCS-25, down to $595 from $795, and $300 savings on LCS-25 and PCS-15 combo, down From $1490 to $1190:

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/ClipperCreekInc/-strse-Limited-time-offers/Categories.bok" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Elephanthead]

The LCS-25 looks perfect for a 12 leaf. Won't quite give you all you need for a 13 or newer though.

 

[jopickens]

Thanks for the link - will work fine with my 2013 S with the standard 3.3kw charger!

 

[Reddy]

Why a 25 Amp circuit? What is that all about? I've seen 20 and 30 amp circuits at Home Depot, but not 25. I did find one on Amazon, so I know they exist.

 

[Elephanthead]

Well I think the calculation is that with a 20 amp appliance that draws continuous amps, i.e. 20 amps the entire time it is on, you want the breaker to have a 20% overhead. 20% of 20 amps is 4 amps. So you need a 24 or more amp breaker and circuit. 30 probably will work fine but is slightly less safe. You could be electrocuting yourself at 29 amps and the breaker won't care, but the 25 would trip.

 

[QueenBee]

Well I think the calculation is that with a 20 amp appliance that draws continuous amps, i.e. 20 amps the entire time it is on, you want the breaker to have a 20% overhead. 20% of 20 amps is 4 amps. So you need a 24 or more amp breaker and circuit. 30 probably will work fine but is slightly less safe. You could be electrocuting yourself at 29 amps and the breaker won't care, but the 25 would trip.

Sort of. For loads that are continuous duty you take the loads continuous duty amperage and multiple by 125% (1.25) and then round up to the nearest breaker size. Then size your wire to include voltage drop, etc.

In a short circuit scenario both breakers should trip at similiar times but as you mentioned in an overload the scenario the lower amperage breaker would trip sooner. Do note that breakers have a trip curve for how long a certain current will take to trip the breaker. You can easily exceed the current rating and the breaker wil not trip immediately. For example you can often consume 16 amps from a 15 amp breaker indefinitely, or at least for many hours.

Another benefit to 25 amp circuits is if you had multiple circuits in one conduit you might be able to use smaller conduit if the circuits are 25 amp vs 30 amp.

In the context of this install #10 romex is going to support 25 or 30 amps so if you didn't have a 25 amp breaker using a 30 would be perfectly acceptable. My heat pump specified 25 amp circuit so I just ordered a 25 amp breaker with some other supplies just to offer some additional protection to it if it started to overload.

 

[davewill]

Well I think the calculation is that with a 20 amp appliance that draws continuous amps, i.e. 20 amps the entire time it is on, you want the breaker to have a 20% overhead. 20% of 20 amps is 4 amps. So you need a 24 or more amp breaker and circuit. 30 probably will work fine but is slightly less safe. You could be electrocuting yourself at 29 amps and the breaker won't care, but the 25 would trip.

Not quite. Use 125% (1 divided by 80%) when calculating the circuit size from the EVSE's load: 20a * 125% = 25a minimum circuit breaker size. Use 80% when going the other way: 25a * 80% = 20a maximum continuous load.

 

[jmeleaf]

Is the LCS-25 working with your 2013 Leaf when you set a charge timer in the car? When I try, the car and charger go through a on/off cycles every few seconds.

Thanks,

 

[LEAFer]

Is the LCS-25 working with your 2013 Leaf when you set a charge timer in the car? When I try, the car and charger go through a on/off cycles every few seconds.

Thanks,

Suggestion: Report and resolve directly with Clipper Creek: http://www.clippercreek.com/sales-team.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[jmeleaf]

I did contact them yesterday, I was just curious to see if it was a one off thing or a compatibility problem with the 2013 Leaf.

 

[LEAFer]

I did contact them yesterday, I was just curious to see if it was a one off thing or a compatibility problem with the 2013 Leaf.

Please report any updates ... thanks.

 

[jopickens]

Is the LCS-25 working with your 2013 Leaf when you set a charge timer in the car? When I try, the car and charger go through a on/off cycles every few seconds. Thanks,

I guess I'll be contacting Clipper Creek as well.
I tried for the first time tonight to set the charge timer in the car. I've owned the car for two weeks and the charger for a few days.
Anywho - as the post above mentions, the charge adapter constantly cycles on/off charge with seemingly more than one relay in the car flipping open/closed etc. every couple seconds.

Josh

 

[jmeleaf]

Thanks for confirming this! I'll keep you posted.

 

[jmeleaf]

I just called Clipper Creek: they are aware of the issue and working with Nissan to figure things out. They believe it's a bug in Nissan SW associated with the new 6.6kW charge, but I'm guessing if I called Nissan they'd say it's a bug in Clipper Creek firmware

 

[jopickens]

^haha yes I can imagine you getting that response as well. Keep in mind my LEAF is an S model with the 3.3 charger.
I've emailed amanda @ clipper creek as well as their general information email and have not gotten a response. I have not called in yet either (try to avoid talking on the phone whenever possible ... as I'm not in a big rush to hear from them. As long as they are working on it, I know they'll eventually get to notifying me of the outcome etc. etc.
Josh

 

[mkjayakumar]

I have the same LCS-25 but a 2011 Leaf with 3.3 kW charger. I can try this with another Leaf that of my friend which is 2013 S with 6.6 kW.

I am also very interested in getting this fixed as I am actively looking to jump to a 2013 specifically for the 6.6 kW charger.

 

[henrysunset]

I just purchased a base model 2013 leaf "S" with the lower 3.3kWh charging capability. The Clipper Creek seems like a great value for a charger rated for outdoor use.

Anyone have any hands-on experience?
- Is it a good unit?
- Anyone do the installation themselves? Was it difficult? Was the required installation hardware included?

 

[jmeleaf]

I got an email from ClipperCreek today basically saying that Nissan and ClipperCreek are aware of the issue and working on it.

 

[jopickens]

^same here... I thanked them for getting back with me etc.

 

[SanDust]

Isn't the LCS-25 the same unit as the Voltec? That may even be cheaper if you're inclined in that direction.