Good Quality 50ft Extension Cord for AV TurboCord?

Hi,

I've been using the AV TubroCord combined with the following 50ft extension cord since June 2014:

http://customavrack.com/products/1319-6-20-extension-cords.aspx

I live in a townhouse and my parking spot is a little over 30ft from my 240v outlet. The problem is that the extension cord failed back in May 2015 and the replacement that was sent to me has just failed tonight. I'm sure that I can get them to give me another replacement, but it just seems like the life span of this particular brand is getting shorter and shorter. Does anyone have any other recommendations for a good 50ft 6-20P to 6-20R extension cord?

Ideally I'd love to just have a dedicated charging station installed, unfortunately they all seem to be limited to 25ft cords

Why not use the 25-foot extension cord? You can probably get the remaining five feet out of the TurboCord. (?)

Edit: I checked the manual for the TurboCord, and it says it's just over 20 feet. So that plus the 25-foot extension should be plenty. You might even get away with the 15-foot.

Why not use the 25-foot extension cord? You can probably get the remaining five feet out of the TurboCord. (?)

Edit: I checked the manual for the TurboCord, and it says it's just over 20 feet. So that plus the 25-foot extension should be plenty. You might even get away with the 15-foot.

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The problem is that I need to tuck where the TurboCord's plug connects with the extension cord up on top of the front tire underneath the fender. This keeps the connection dry in bad weather and out of sight from vandals looking to do harm. Currently, the black extension cord runs along the grass, then through a gap in the sidewalk, and then along another strip of grass to my car. The whole setup is completely inconspicuous during the day and practically invisible at night.

What is failing on the extension cords? The photo in the link shows what appear to be high quality receptacle and plug ends on the cords. I usually make up my own cords and adapters using high quality ends and flexible cable purchased in bulk, but I need to know how your cords are failing to be able to provide recommendations.

Gerry

GerryAZ said:

What is failing on the extension cords? The photo in the link shows what appear to be high quality receptacle and plug ends on the cords. I usually make up my own cords and adapters using high quality ends and flexible cable purchased in bulk, but I need to know how your cords are failing to be able to provide recommendations.

Gerry

Click to expand...

As far as I can tell it's failing at the male end that plugs into the wall outlet on the house. What happens is that once everything is plugged in, starting at the wall outlet first, the connector of the TurboCord makes a series of clicking noises and the normal blue indicator light turns half red & blue, which according to AV is due to a "faulty connection."

In the past when this has happened all I had to do was wiggle the male end of the extension cord some, plug it back in and everything was good. I tried doing that tonight on both ends, and just like the original failed extension cord, it continuously trips the TurboCord's error indicator lights.

It sounds like the ground terminal in the receptacle on the wall is getting loose from having the cord plugged in and unplugged repeatedly. It is not unusual to need to replace receptacles once in a while if they are used a lot (especially if the installer did not use high quality receptacles). It could also be the power terminals are loose (but I suspect the ground because you say you have error lights on the EVSE). This is a safety hazard if it is not fixed properly. Loose power terminals will get hot due to the high charging current flowing continuously and a loose ground connection creates a possible shock hazard if anything else fails.

Gerry

Molded cord $99: http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=31712

But sounds like you just need a replacement male end $17 : http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=6756

Possibly a new wall outlet $19 : http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=7095
Home depot has similar.

smkettner said:

Molded cord $99: http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=31712

But sounds like you just need a replacement male end $17 : http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=6756

Possibly a new wall outlet $19 : http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?id=7095
Home depot has similar.

Click to expand...

We use those male/female ends for our fire engine and ambulance shorelines and pigtail cords, they get heavy, constant use and plenty of pulling/yanking, they need replacement every few years. But I would highly recommend them, based on how well they do with the abuse we put them through.

GerryAZ said:

It sounds like the ground terminal in the receptacle on the wall is getting loose from having the cord plugged in and unplugged repeatedly. It is not unusual to need to replace receptacles once in a while if they are used a lot (especially if the installer did not use high quality receptacles). It could also be the power terminals are loose (but I suspect the ground because you say you have error lights on the EVSE). This is a safety hazard if it is not fixed properly. Loose power terminals will get hot due to the high charging current flowing continuously and a loose ground connection creates a possible shock hazard if anything else fails.

Gerry

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. I seriously hope its not the receptacle, you'd think that they would last longer than 1.5 years. I guess the main reason why I keep leaning towards the extension cord as the culprit is because this is the identical problem I had before and the replacement extension cord fixed the issue immediately and did so for 6 months.

I'll try testing out the receptacle tomorrow morning and checking the ground. If it checks out, I'll contact the extension cord manufacturer and try and get another replacement. If they try and charge me for a new one, I guess I'll try the one posted by smkettner. I really do like the fact that they have the molded rubber ends and not the bulky plastic ones.

The Hubbell (or similar Leviton) nylon replacement ends are better than most molded-on ends as long as they are properly installed. It might be worthwhile to open the ends of your extension cord and check all of the connections for tightness.

Gerry

kevintylernelson said:

... I seriously hope its not the receptacle, you'd think that they would last longer than 1.5 years. I guess the main reason why I keep leaning towards the extension cord as the culprit is because this is the identical problem I had before and the replacement extension cord fixed the issue immediately and did so for 6 months.

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Are you plugging in this 6-20 daily and then unplugging it after use?
They should be better, but straight plug in 6-20 in general does not tolerate that much use.
Part of why evseupgrade went with L6-20 twist lock receptacles and plugs.

Are you plugging in this 6-20 daily and then unplugging it after use?
They should be better, but straight plug in 6-20 in general does not tolerate that much use.
Part of why evseupgrade went with L6-20 twist lock receptacles and plugs.

Click to expand...

Yes, the cord is being plugged/unplugged almost daily. I unfortunately cannot leave the cord continuously plugged in or else it would get stolen, plus you never know if you might need that cord during your travels to charge on the road.

I suppose it would be possible to get a twist-lock receptacle and replace this cord with an extension cord that has the twist-lock male end and the 6-20 female end. Does anyone here have any experience with such a cord?

I just spoke with the rep from Custom AV Rack (manufacturer of the extension cord) and he suspects that moister is working its way into the terminal ends causing rust to build up. I suppose this is possible but isn't that why we buy "outdoor" cords in the first place? Aren't they supposed to be protected from this type of thing? I mean the receptacle is completely enclosed with a weatherproof cover and the other end is tucked way up underneath the fender. Even with torrential rain both connection ends remain dry to the touch. He did however offer to send out another replacement, the last free replacement.

The plug ends I referred to in my last post are frequently used when wet. We just shake it off and then plug it in. Another vote for diy with high quality plug/receptacle. Use the existing cord of it is of good quality and adequate gauge. You may have to replace the ends every few years but that is pretty cheap. They are available at home depot, under the leviton brand, I think. IIRC, they are about $9 each.

You might want to create a pigtail (short extension cord), that you can leave plugged in to the wall receptacle, then your wear and tear will just be on the cord plug/receptacle ends. This is essentially what we do, and these get plugged /unplugged/yanked 4 to 20 times a day. I do open the plug ends every 6 months to a year to make sure all connections are tight and to see if they need replacement yet.

If the receptacle connection has gotten bad enough to fail repeatedly then it's probably also been overheating. Check the wiring for signs of heat, and I'd probably just spring for another high-quality receptacle.

Another suggestion would be to utilize a right-angle plug. This will help reduce the tendency for the weight of the cord applying leverage to the plug.

Finally, I'd go with 10 gauge wire for the cord. This will help reduce heat and the thicker gauge wire will dissipate more heat from the plug end.

There's really no option in getting a permanent EVSE installed? one of the problems the J1772 spec addresses is the reliability under high cycles of insertions. If you have to plug/unplug frequently buy only high quality outlets and plan to change them periodically. I'd advocate for a J1772 extension (like Tony's cord if you need a longer cord.

Firetruck41's idea of a pigtail isn't a bad option either - especially if only a short extension is needed.

Firetruck41 said:

You might want to create a pigtail (short extension cord), that you can leave plugged in to the wall receptacle, then your wear and tear will just be on the cord plug/receptacle ends. This is essentially what we do, and these get plugged /unplugged/yanked 4 to 20 times a day. I do open the plug ends every 6 months to a year to make sure all connections are tight and to see if they need replacement yet.

Click to expand...

It's funny that you mention the pigtail because I already purchased one with a twist-lock male end and 6-20 female end for when I go over my relatives house and need to charge. I guess it would just be a matter of getting a twist-lock receptacle. But, is it really safe to leave the pigtail's end just dangling in the elements 24/7?

essaunders said:

There's really no option in getting a permanent EVSE installed? one of the problems the J1772 spec addresses is the reliability under high cycles of insertions. If you have to plug/unplug frequently buy only high quality outlets and plan to change them periodically. I'd advocate for a J1772 extension (like Tony's cord if you need a longer cord.

Firetruck41's idea of a pigtail isn't a bad option either - especially if only a short extension is needed.

Click to expand...

The problem with all the permanent EVSE's is the cord length is only 25ft max. That would be roughly 22ft shy of reaching my car, meaning the the J1772 extension's connector would be lying out in the open, totally exposed to the elements and vandals. I just don't understand why these manufactures can't make at least a 50ft cord, they have to be aware that not everyone has a driveway or garage.

essaunders said:

I'd advocate for a J1772 extension (like Tony's cord if you need a longer cord.

Firetruck41's idea of a pigtail isn't a bad option either - especially if only a short extension is needed.

Click to expand...

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Using a J1772 extension cable is much safer than using a regular extension cord, however it still does not solve the outlet wear of daily unplugging when the EVSE must be packed up after charging. A pigtail cord left in the outlet solves that issue if it can be safely stored by keeping the end off the ground and pointed down (in case of rain). Another possibility would be to lock a plastic lockout/tagout cover over the exposed end of the pigtail cable.

Gerry

GerryAZ said:

Using a J1772 extension cable is much safer than using a regular extension cord, however it still does not solve the outlet wear of daily unplugging when the EVSE must be packed up after charging. A pigtail cord left in the outlet solves that issue if it can be safely stored by keeping the end off the ground and pointed down (in case of rain). Another possibility would be to lock a plastic lockout/tagout cover over the exposed end of the pigtail cable.

Gerry

Click to expand...

Here's some pics of my current outlet:

You might be able to hang a pigtail cord on that vent pipe to keep the exposed end off the ground and pointing down. I will try to find a picture of a lockout/tagout device (or web site link for purchase) that I think you could use to secure the exposed end of the cord.

Edit: Here is a link to the type of flexible cord plug/receptacle lockout device I think you could use to keep the pigtail cord from creating a public hazard.

http://www.bradyid.com/en-us/plo23/prod-2024897.html?cat=BRID3071637

Gerry