EVSE works plugged into outside outlet, but not extension cord

Title says it. I have one outside outlet at the half of the duplex I rent, and it's at the back of the house down a 20 yard driveway. If I plug directly into the outlet, the evse works fine, but then the landlord can't plow the driveway since my car is parked in back.

So I decided to buy a heavy duty 100' outside extension cord so I can park at the top of the driveway. This worked intermittently last winter. Now, when plugged in to it, the evse blinks ready (ground fault?) and will not charge the car. I tried a different outside extension cord we use for holiday decorations just as a test and got the same result.
Is there any reason why the evse wouldn't work while using a 3-prong extension cord? Once it starts snowing I'm going to get stuck at the bottom of the sloped driveway.

Thank you in advance.

Probably too much voltage drop; you were "lucky" that it worked at all last winter.
Not what you wanted to hear, but you need to figure out a way to get closer (garage?).

I have not tested the 2015, but my 2011 would charge down to about 100 volts at the EVSE (tested once using some long 16 AWG extension cords plugged into an outdoor receptacle whose wiring was routed through the GFCI in a bathroom). This was a controlled test and I do not condone the use of light duty extension cords.

I suspect the issue Pete1burn has is due to a loose connection in the equipment ground wire/connections in the extension cords. The EVSE passes a small current (less than 4 mA) through the ground conductor to verify proper grounding. If the impedance of the ground path is too high, the EVSE will not allow the car to charge.

Gerry

GerryAZ said:

I have not tested the 2015, but my 2011 would charge down to about 100 volts at the EVSE (tested once using some long 16 AWG extension cords plugged into an outdoor receptacle whose wiring was routed through the GFCI in a bathroom). This was a controlled test and I do not condone the use of light duty extension cords.

I suspect the issue Pete1burn has is due to a loose connection in the equipment ground wire/connections in the extension cords. The EVSE passes a small current (less than 4 mA) through the ground conductor to verify proper grounding. If the impedance of the ground path is too high, the EVSE will not allow the car to charge.

Gerry

Click to expand...

+1, also if using the factory EVSE it draws ~12a, even at 100' I'd believe a 12 gauge(I wouldn't use any lower for 100') you should be OK as far as voltage drop. I've also used my factory EVSE(albeit upgraded by EVSEupgrade.com) down to 192v(96v x2 120v) and it's worked flawlessly. As Gerry said it's probably some sort of grounding issue. You can purchase 10 gauge extension cords(I've never seen longer than 50') but I really don't think voltage drop is the issue.

Thanks for the replies so far.

To clarify, this is the cord I bought last year.

US Wire 76100 12/3 100-Foot SJTW Yellow Heavy Duty Extension Cord with Lighted Pow-R-Block https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HWRS9A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2QqfybGQKHWK7

Does the green light blink before you plug in the car or after?

It starts blinking the moment I plug it into the outlet, not even connected to the car. If I do plug it in, it will not charge

Pete1burn said:

Title says it. I have one outside outlet at the half of the duplex I rent, and it's at the back of the house down a 20 yard driveway. If I plug directly into the outlet, the evse works fine, but then the landlord can't plow the driveway since my car is parked in back.

So I decided to buy a heavy duty 100' outside extension cord so I can park at the top of the driveway. This worked intermittently last winter. Now, when plugged in to it, the evse blinks ready (ground fault?) and will not charge the car. I tried a different outside extension cord we use for holiday decorations just as a test and got the same result.
Is there any reason why the evse wouldn't work while using a 3-prong extension cord? Once it starts snowing I'm going to get stuck at the bottom of the sloped driveway.

Thank you in advance.

Click to expand...

what does "heavy duty" mean?

I had the same thing happen to me but because I strung together 125 feet of extension cord using a combination of 16 ga to 12 ga. I replaced the 50 ' 16 ga with heavy duty 12 ga (at a CONSIDERABLE cost) and that fixed it right away.

I have seen 16 ga extension cords rated at heavy duty and if you paid $40 or less for 100' that is what you got because real heavy duty is more than twice as much

**edit** checked amazon and I am SHOCKED at the price of a 100 footer (since I paid more for 50 feet)

https://www.amazon.com/US-Wire-74100-Heavy-Duty-Extension/dp/B0020YKLQW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477780537&sr=8-1&keywords=heavy+duty+extension+cord

Any chance you have an outlet tester to verify polarity and ground is good?
I see multiple outlets... have you tried each of them? Sometimes the connectors are worn or just poorly made.
Also put a voltmeter in the spare outlet and monitor as you plug in.

Post the results.

I ran my 240v upgraded oem unit at the end of 100' extension (#12) and it always worked consistently.

Are there any broadcast AM radio transmitters nearby? I am thinking the long cord may act as antenna and pick up RF that can mess with the EVSE ground fault detector.

I would guess it is time to replace the outlet. Get a commercial grade or heavy-duty unit (whatever they call the ones designed for a lot of use).

Can you get away with only a 50' cord? I bought two cords not knowing for sure where I might be parking on certain days. Both are outdoor rated #14 gauge one is 50' and the other is only 16' or 20'. Both worked fine on a 2011 Leaf. I also got a couple different plug covers one is a Twist and Seal TSMX-1000-G-BL, and the other is a Twist and Seal Cord Dome Weather Protection.

I use the dome currently with the rest of the cable routed under our deck. I also upgraded the outdoor outlet to a GCFI with waterproof cover that allows up to two cords routed out the bottom.

If its only 20 yards wouldn't a 50' cord and the L1 cable be long enough (barely but enough). Or you could add another smaller #12 or #14 cable to extend it a little more. I'd use a plug cover for that connection as well.

My OpenEVSE charges fine through a 50 foot #12 wire extension cord from Costco. I tried it to see if it would work and it did. I usually charge in my garage at 240V since it is much faster.

My stock L1 EVSE is unused and it will stay that way.

I have charged with the EVSE plugged into a 100 foot #12 extension cord. In fact, I have used two different such cords. I have also plugged a 100 foot #12 cord into a 50 foot #12 cord, and chaged through that. No problems.

I suspect that the connection to the outlet is poor, and the weight of the EVSE hanging on the outlet makes contact where the cord doesn't make good contact on one of the terminals.

I would agree with a previous poster - replace the outlet with a heavy/industrial duty ground-fault outlet. The one I installed after I discovered a garage outlet getting warm on charging runs cool, has tight solid connection, and made a big difference when charging from there.

(Now, I often charge from 240 volt, but when I charge at the curb, the 100 foot cord (or the 150 foot combo) does the job just fine.)

An industrial / heavy duty GFCI doesn't cost a lot, works a lot better . . . really worth doing.

Alan

co2112 said:

Can you get away with only a 50' cord? I bought two cords not knowing for sure where I might be parking on certain days. Both are outdoor rated #14 gauge one is 50' and the other is only 16' or 20'. Both worked fine on a 2011 Leaf. I also got a couple different plug covers one is a Twist and Seal TSMX-1000-G-BL, and the other is a Twist and Seal Cord Dome Weather Protection.

I use the dome currently with the rest of the cable routed under our deck. I also upgraded the outdoor outlet to a GCFI with waterproof cover that allows up to two cords routed out the bottom.

If its only 20 yards wouldn't a 50' cord and the L1 cable be long enough (barely but enough). Or you could add another smaller #12 or #14 cable to extend it a little more. I'd use a plug cover for that connection as well.

Click to expand...

in good conditions you can. I charged with 75 feet of 16 gauge wire before and it worked but guessing a more worn out socket might have caused issues