trickle charger problem

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nerys

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
726
I got another trickle charger. Plugged it in worked fine started charging the car. Before going to bet I check charge status. Not charging. Huh? Needs 7 more hours.

I go outside the green light is blinking. I unplug it no effect. Still blinking ready on charger.

Before you say outlet. I haved used this outlet for the week j have had the car with no issues

I swap back to my originam charger and it works fine (same outlet)

I doubt there is much I can do as it has no buttons or anything but

Any suggestions?
 
It is most likely a charge timer issue, if I correctly understand your slightly garbled post. Which green light is blinking, the one on the EVSE (it isn't a charger - that's built into the car) or the one on the car's dashboard?
 
No timer. The green ready light on the power supply that goes into the 110v outlet.

Sending from cell phone. Sorry for sloppy typing.
 
It really comes down to either an intermittently faulty EVSE or a marginally grounded outlet, in that case. You can check the outlet - carefully - for loose connections, especially the ground.
 
I do my own electrical work. So I am pretty good at not being juiced. :)

When I get a chance this weekend I will pull the outlet. Its a home run so easy to diagnose.
 
This sounds familiar to my problem. I picked up a 2015 S model with Level 2 and quick charger option. I've been charging every day at the local QC station utilizing the 2yr free juice so I haven't needed the trickle charger much. However, I did try to plug it in one night to my 110 outlet in garage and noticed the green light was blinking. Instructions say this means grounding problem. I checked all other 5 outlets in the garage and the light blinked on all.

I plugged it into an outlet in the house and it was solid green.

So I call an electrician and he comes out a couple days later in the morning.

I plug in the charger in the garage to show him the blinking light and to my surprise it is solid green. WTF?.
He checks the outlets in the garage(and they are all fine) anyways and they are all grounded. He checks the breaker box. All looks good. Voltages at the outlets were good.

He checks my 240 circuit just in case I want to install a level 2 and blablabla. All is fine. He leaves... I continue to use QC and dont try the trickle for several days.

So now this morning I plug in trickle and WTF, Blinking Green light!

Not sure what to do. It is solid on the house outlets.... but garage is not good this morning.

Any suggestions? Thanks.
 
The odd part is the other charger (same model) works 100% flawless never gave me a single problem.

Very strange while no sure thing this does indicate it is probably not my outlet as the chances of an outlet issue effecting one but not the other is quite small (but not 0)
 
VonChargeALot said:
This sounds familiar to my problem. I picked up a 2015 S model with Level 2 and quick charger option. I've been charging every day at the local QC station utilizing the 2yr free juice so I haven't needed the trickle charger much. However, I did try to plug it in one night to my 110 outlet in garage and noticed the green light was blinking. Instructions say this means grounding problem. I checked all other 5 outlets in the garage and the light blinked on all.

I plugged it into an outlet in the house and it was solid green.

So I call an electrician and he comes out a couple days later in the morning.

I plug in the charger in the garage to show him the blinking light and to my surprise it is solid green. WTF?.
He checks the outlets in the garage(and they are all fine) anyways and they are all grounded. He checks the breaker box. All looks good. Voltages at the outlets were good.

He checks my 240 circuit just in case I want to install a level 2 and blablabla. All is fine. He leaves... I continue to use QC and dont try the trickle for several days.

So now this morning I plug in trickle and WTF, Blinking Green light!

Not sure what to do. It is solid on the house outlets.... but garage is not good this morning.

Any suggestions? Thanks.
Click to expand...

That's seriously frustrating! One mine start to suspect the EVSE itself but it works in the house! Do you have any means to test the receptacle yourself either using an outlet tester or a multi meter?
 
QueenBee said:
VonChargeALot said:
This sounds familiar to my problem. I picked up a 2015 S model with Level 2 and quick charger option. I've been charging every day at the local QC station utilizing the 2yr free juice so I haven't needed the trickle charger much. However, I did try to plug it in one night to my 110 outlet in garage and noticed the green light was blinking. Instructions say this means grounding problem. I checked all other 5 outlets in the garage and the light blinked on all.

I plugged it into an outlet in the house and it was solid green.

So I call an electrician and he comes out a couple days later in the morning.

I plug in the charger in the garage to show him the blinking light and to my surprise it is solid green. WTF?.
He checks the outlets in the garage(and they are all fine) anyways and they are all grounded. He checks the breaker box. All looks good. Voltages at the outlets were good.

He checks my 240 circuit just in case I want to install a level 2 and blablabla. All is fine. He leaves... I continue to use QC and dont try the trickle for several days.

So now this morning I plug in trickle and WTF, Blinking Green light!

Not sure what to do. It is solid on the house outlets.... but garage is not good this morning.

Any suggestions? Thanks.
Click to expand...

That's seriously frustrating! One mine start to suspect the EVSE itself but it works in the house! Do you have any means to test the receptacle yourself either using an outlet tester or a multi meter?
Click to expand...

I dont have any way to test myself. The electrician used a multimeter.

I have verified that everything seems to be powered off that may be on same circuit box.
 
VonChargeALot said:
I have verified that everything seems to be powered off that may be on same circuit box.
Click to expand...
Maybe update your location and someone who is nearby can offer some help.

Do you have any of those surge protection power strips which have a light on them if they don't detect a ground?
 
Are both trickle EVSEs the same brand/model?

Did you buy the second one new or used?

Can you return the second one? It sure seems defective and will frustrate you for many years to come. :-(

Bob
 
I dont have any way to test myself. The electrician used a multimeter.
Click to expand...

All you need is a $4 test light. Plug one probe into the smaller outlet slot (hot) and touch the other to the cover screw or, better yet, the metal part of the outlet itself, after removing the cover. A normal grounded circuit will give you a light with this test. If it doesn't light, try the larger slot (neutral) and the metal box. If it lights that time, the outlet is wired backwards. If you get no light at all, touch one probe into the small slot again, and the other to the outlet box itself (if it's metal). If that works, you need to install a new grounding wire between the outlet and box.

If you have armored cable (BX) that is carrying the ground circuit in the armor itself, check that the cable is connected *tightly* to the box. If it's loose you'll get the kind of intermittent ground that you seem to be seeing.
 
LeftieBiker said:
I dont have any way to test myself. The electrician used a multimeter.
Click to expand...

All you need is a $4 test light. Plug one probe into the smaller outlet slot (hot) and touch the other to the cover screw or, better yet, the metal part of the outlet itself, after removing the cover. A normal grounded circuit will give you a light with this test. If it doesn't light, try the larger slot (neutral) and the metal box. If it lights that time, the outlet is wired backwards. If you get no light at all, touch one probe into the small slot again, and the other to the outlet box itself (if it's metal). If that works, you need to install a new grounding wire between the outlet and box.

If you have armored cable (BX) that is carrying the ground circuit in the armor itself, check that the cable is connected *tightly* to the box. If it's loose you'll get the kind of intermittent ground that you seem to be seeing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback but as I said, there are 6 outlets all easily acccessible in the garage(detached from house and on separate circuit box) and the charger blinks green on all 6 of them. Therefore, it would likely not be a loose connection. Backwards wiring on all six? Not sure about that.

It does not blink when plug it into the outlets in the main house.

And I have not been able to reproduce it being solid green in the garage on a few separate tries on different days. It was solid green once in the garage so this is all pretty frustrating.
 
The wires are color coded. The outlets are in the same room and likely done by the same electrician. So yes if one is backwads the probability is high all are backwards as he would have likely done them all the same
 
nerys said:
The wires are color coded. The outlets are in the same room and likely done by the same electrician. So yes if one is backwards the probability is high all are backwards as he would have likely done them all the same
Click to expand...
Or the bad connection could be back in the panel.
 
davewill said:
nerys said:
The wires are color coded. The outlets are in the same room and likely done by the same electrician. So yes if one is backwards the probability is high all are backwards as he would have likely done them all the same
Click to expand...
Or the bad connection could be back in the panel.
Click to expand...
But there is a high probability that the electrician they had come out to test things would have noticed if something was installed backwards and that would not explain why it worked when the electrician was there but not now.
 
RegGuheert said:
LeftieBiker said:
I dont have any way to test myself. The electrician used a multimeter.
Click to expand...
All you need is a $4 test light.
Click to expand...
Better yet, buy a receptacle tester. Those things are very clever! Simply plug it into your outlet and it tells you exactly what wiring problems there are, if any. They only cost $5 at Amazon.
Click to expand...

Good suggestion. Picked up receptacle tester for $6 and it showed some error code.

I called the electrician back out and he found a weird voltage reading across the ground circuit. After several tests at box, receptacles, etc, he finally found the problem was at a junction box in the garage. The wires had been connected via a wire nut but not twisted together. Vibration and or temperature change had caused the circuit to work occasionally but faulty most of the time. Problem solved by twisting wires securely together.

Trickle charger now working fine. Seems to be sufficient for me now..I use the QC at the local H.E.B. and the tickle for topping off.
Thanks everyone.
 

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