Extension cord for trickle charging?

Is it safe to use an extension cord on the standard trickle charger? If so how do I know which kind to purchase? I would love to be able to use a six foot extension cord.

Lots of people do it; I've even seen pictures of Nissan doing it. But it does invalidate some of the safety mechanisms built into the J1772 protocol. The protocol ensures safety between the car and the "brick", which is formally an EVSE. The standard specifies that the EVSE must be within about a foot of the wall receptacle.

I think the usual recommendation is that any extension cord should be 12 gauge or better (but better is hard to find). In this context a smaller number is better, so avoid 14 gauge, and certainly don't use any 16 or 18 gauge cords! Of course it has to be a grounded cord, so look for 12/3 stamped on the wire sheath.

Ray

Ray's comments are perfectly valid, but I would argue that for the OP's proposed 6 foot extension, 14 ga will be quite adequate. Fourteen will easily handle the 12 Amps the unmodified EVSE draws, and for such a short length, IR drop will be insignificant when compared to 12 ga.

In short - go for it. Fourteen ga is fine, 12 ga is better.

Bill

More important is that you use a cord with a good plug/outlet and that you plug it into a good receptacle. At the connectors is where most issues arise when charging on L1 - and adding extension cords adds more connections.

For a 6ft cord - not that easy to find in 12ga. And since the length is so short, 14ga as Bill says is not an issue. After all - remember that your typical 15A outlet is fed with 14ga wire!

I see that home depot has an appliance style 6ft 14ga cord for $12 (HD#277-711) - nice since it has a right-angle plug so will resist getting pulled out accidentally by gravity.

Also see that they have a 2-pk 50ft 12ga extension cord for $39 (COMBO123050PK) - that's an amazing price for 100ft of 12ga extension cord!

I used a 6' appliance extension cord with #14 wire for the first 5 months on L1. 90 degree plug allowed cord to drop straight from the outlet and the brick just sat under the workbench for those 5 months. The cord never got warm.

For a longer run I recommend #12 wire and do not leave the extension cord coiled up.



http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...iance+cord&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202891104

Thanks everyone. This would just be an occasional thing.

I'm a big fan of the Rigid brand 12 awg extension cords at Home Depot. I ended up buying 100 feet to build my own various lengths of extension cord. Ended up being cheaper per foot than buying the raw 3 conductor cord.

Just to confirm: it is the plug and socket which is important. That is where most of the problems occur - especially after a while if the surface has become a bit oxidized or corroded. Therefore, put your hand around it once in a while to check it does not get hot, and replace every few years (depending on climate).

In Europe the length between the plug and EVSE is max 30 cm (1 ft), apart from a special rule for Germany, where 150 cm (5 ft) is allowed. Don't ask me why! :mrgreen:

Because the Germans know the 1' cord is unreasonable and believe an attached 5' lead is better than an extension cord :roll:

I have used a 25-foot 12 ga. extension cord from a hardware store for a year now with no issues. It will get warm from the current flow so best not to keep it enclosed or coiled.

One other thing. Always plug in the cord and EVSE first and the car last. Unplug in reverse: the car first and the cord and EVSE last. This is proper, in the instructions, and avoids arcing.

So obviously safety is my first concern here.

Should I go with this 9 ft. cord or should I just stick with the 6 ft. one listed above?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202353559&R=202353559#specifications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

gsleaf said:

So obviously safety is my first concern here.

Should I go with this 9 ft. cord or should I just stick with the 6 ft. one listed above?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202353559&R=202353559#specifications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Click to expand...

This 9-footer is a better cord (12 gauge vs. 14 gauge for the 6' cord). Either would be fine but this one is better.

gsleaf said:

So obviously safety is my first concern here.

Should I go with this 9 ft. cord or should I just stick with the 6 ft. one listed above?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202353559&R=202353559#specifications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Click to expand...

The 9' is a 20a cord with a NEMA 5-20 plug. The neutral prong is rotated 90 degrees and will not fit in a standard outlet with the blades parallel. It must have a 20 amp NEMA 5-20 outlet ..... also available at Home Depot. The neutral on the 5-20 outlet will have a "T" slot to accept 5-15 or 5-20.

This put me back with the 15a cord. 6' or 9' is irrelevant. The #12 wire is better. The plug must match the outlet.



http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs..._-SearchPLPHorizontal1-4-_-NA-_-202514681-_-N

smkettner said:

gsleaf said:

So obviously safety is my first concern here.

Should I go with this 9 ft. cord or should I just stick with the 6 ft. one listed above?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202353559&R=202353559#specifications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Click to expand...

The 9' is a 20a cord with a NEMA 5-20 plug. The neutral prong is rotated 90 degrees and will not fit in a standard outlet with the blades parallel. It must have a 20 amp NEMA 5-20 outlet ..... also available at Home Depot.

Click to expand...

Just thought I'd add for those who might not realize: AFAIK, a 20amp receptacle should only be installed on a (minimum) 20-amp circuit. I.e., protected by a 20amp breaker and wiring of sufficient gauge. In other words don't be tempted to replace an existing 15A outlet with the 20amp one even though the LEAF's EVSE only draws 12A.

The neutral on the 5-20 outlet will have a "T" slot to accept 5-15 or 5-20.

This put me back with the 15a cord. 6' or 9' is irrelevant. The #12 wire is better. The plug must match the outlet.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs..._-SearchPLPHorizontal1-4-_-NA-_-202514681-_-N

Click to expand...

Yes a 20a outlet would need to be on a 20a circuit to meet code afaik.

It is also common to have multiple 15a outlets on a 20a circuit and should be fine to just swap in a 20a outlet.
Best to verify what you have before making changes.

smkettner said:

Yes a 20a outlet would need to be on a 20a circuit to meet code afaik.

It is also common to have multiple 15a outlets on a 20a circuit and should be fine to just swap in a 20a outlet.
Best to verify what you have before making changes.

Click to expand...

For sure, you don't want to have your appliance potentially pulling 20a when the wiring isn't setup to handle it. I'll double check what I have setup when I get home.

DoxyLover said:

gsleaf said:

So obviously safety is my first concern here.

Should I go with this 9 ft. cord or should I just stick with the 6 ft. one listed above?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202353559&R=202353559#specifications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Click to expand...

This 9-footer is a better cord (12 gauge vs. 14 gauge for the 6' cord). Either would be fine but this one is better.

Click to expand...

While technically the 12ga 9ft cord is "better" than the 14ga 6ft cord, in terms of voltage drop, the two cords are exactly the same.

Both will drop 120V to 119.6V with a 12A load.

So IMO - go with the shorter cord that fits your existing outlet.

drees said:

While technically the 12ga 9ft cord is "better" than the 14ga 6ft cord, in terms of voltage drop, the two cords are exactly the same.

Both will drop 120V to 119.6V with a 12A load.

So IMO - go with the shorter cord that fits your existing outlet.

Click to expand...

Logic prevails. Good work drees.

Bill

smkettner said:

gsleaf said:

So obviously safety is my first concern here.

Should I go with this 9 ft. cord or should I just stick with the 6 ft. one listed above?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202353559&R=202353559#specifications" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Click to expand...

The 9' is a 20a cord with a NEMA 5-20 plug. The neutral prong is rotated 90 degrees and will not fit in a standard outlet with the blades parallel. It must have a 20 amp NEMA 5-20 outlet ..... also available at Home Depot. The neutral on the 5-20 outlet will have a "T" slot to accept 5-15 or 5-20.

This put me back with the 15a cord. 6' or 9' is irrelevant. The #12 wire is better. The plug must match the outlet.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs..._-SearchPLPHorizontal1-4-_-NA-_-202514681-_-N

Click to expand...

Good catch. Sorry I missed that.

Old thread but new question.

Assuming a 12 gauge cord, I noted everyone feels shorter is better. However, the drop off will be negligible between a 9 foot or 25 foot 12 gauge. So, why can't I use a 25 foot cord if it's 12 gauge and a secure connection?

The line to the outlet is a 15 amp with 14 gauge wire from the fuse box that runs 50 feet.

I don't understand why a low resistance line can't be run a longer distance. The drop off is the connection, and the number of connections is the same regardless of the cord length.