EatsShootsandLeafs
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2012
- Messages
- 716
I picked up my Leaf today. I am using only the trickle charger. I have a single 15 amp circuit in my garage (I guess? I have no idea because the electrician didn't label well!), previously with a small box freezer plugged into it, without problem.
I connected everything up and as soon as the actual charging started the socket went dead. Obviously, a thrown breaker.
So, I go to the basement, check out my breakers. All are perfect. I then turned off the entire house, turned it back on, then the same for each individual breaker. At this time nothing was plugged into the garage socket except for a small lamp on a long extension cord to the basement, so I could see which circuit it was (many are labelled, helpfully, as "lights"). I know the lamp works, I know the cord works (tested immediately prior).
No matter which breaker I touch now that socket is dead. I then found a bathroom breaker (as a test) and its GFCI trips within a second of the charger kicking in. That's fine, it's a bathroom. I now have the car charging via an extension cable from the family room. I don't know if this is kosher or not but it's working for now.
My conclusion as a non-electrician is that either:
1) I destroyed the breaker, despite it not tripping, and now it is non-functional no matters its positions
2) I destroyed the light socket. I have installed these before and realize that destroying one would only occur from tons of extra current melting something and/or causing a fire, which leads me to think 1) happened.
House is 7 years old on a 200 AMP panel. Thanks for any tips!
I took the cover off the socket and it's the white wire, which I think is 15 amps, with yellow for 20.
I am guessing next step is to take my multimeter out of storage and figure out which of the breakers in my basement are broken. Then find a different circuit for my freezer... I'm not sure how many watts it pulls but I bet it's more than 3 amps X 120 v or 360 watts
I connected everything up and as soon as the actual charging started the socket went dead. Obviously, a thrown breaker.
So, I go to the basement, check out my breakers. All are perfect. I then turned off the entire house, turned it back on, then the same for each individual breaker. At this time nothing was plugged into the garage socket except for a small lamp on a long extension cord to the basement, so I could see which circuit it was (many are labelled, helpfully, as "lights"). I know the lamp works, I know the cord works (tested immediately prior).
No matter which breaker I touch now that socket is dead. I then found a bathroom breaker (as a test) and its GFCI trips within a second of the charger kicking in. That's fine, it's a bathroom. I now have the car charging via an extension cable from the family room. I don't know if this is kosher or not but it's working for now.
My conclusion as a non-electrician is that either:
1) I destroyed the breaker, despite it not tripping, and now it is non-functional no matters its positions
2) I destroyed the light socket. I have installed these before and realize that destroying one would only occur from tons of extra current melting something and/or causing a fire, which leads me to think 1) happened.
House is 7 years old on a 200 AMP panel. Thanks for any tips!
I took the cover off the socket and it's the white wire, which I think is 15 amps, with yellow for 20.
I am guessing next step is to take my multimeter out of storage and figure out which of the breakers in my basement are broken. Then find a different circuit for my freezer... I'm not sure how many watts it pulls but I bet it's more than 3 amps X 120 v or 360 watts