Newbie who needs setup advice

3142 Views 43 Replies 10 Participants Last post by proddick, Jan 24, 2021

Ben197

Discussion Starter · Jan 23, 2021

Hi all.

Got a Outlander PHEV yesterday. Need some advice on granny charging setup.

I plan to run the cable from the garage. Please see items below. It’s an outside power cord and plug. Fitted from the power source will be an RCD.

Is this ample or not? I’m a newbie so I’m not entirely sure and you seasoned EV/PHEVs will know more so I’m looking for your advice.

If okay, I plan to make the outside cord a permanent solution so will be using wire clips to neatly run it the side of the house.

Thanks in advance!

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proddick

· #15 · Jan 23, 2021 (Edited)

If using an extension with a portable EVSE is your only choice for now, then get one designed for use - preferably the RCD one.

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Do unplug everything once a week and check for any signs of damage, etc.

Bear in mind that a proper charging point (professionally installed) is likely to become as important as fast broadband to house buyers in future.

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proddick

· #18 · Jan 23, 2021

Ben197 said:
To be honest now I’m looking it seems the garage supply comes from the kitchen circuit. It runs along the back gate with PVC conduit.

That doesn't sound good. Best to get a separate circuit installed to garage. Ideally 10mm so you (or future owner) can get a proper charging point installed at some point.

Having a good, safe supply to garage will add value to home.

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proddick

· #42 · Jan 24, 2021

Be careful with the "fit a commando socket" advice. Connecting an EVSE (irrespective of socket) to an existing RCD has a risk it will cause nuisance tripping. There is also a relatively rare risk the RCD could be blinded by a DC fault with the car resulting in injury in the event of a house fault. Another rare but significant risk is that a PME neural fault would result in a dangerous voltage between the car bodywork and true Earth. These rare risks are why the regulations and code of practice were updated and any EVSE used on a regular basis should be installed to comply with them for safety. Just because someone has used a portable EVSE (aka Granny)plugged into a ring for years with no issues, doesn't mean it is totally safe.

For now, I would certainly avoid plugging in the EVSE to garage. Perhaps get an electrician to check one of the other rings and use as a temporary measure with due diligence.

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proddick

· #44 · Jan 24, 2021

ElectricIan said:
Just because someone has used a full fat 7kW EVSE for years doesn't mean its totally safe (especially if it is an early generation Rolec.)

I appreciate tongue in cheek, but is true. Our Chargemaster installed back in 2013 was wired directly to an MCB in our CU and we had several instances of nuisance tripping, plus the associated risks that were not widely known at the time.

In 2014 we got our electrician to split the supply and fit a separate CU for car charging and then got Chargemaster to fit a second one. We also had him change most of our house MCBs to RCBOs.

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