[Craig Pugsley]

Hey guys,

I'm loving my Zoe, and am experimenting with venturing out further and further distances to see what's feasible.

I've taken advantage of the charge point installation grant and installed charge points at both the people we travel longer distances to visit.

I'm currently at the end of a 180ish mile journey from Bristol to Bury St. Edmunds, but I'm finding that the newly-installed charge point keeps tripping the house circuit breaker when I plug the car in and it starts drawing power.

Ordinarily, I would contact Chargemaster, but we're not going to be around this week to let them in.

Is there anything I can check? Surely Chargemaster would have checked the fuses were at the right rating? Could it be that one fuse is super-sensitive? Is it worth turning on as many high-draw appliances as possible in the house first, so the spike from the car's draw isn't so high? Could I manually force the breaker open just for the initial spike?

I have had a couple of successful charges, but the majority of the time the fuse trips.

Thanks to anyone who can help. This is a head-scratcher!

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

@Craig Pugsley IMO you should call Chargemaster urgently and get them back... Charging Stations don't trip, so it's telling you something is wrong and until resolved it should not be used

 

[Matt Beard]

This is an issue that needs to be investigated by an electrician. Even the most innocent fault can't be fixed without qualified help. Sorry!

 

[Paul]

Agree with the above, has to be sorted by a qualified sparky, I suggest by the original installing company under warranty.

 

[Thomas_Newby]

As an installer of charge stations I confirm the advice above.

The most likely culprit is an incorrectly sized circuit protective device (MCB/Fuse) or an over sensitive (faulty) RCD. I would also check that the electrician who installed the charge station undertook the required electrical test and inspection process, since the tests would likely (but not definitively) have shown the fault in advance. The installation should have been notified to building control and the property owner should have a copy of the test certificate. If this isn't the case ask questions.

If you fail to resolve the fault let me know and I'll see if we can help.

 

[Julian Thomas]

My Chargemaster/Polar home charger was tripping the RCD at the fuse box - the one that British Gas had installed when they did the Polar install - and Chargemaster sent British Gas back to check it. The RCD itself turned out to be faulty and was replaced.

 

[Thomas_Newby]

Its quite common.

The RCD test is a fundamental part of the inspection and testing process.

 

[Julian Thomas]

Mine was fine for a couple of months, then failed - BG said they thought it was a duff batch

 

[Craig Pugsley]

Ah, right. OK. That's great advice guys, thanks very much. I've been on the phone to Chargemaster (who did the original install) and they said something about lots of software being upgraded and that the unit itself might be faulty.

This is really unfortunate: we were dealing with British Gas originally and they gave my in-laws the run around - not turning up twice, then insisting they needed several hundred pounds' worth of additional work they didn't. Now this.

Would Chargemaster have missed something when the checked and tested the install before? Would they need an EV connected and drawing power to expose the fault? We're taking the car back home soon, so that won't be possible by the time they come out.

Hey, thanks for your help guys. Really appreciate the fast,
educated and comprehensive replies. My first post. Great forum.