Confused

[mikey4949]

Just picked up a 2017 i3 Rex. Ev is new to me but I have lots of experience coding and was a certified mechanic,but I can seem to figure this one out. On my level 1 charger it will only work on certain sockets in my home. My garage, living room, all report power failure on the charge box. When I plug it into my kitchen socket it works fine, the only difference is that's a gfi socket. Do these have to have gfi to work right? I was going to charge it in my garage but can't now, instead I have the cable coming out of my kitchen window making us look like a Jetsons family who live in a trailer park lol

 

[MagicCarpet]

I'm guessing youre in NA, Mine is ex japan and came with a ClipperCreek (USA) 16 Amp box.

I think all the charging controllers have GFI functionality. it wont matter if your house is just a fuse or GFI (other than nuisance trip)

The ClipperCreek works on USA 2 phase outlets like washing room Dryer where you have 220V across the two active pins. It wont work on 110V
(your cord set may be different)
If your warning lights are not normal it may not be liking the way the plug is wired - or something about the house sockets neutral and ground connections being abnormal.

Ralph

 

[alohart]

On my level 1 charger it will only work on certain sockets in my home.

I believe that your Level 1 EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) requires a grounded outlet, so determine whether your sockets are grounded.

 

[robthebold]

Just picked up a 2017 i3 Rex. Ev is new to me but I have lots of experience coding and was a certified mechanic,but I can seem to figure this one out. On my level 1 charger it will only work on certain sockets in my home. My garage, living room, all report power failure on the charge box. When I plug it into my kitchen socket it works fine, the only difference is that's a gfi socket. Do these have to have gfi to work right? I was going to charge it in my garage but can't now, instead I have the cable coming out of my kitchen window making us look like a Jetsons family who live in a trailer park lol

You don't need a GFI, but you do need a grounded outlet. The trickle charger reports a power problem if the outlet isn't grounded. (But it's not a bad idea to have a GFI on an outside outlet like your garage, and updated codes in the US probably require it in new construction and remodels.)

Get a device like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-GFCI-Receptacle-Tester-RT210/206517824 at any hardware store or home center to check your outlets. The neon lights will indicate what the problem is. Then get an electrician to fix the outlets, including the inside ones that are ungrounded because that's a safety issue whether or not you plug in the car.


Edit: Another thought occurs to me . . . Is your house older? Like 1950s-ish or earlier? You may have 2-wire with no ground electrical outlets. Someone might have "fixed" this problem by simply swapping in 3-prong outlets without fishing in a ground wire. If that's the case, that would explain why the charger works on the outlet with the GFI: A GFI wired up without a ground will still appear grounded to equipment plugged into it. In some places, this is allowed by electrical code (assuming the outlet is properly labeled "No Equipment Ground").

 

[jadnashuanh]

As has been said, the EVSE has its own GFCI functionality built into it, so does not require a GFCI receptacle to work properly and safely.

Older receptacles often have lost all of their spring tension on the socket. That's a good reason to replace them, but a loose connection could be giving the EVSE issues.

In the scheme of things, many things don't need the safety ground provided on the third pin of a US style plug. That pin should never have current on it except in a fault, and is therefore, essentially unused. From an ultimate safety viewpoint, a basic 2-prong device is relatively safe. Adding a ground pin, MIGHT make it safer, depending on how it is built. Plugging in to a GFCI protected circuit is safer, and it does not require a ground to function - it's looking at the power - everything that goes out one lead MUST come back through the other, otherwise, there's a ground(ing) fault...i.e., some power is being drained off to ground, maybe through you...the device doesn't need a ground to detect this at all as it is exclusively looking at power/neutral. That protects you, an arc-fault device protects the wiring and ultimately, your property that you might be in at the time, from a spark induced fire.

 

[mikey4949]

Late reply, but as someone mentioned, my house is older. I believe it was built in 59, after inspecting the outlets, they do not have a ground. It seems that in my house only a portion of the sockets even have a white neutral wire. So for now I am using it in my kitchen with a GFI, eventually I would like to just get a 240 socket installed on the side of the house (only 110 in garage, figured its more cost efficient this way). We don't plan on staying in this house for many more years so im just adapting till that time comes.