[ZamboniMan]

Greetings!

The last few times I've had to unplug my volt mid charge (L1) I've noticed that the plug that goes into the wall outlet is uncomfortably hot. I haven't thought too much of it, as that is a good deal of juice, but today for some reason it's sticking in my head.

Has anyone else experienced this? If there is an issue, would it be with the outlet circuitry or with the EVSE itself?

Any guidance is greatly appreciated. I'm still pretty new at this.

Thanks!

 

[Norton]

You need to replace that old wall outlet, ASAP, with a high quality 'screw post' type of outlet.

It's 12 Amps of current which is 80% of a 15 Amp circuit breaker.
This is a kosher set up,, as long as the Volt is the only thing on that circuit.
Things should NOT be getting hot. Maybe just a little warm. (Think vacuum cleaner.)

 

[Barry]

You are smart to be aware of that. I think mine only gets slightly warm. First of all, reduce your charge current to 8 amps until you trouble shoot this. I would first suspect the wiring of the outlet. Make sure the wires are connected to the screw terminals and not backstabbed. Also ensure the same for any other outlets that are on the same circuit. If you are not comfortable with that kind of thing, get an electrician.

 

[saghost]

It can be poor spring force in the outlet, a weak connection between the outlet and wire (many contractors use the cheap stab type instead of screwing on to the terminals,) or a weak connection between the plug and cable (common in early GM EVSEs.)

That heat is dangerous, and can cause a failure or possibly even a fire if not addressed.

 

[emartin00]

Replace the outlet with a new 'spec-grade' one and check your plug prongs for any corrosion.

 

[ZamboniMan]

Oddly enough, we just had the outlet replaces last week, and it is still having issues. I realized that some of the basement outlets share this circuit, so I will be changing that up ASAP. Just wanted to be sure that the EVSE wasn't the culprit.

 

[telveer]

Heat is caused by resistance. Either the wiring does not support sustained 12A on 110V (less likely), or the connections/connectors are poor (more likely)

 

[Mister Dave]

Just wanted to be sure that the EVSE wasn't the culprit.

It could be the plug on the EVSE, yes.

You didn't say if you're charging at 8 amps or 12.

 

[NM Volt]

I too went through this problem. I did all the above "fixes" including cleaning the contacts on the ESVE so they are bright and shiny. GM replaced the old ESVE. and I put in a dedicated circuit. Mine got so hot it blackened the outlet and the plug was untouchable during high charge rates. The outlet was actually starting to melt from heat. I never put a cover on the outlet so it was open to airflow.
So, only solution was to set it on 8 amps. That sucks.
Solved the problem by purchasing a ChargePoint L2 which is plugged into the 220 outlet. It never gets hot and charges in 4 hrs; sometimes I go through 2 cycles a day. It also texts me when done. Worked perfect out of the box.
Best $550 spent on the car yet.
Roberto

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

If the plug itself is hot (And not the receptacle), there could be a chance that there's a loose/thin connection in the plug. Try it in a different outlet. If it still gets unusually hot, get in contact with GM. The Voltec EVSE is covered under the Voltec warranty.

 

[leppard3]

When I bought my 2011 I used a 110 outlet for about 5 days before I knew that was not an option. My outlet was getting extremely hot also and taking 12 hours to charge was just stupid. If you plan on staying in your home a few years or longer I HIGHLY suggest getting a 240 charger. I have a Clipper Creek at about $400. Now no worries of fire and charging in just under 4 hours.

 

[Jeff N]

As others have said, the plug should be mildly warm at most. It sounds like a problem with the plug rather than the wall socket. Did you ever get your original 120v EVSE cord replaced for your 2011 Volt -- it was recalled by GM due to a weak connection in the plug. If you can't get the EVSE cord replaced then the trivial fix is to just cut off the old 120v plug and put on a new "heavy duty" one that you can buy for a few dollars at any hardware store. I did that myself to my original al 2011 EVSE just a few weeks before it was recalled. If you don't feel comfortable doing that yourself then it should be easy to find an electronic repair shop that will do it for you for a cheap price.

 

[ZamboniMan]

I too went through this problem. I did all the above "fixes" including cleaning the contacts on the ESVE so they are bright and shiny. GM replaced the old ESVE. and I put in a dedicated circuit. Mine got so hot it blackened the outlet and the plug was untouchable during high charge rates. The outlet was actually starting to melt from heat. I never put a cover on the outlet so it was open to airflow.
So, only solution was to set it on 8 amps. That sucks.
Solved the problem by purchasing a ChargePoint L2 which is plugged into the 220 outlet. It never gets hot and charges in 4 hrs; sometimes I go through 2 cycles a day. It also texts me when done. Worked perfect out of the box.
Best $550 spent on the car yet.

We are having the electrician rewire the outlet. Should I have them run both 120 and 220, in case I decide to do a L2 charger at a later date? I'd love to get a Clipper Creek, but haven't been able to convince the "boss" yet.

 

[Barry]

Ask the electrician what they recommend. He could put in just the wires for a future 220, but not the breaker or outlet. That should be very little extra cost now, but easy to upgrade later if you ever want to use it. A bigger decision will be amperage more than voltage, since that determines the wire gauge to run.

For instance, you could ask him to run wires for a 30 amp circuit, but set it up with a 5-20 outlet that would work with your EVSE and give you some extra margin. Later the breaker and outlet could be changed to L6-30 for a level 2 EVSE or welder.

For what it is worth, 120V home charging has worked fine for me for almost 2 years.

 

[Kraven]

We are having the electrician rewire the outlet. Should I have them run both 120 and 220, in case I decide to do a L2 charger at a later date? I'd love to get a Clipper Creek, but haven't been able to convince the "boss" yet.

You have the electrician showing up to rewire the original outlet. You may as well have him put a 50A circuit breaker in along with a NEMA 14-50 outlet. If you can do a "punch through" to add the 50A breaker from a main panel and not have to run too much wire, it's not too expensive (hundreds of dollars) provided you have the capacity to add a 50A breaker from your main panel.

Clipper Creek is a great EVSE, many members have them and I can't recall hearing anything but praise for them. Do the outlet now, and you can create room in the budget at a later date for the Clipper Creek.

 

[ZamboniMan]

Quick update:

We had an electrician come out to wire a dedicated outlet. They ran heavier wiring that can adapt to a 240 charger when we're ready. I showed them the specs for the Clipper Creek HCS-40. The electrician also recommended that I have the dealership look at our cord, as he noted that it looked like there was moisture damage in the plug.

We took the car and the EVSE to the dealer and the service guy ordered a new one for us, sending us with the old EVSE in the meantime. We needed to charge, and in the process melted the plug to the new outlet. So the electrician has to come out again to replace that. We'll be sure to forward the bill to the dealership.

So, when the new EVSE comes in and the outlet is replaced, we should be problem free!