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Disclaimer: I am NOT an electrician, though I am an IT lead and work with electricity a fair amount. This article is purely for reference, I am not recommending any specific parts/items/procedures.
This discussion is strictly about LEVEL 1 charging and the implications of doing so with most home electrical outlets.
A generation 1 Volt is set up to charge at either
Okay so nice numbers but what do they actually mean?
Well with resistance like you'd get from a corroded connection, 880 watts is capable of producing up to 3,000 BTU/HR of heat and 1,320 watts, around 4,500 BTU/HR. Compare this to the average electric stove burner which maxes out at 7,000 BTU/HR and you begin to realize just how much heat a bad electrical connection can generate within a minute or two of being turned on.
Additionally, It is also important to understand that this is not an intermittent or brief draw, this is a continuous draw over the course of several hours. To put it in perspective, another item commonly used in the house that draws similar power is THIS.
Now imagine leaving a hairdryer on for several hours at a time. This is a LOT of stress on an electrical system and if your “upstream” parts such as the wall socket, connections, or wiring, are old, corroded, or just plain sub-standard it is going to come back to haunt you.
So what do I do?
Probably the best/safest thing to do is hire a licensed electrician to assess your electrical system. Give them the above listed numbers and have them determine if your socket/wiring is up to the task. But if you are a die-hard do it yourselfer then there are a few things you should know.
I shouldn’t have to say this but, DISCLAIMER: WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS. LEARN SAFE PRACTICES BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY REPAIRS, UPGRADES, OR MODIFICATIONS.
Get a non-contact IR thermometer and check the temperature of your outlet periodically while you are charging your Volt. If the temperature starts to go up fast, switch down to 8amp, or STOP CHARGING.
Stab (or backstab) type outlets are terrible. They work by having a small hole with a barb inside that grips the wire which is “stabbed” into the back. Convenient and fast, but they create a minimal surface contact area and are known to work loose over time due to vibrations and the regular heating and cooling cycles that all electrical outlets have. Your outlets may be “brand new construction”, but if they are “stabbed” in they are BAD and you should get them re-done.
Side Screw outlets are good. These have screws on the sides of the socket, provide a LOT more surface contact area, and do not work loose over time.
Residential grade vs Industrial grade
If you are going to upgrade an outlet to charge a Volt, make it an industrial grade/heavy duty.
I’m going to be blunt here. If you didn’t pay at least $10 or more for the outlet, it’s probably not heavy duty enough.
In my opinion, your best bet is to find a “Hospital Grade” outlet. It will look like any other, but will have a green dot on the face someplace.
Leviton makes some extremely solid, heavy duty, hospital grade, outlets (see this example)
I hope this quick primer was of some help to other Volt and EV owners out there.
UPDATE: Some good additional points are being made below (especially the one about "Don't replace a GFCI receptacle with a non-GFCI receptacle") Please read the threads!
This discussion is strictly about LEVEL 1 charging and the implications of doing so with most home electrical outlets.
A generation 1 Volt is set up to charge at either
- Lev 1 LOW: 110 Volts at 8 Amp (880 Watts)
- Lev 1 HIGH: 110 Volts at 12 Amp (1,320 Watts)
Okay so nice numbers but what do they actually mean?
Well with resistance like you'd get from a corroded connection, 880 watts is capable of producing up to 3,000 BTU/HR of heat and 1,320 watts, around 4,500 BTU/HR. Compare this to the average electric stove burner which maxes out at 7,000 BTU/HR and you begin to realize just how much heat a bad electrical connection can generate within a minute or two of being turned on.
Additionally, It is also important to understand that this is not an intermittent or brief draw, this is a continuous draw over the course of several hours. To put it in perspective, another item commonly used in the house that draws similar power is THIS.

Now imagine leaving a hairdryer on for several hours at a time. This is a LOT of stress on an electrical system and if your “upstream” parts such as the wall socket, connections, or wiring, are old, corroded, or just plain sub-standard it is going to come back to haunt you.
So what do I do?
Probably the best/safest thing to do is hire a licensed electrician to assess your electrical system. Give them the above listed numbers and have them determine if your socket/wiring is up to the task. But if you are a die-hard do it yourselfer then there are a few things you should know.
I shouldn’t have to say this but, DISCLAIMER: WORKING WITH ELECTRICITY IS DANGEROUS. LEARN SAFE PRACTICES BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY REPAIRS, UPGRADES, OR MODIFICATIONS.
Get a non-contact IR thermometer and check the temperature of your outlet periodically while you are charging your Volt. If the temperature starts to go up fast, switch down to 8amp, or STOP CHARGING.
Stab (or backstab) type outlets are terrible. They work by having a small hole with a barb inside that grips the wire which is “stabbed” into the back. Convenient and fast, but they create a minimal surface contact area and are known to work loose over time due to vibrations and the regular heating and cooling cycles that all electrical outlets have. Your outlets may be “brand new construction”, but if they are “stabbed” in they are BAD and you should get them re-done.

Side Screw outlets are good. These have screws on the sides of the socket, provide a LOT more surface contact area, and do not work loose over time.

Residential grade vs Industrial grade
If you are going to upgrade an outlet to charge a Volt, make it an industrial grade/heavy duty.
I’m going to be blunt here. If you didn’t pay at least $10 or more for the outlet, it’s probably not heavy duty enough.
In my opinion, your best bet is to find a “Hospital Grade” outlet. It will look like any other, but will have a green dot on the face someplace.

Leviton makes some extremely solid, heavy duty, hospital grade, outlets (see this example)
I hope this quick primer was of some help to other Volt and EV owners out there.
UPDATE: Some good additional points are being made below (especially the one about "Don't replace a GFCI receptacle with a non-GFCI receptacle") Please read the threads!