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Voltec Level 1 Charging Cord Getting Very Hot!

15K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  Fulgerite 
#1 ·
My wife and I are have been charging our 2012 Volt at our respective workplaces for the last 18 months (same plugs) with the Voltec Level 1 charger that came with the car. Last week, my wife noticed the cord that plugs into the wall was very hot to the touch. This had never happened before. Also, when she unplugged from the wall, there was a spark.

Today, I plugged in at my work, and I, too, notice the cord was very hot (almost smelled like it was burning the plastic from the wall plug as well).

I would have said it was a defective wall plug if it only happened at one location, but not both.

Has anyone had experience with this issue? Would a new charger be the answer? Is this covered under the car's warranty?
 
#2 ·
So, its th charge cord PLUG/Socket getting hot ?

Try a short length high quality extension cord because it sounds like the PLUG is fitting loose.

This may move the high resistance heating making spot to a safer area and or fix the problem.

BUT if the WALL SOCKET and NOT the PLUG still gets HOT -you have a wiring problem and we have many threads on that subject.
 
#3 ·
Also, when she unplugged from the wall, there was a spark.
That can happen if you unplug from the wall before you unplug from the car. The car has no way of knowing you're about to disconnect the wall plug, so it's happily drinking electricity until the plug gets pulled. When you remove the plug from the car there's a switch in the handle that tells the car you're about to unplug it, therefore no spark.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like the plug contacts are wearing out and not making good contact. Chevy may replace it under warranty, but this is exactly why I always tell people not to unplug it every day. The standards for 120V outlets do not take into account the repeated installation and removal, and they will wear out after a while.
 
#5 ·
I would highly recommend that you disconnect from the car before removing the EVSE from the outlet. I think I zapped my previous EVSE that way. I no longer have it because I'v have since traded the car.

As for the the heated cord. I'm not sure if the "contacts" are wearing out but perhaps the spring tension of the outlet has diminished? Is it a standard 2up outlet that you're plugging into? Can you plug it into the other receptacle and feel a difference in the tension? With our new MY 2014, the current EVSE that came with the car has a bit longer length of cord. Though it doesn't fit as snug as the older EVSE did into the outlet, I have been using the other receptacle.

Makes me wonder if I could somehow secure and protect from the elements, my EVSE at work where I plug in and to try to reduce the frequency of disconnects??
 
#6 ·
If it was an early 2012 you may have the original EVSE which Chevy recalled. I have a 2011 and noticed the plug was hot during charging, when I first got the Car. I bought the car used but fortunately the seller informed me about the recall, so I contacted my Chevy dealer and they replaced it with a new unit. I also replaced the wall outlet (these wear out with age) with a 15amp rated heavy duty outlet. No problems since.
 
#7 ·
I sent you a PM.

Melissa Electric Vehicle Advisor Team
Volt Line: 877-486-5846
Spark Line: 855-477-2754
ELR Concierge: 855-463-6357
Email: VOLTDA101@gmexpert.com
 
#12 ·
Hot charger

I sent you a PM.

Melissa Electric Vehicle Advisor Team
Volt Line: 877-486-5846
Spark Line: 855-477-2754
ELR Concierge: 855-463-6357
Email: VOLTDA101@gmexpert.com
Melissa,
I am having the same issue with my charger. I have actually had it now leave a burn mark on 2 different outlets in my garage. I would say it was the outlets except for the fact that my house is newer and the charger gets super hot. Can you please tell me if this is normal or if I need to call to get the charger replaced?
 
#9 ·
The cord color that goes into the wall is black, so it's the newer version.

I would say it's the wall outlet if it was just happening with one outlet, but it is happening with any plug the charging cord gets plugged into. I'll definitely talk to the dealer to see if this is something that can be replaced under warranty!
 
#10 ·
Two locations with almost the same problem were mentioned in the original post.

"charging our 2012 Volt at our respective workplaces"

"wife noticed the cord that plugs into the wall was very hot"

"Today, I plugged in at my work, and I, too, notice the cord was very hot"

which seems to indicate two locations.
 
#13 ·
I strongly suggest everyone read this Forum FAQ on charging: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?48937-120V-Charging-FAQ

Most likely cause of this issue is that your OUTLET is worn out. It's not necessarily the plug on your EVSE. When the contact springs in the OUTLET are weak and tarnished they don't make good enough contact to supply a 12 amp continuous load. The result is that they start to overheat.

Replace the outlet with a commercial or hospital grade outlet that has tighter springs and the problem will likely disappear.
 
#14 ·
The plug on my Hoover 12 AMP vacuum cleaner gets very hot after 10-15 minutes of use. The volt chargers for hours so this is an issue to watch out for.

I put in 12 guage wire run directly from the service box to the garage and connected it to the best heavy duty outlet I could find at home depot for a 15 AMP circuit. My outlet did not get hot for the week or two I used the 120V charger but When I took it off the wall to replace it with my new 240V charger, the back of the unit was warmer than I would have liked and the wall under it was warmer than I would have liked to see. Note, the car was not in the middle of a charge when I did this but it had been used recently.

Bottom line, check for heat build up. For my Clipper Creek unit, I put two washers between the wall and the unit at each screw location to hold it out form the wall. I am not sure if it will get too warm like the OEM model but this way I have an air gap to add thermal resistance and allow some convective currents to pull heat away from the back of the unit.

On topic,

Clean your plug with sand paper to expose bare copper and make sure the prongs are straight to ensure the best contact. Perhaps test it at home with a known good socket too. Better yet, ask for a replacement at the dealership.
 
#15 ·
Originally Posted by TrickMcCain[quote name="Chevrolet Customer Svc" post=1621810]I sent you a PM.

Melissa Electric Vehicle Advisor Team
Volt Line: 877-486-5846
Spark Line: 855-477-2754
ELR Concierge: 855-463-6357
Email: VOLTDA101@gmexpert.com
Melissa,
I am having the same issue with my charger. I have actually had it now leave a burn mark on 2 different outlets in my garage. I would say it was the outlets except for the fact that my house is newer and the charger gets super hot. Can you please tell me if this is normal or if I need to call to get the charger replaced?[/QUOTE]

Hello TrickMcCain,

Melissa is now supporting customers on the phone. I can understand how concerning this must be for you. I would like to get you in touch with a Volt Advisor as soon as possible to explore options to get this resolved. I am currently experiencing a system glitch, which is preventing me from notifying your Volt Advisor for you. I encourage you to reach out to the Volt Advisor Team via phone. I wish I could assist you right now but with our system down it is best for you to contact your advisor right away. Let me know if you have any questions!

Katie O.
Chevrolet Customer Care
 
#17 ·
The answer to this problem is very simple. You must first unplug the EVSE from the car before you unplug from the wall. If you don't, and the car is still charging, you are disconnecting rather high current at the wall outlet. This will cause a spark at the wall outlet and eventually put black marks on the wall outlet and the EVSE wall plug. These black marks don't conduct electricity well and cause the wall outlet and EVSE plug to get hot. It won't spark every time since presumably the car is finished charging sometimes and there will be little or no current flowing through the plug.
 
#18 ·
Not yet mentioned in this thread...

In addition to situations mentioned above, any of the following can result in excessive heating of the socket and/or plug...

Allowing the weight of the EVSE to be suspended from the plug will eventually damage the internal connections between the plug and the cord wire.

Use of the "quick connects" at the rear of many sockets does not provide sufficient surface area contact to the house wires for high current over extended periods of time. For EVSE and similar applications, it is much safer to wrap the conductors under the outlet's screw heads.

A socket's screw connections can loosen over time. Power should be turned off before making sure that those connections are tight.

Use of sandpaper on the plug prongs as suggested above can actually reduce contact area by scratching the copper. A pencil eraser can remove oxidation without significantly scratching the remaining copper.

KNS
 
#19 ·
In addition to situations mentioned above, any of the following can result in excessive heating of the socket and/or plug...

Allowing the weight of the EVSE to be suspended from the plug will eventually damage the internal connections between the plug and the cord wire.

Use of the "quick connects" at the rear of many sockets does not provide sufficient surface area contact to the house wires for high current over extended periods of time. For EVSE and similar applications, it is much safer to wrap the conductors under the outlet's screw heads.

A socket's screw connections can loosen over time. Power should be turned off before making sure that those connections are tight.

Use of sandpaper on the plug prongs as suggested above can actually reduce contact area by scratching the copper. A pencil eraser can remove oxidation without significantly scratching the remaining copper.

KNS
I agree that sandpaper is not a good idea. Brass polish like "Brasso" works well to clean plug blades. But you have to be sure to rinse and buff the polish off before using.

Many of the other points are covered in detail in the FAQ: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?48937-120V-Charging-FAQ
 
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