Standard Extension Cord Charging

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14GA sounds a little scary to me. There are plenty of "contractor grade" extension cords that use 10/3 wire and some that have a lighted plug that indicates when there's a good ground end to end.

A quick search on Amazon finds lots of 10/3 extension cord options. I personally wouldn't use any cord longer than 25'
 
alozzy said:
14GA sounds a little scary to me. There are plenty of "contractor grade" extension cords that use 10/3 wire and some that have a lighted plug that indicates when there's a good ground end to end.

A quick search on Amazon finds lots of 10/3 extension cord options. I personally wouldn't use any cord longer than 25'

This extension cord was made by Craftsman in the late 1970's when 14AWG meant 14AWG! An I have 150 feet of it with three prong 120VAC plugs, one male one female. ;-)

And I'm using it to level I charge my Leaf.

John Kuthe...
 
I would add don't use an extension cord for daily charging. Better to have a proper outlet installed for constant use. Daily plugging and unplugging wears them out, and people get lax when they use something every day. When you do use one, check it as suggested above.
 
davewill said:
I would add don't use an extension cord for daily charging. Better to have a proper outlet installed for constant use. Daily plugging and unplugging wears them out, and people get lax when they use something every day. When you do use one, check it as suggested above.

To put it better, "Don't use an EVSE that has to be unplugged constantly." I'm not sure how much difference a good extension cord makes in that scenario. Portable EVSEs should be left plugged in most or all of the time.
 
davewill said:
I would add don't use an extension cord for daily charging. Better to have a proper outlet installed for constant use. Daily plugging and unplugging wears them out, and people get lax when they use something every day. When you do use one, check it as suggested above.

I'm using the same Craftsman late 1970's probably 150FT extension cord, and I've plugged it in and out of many things over the years and it's not showing any signs of wearing out.

John Kuthe...
 
JohnKuthe said:
davewill said:
I would add don't use an extension cord for daily charging. Better to have a proper outlet installed for constant use. Daily plugging and unplugging wears them out, and people get lax when they use something every day. When you do use one, check it as suggested above.

I'm using the same Craftsman late 1970's probably 150FT extension cord, and I've plugged it in and out of many things over the years and it's not showing any signs of wearing out.

John Kuthe...


Is that cord used on continuous loads of 12A for long periods of time with many heating and cooling cycles? My guess is no unless you run a table saw 8 hours a day. Not to mention it was likely not made in China and cost optimized.
 
JohnKuthe said:
Bob said:
Definitely do NOT use 14 gauge wire. 12 gauge is better and 10 gauge is the best you'll find in a common extension cord.

All good advice. I'm not a licensed engineer, just a EE by degree, and the heavier a wire gage the better! Charging electric cars is a "high power" application, that's why I'm getting a 240VAC line run for it. And until then I'm using a 150FT early 1980's Craftsman 3 prong extension cord that I also use to mow, trim and leaf blow (all corded electric!) I can't remember it;s wire gage but I think it's 14 gage. Works wonderfully!
:shock:

Don't do that.
 
jlv said:
JohnKuthe said:
Bob said:
Definitely do NOT use 14 gauge wire. 12 gauge is better and 10 gauge is the best you'll find in a common extension cord.

All good advice. I'm not a licensed engineer, just a EE by degree, and the heavier a wire gage the better! Charging electric cars is a "high power" application, that's why I'm getting a 240VAC line run for it. And until then I'm using a 150FT early 1980's Craftsman 3 prong extension cord that I also use to mow, trim and leaf blow (all corded electric!) I can't remember it;s wire gage but I think it's 14 gage. Works wonderfully!
:shock:

Don't do that.

Why not? It's MY extension cord and MY lawn maintenance equipment and MY Leaf I'm charging at 120VAC!

And it's WORKING for me!

John Kuthe...
 
JohnKuthe said:
jlv said:
JohnKuthe said:
All good advice. I'm not a licensed engineer, just a EE by degree, and the heavier a wire gage the better! Charging electric cars is a "high power" application, that's why I'm getting a 240VAC line run for it. And until then I'm using a 150FT early 1980's Craftsman 3 prong extension cord that I also use to mow, trim and leaf blow (all corded electric!) I can't remember it;s wire gage but I think it's 14 gage. Works wonderfully!
:shock:

Don't do that.

Why not? It's MY extension cord and MY lawn maintenance equipment and MY Leaf I'm charging at 120VAC!

And it's WORKING for me!

John Kuthe...


These treads are always filled with brilliant logic. You should do as you please but note to others what you do may not be safe based on your basic deductions that are as based on no electrical engineering standards.
 
EVDRIVER said:
JohnKuthe said:
jlv said:
:shock:

Don't do that.

Why not? It's MY extension cord and MY lawn maintenance equipment and MY Leaf I'm charging at 120VAC!

And it's WORKING for me!

John Kuthe...


These treads are always filled with brilliant logic. You should do as you please but note to others what you do may not be safe based on your basic deductions that are as based on no electrical engineering standards.

Electrical standards never bothered Nikola Tesla!! :)

And I've not blown the little breaker in the 120VAC 3 prong grounded sockets I plug into either!

John Kuthe...
 
JohnKuthe said:
EVDRIVER said:
JohnKuthe said:
Why not? It's MY extension cord and MY lawn maintenance equipment and MY Leaf I'm charging at 120VAC!

And it's WORKING for me!

John Kuthe...


These treads are always filled with brilliant logic. You should do as you please but note to others what you do may not be safe based on your basic deductions that are as based on no electrical engineering standards.

Electrical standards never bothered Nikola Tesla!! :)

And I've not blown the little breaker in the 120VAC 3 prong grounded sockets I plug into either!

John Kuthe...

The breaker would not blow. That's the point but I don't think you understand how heat induced electrical fires occur.
 
EVDRIVER said:
JohnKuthe said:
EVDRIVER said:
These treads are always filled with brilliant logic. You should do as you please but note to others what you do may not be safe based on your basic deductions that are as based on no electrical engineering standards.

Electrical standards never bothered Nikola Tesla!! :)

And I've not blown the little breaker in the 120VAC 3 prong grounded sockets I plug into either!

John Kuthe...

The breaker would not blow. That's the point but I don't think you understand how heat induced electrical fires occur.

You mean how when the insulation melts and catches fire? Yeah, that happens from heat caused by a resistance somewhere. I hope the system I'm having installed will be robust enough to do the job safely.

John Kuthe...
 
Lol, always surprising and unpredictable as to which posts will gain traction on MNL forums. Who would have thought that a post on extension cord use would go 4 pages!

Or one on "Duosida EVSE Just Arrived" going 11 pages.

Or the never ending "Aeromod nissan leaf improved aerodynamics increased range", with ad nauseam heated debate over coasting vs regen

Guess that explains why I keep coming back here, it's like a spectator sport!
 
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