Anyone use an outlet timer?

[thebigad]

I have a 2013 S model, which only has an internal timer with the end or "to" time limit, not a start time limit. So, I want to plug the charger cable into an outlet timer that is set for 11 pm to 7 am to take advantage of super-low electricity rates during those hours.

A standard NSI/Tork outdoor outlet timer did not work, however. When the timer was activated, nothing would happen. If, however, I turned the timer on manually by overriding the timer function, it worked. So, the current passes through, but not in the way I want using the timer and I'm not sure if that kind of timer can handle the type of current the car pulls on a long-term basis. I don't want a fire hazard.

Anyone know of an outlet timer that is more heavy duty and that works in the way I need? I'm sure someone has thought of this before!

Thanks.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Hi. Welcome to the forum. If you list your location in your profile, it might help people answer future questions. But for this one, there's this:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=17678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There's also lots of heavy duty timers on line.

Have you tried setting your end timer to 7 am? That may be all you need to do.

But you really should investigate L2 options, it's way better, in so many ways.

 

[thebigad]

Thanks.

I read that post before posting, but did not find it to answer all of my questions. L2 is not a possibility right now, but may be down the road.

One question - If I set my end time to say 7 am, how does the car know when to START charging? Does it go off the estimated time to full charge shown on the screen and start accordingly or does it start a set number of hours before? I didn't see anything in the manual.

I'm also hoping some folks who have bought the "heavy duty" timers online can chime in whether a given brand has worked or not. Is there any particular rating that the timer should have?

Thanks.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Good questions. I've never used an outlet timer, so can't help you there. Also, never had just the end timer like the S, and hardly ever used L1, so really I'm not much help at all. Someone will chime in shortly, I'm sure.

I think it would go off estimated time to full, but the easiest way to find out is to set it and see what happens. Experiment enough, and you'll be the expert on it here. Every possible question comes up repeatedly, and will only happen more often in future as more people drive EVs.

I'd guess a 20A digital outdoor rated timer would be your best bet.

 

[Nubo]

One question - If I set my end time to say 7 am, how does the car know when to START charging? Does it go off the estimated time to full charge shown on the screen and start accordingly

Yes, that's basically how it works. The car knows how how full the battery is. When you plug it in, it discovers what voltage and current it will be able to obtain from the EVSE, and then calculates an appropriate start time. Actually it's a bit conservative and tends to finish somewhat early so you may have to "game it" a bit once you get a feel for its quirks.

 

[TimLee]

... A standard NSI/Tork outdoor outlet timer did not work, however. When the timer was activated, nothing would happen. If, however, I turned the timer on manually by overriding the timer function, it worked. So, the current passes through, but not in the way I want using the timer and I'm not sure if that kind of timer can handle the type of current the car pulls on a long-term basis. I don't want a fire hazard.

Congratulations on the new LEAF


As I have advised many people considering use of 120V EVSE that comes with the LEAF and other plug in vehicles:

A repeat of my input from previous questions on 120 V EVSE use:
Note that Nissan recommends the 120V EVSE for limited emergency use only.
Some people have used it for a long time without problems yet, but in general that is a bad idea unless you have a newly properly installed dedicated circuit with high grade receptacle using properly tightened screw connections.

Previous info from another thread:

...
Trickle charging should be safe, though, right? I wouldn't necessarily need to have the circuit certified for it or anything, should I? If I were to go to a friend's house, would I be safe plugging into their outlet?

How safe 120V charging is depends on how lucky you are.
Very few garages have the correct properly installed high quality single outlet supplied by a single breaker.
Code only allows using 80% of the circuit rating for a long term continuous load.
So on a 15 amp circuit nothing else should be on the same circuit while the car is charging.
And a lot of 120V gets put in poorly using push in connections.
One person had a bad fire most likely from staples that had damaged the cable in the wall.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=15784&hilit=+fire#p352567" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Roadburner440]

I will tell you this from my own experience using timers and the kwh meter on my Volt when I originally got it. You must be very careful about these devices melting and arcing as they are not intended it seems to draw 120v at max current for long periods of time (half the day or more). Thought I had pictures of the aftermath somewhere, but I don't otherwise I would have put it up. Either way just be sure that you give it plenty of ventilation, and ensure that it is a heavy duty timer. Never caught fire, but when I looked at it one day the kwh meter was scorched on the front. In fact I am going to go dig around upstairs and see if I can find it real quick so I can put up a photo.

 

[Roadburner440]

Not in my tool box anymore so must have trashed it cause I was worried it might be unsafe for use. Was on a 20a dedicated circuit in my garage when I was living in FL though. Charging the volt on 120v for 8-10 hours it became charred and plastic melting where the Volt's EVSE plugged into the kwh meter. I will note that both Chevrolet and Nissan do not recommend plugging anything in-between the 120v EVSE and the wall, and obviously myself and others disregarded this advise with some negative consequences. Just a plug for safety after my own near incident 3 years ago.

 

[Nubo]

I may be wrong but I'd reckon that a timer with contacts robust enough to withstand Level 1 EVSE loads and cycles, would begin to approach the cost of an EVSE itself.

 

[johnrhansen]

I'd imagine a timer that delays application of power rather than breaking it might be simpler because there is a slight delay in the application of power and the car realizing it is there and starting to draw current. But yeah if you wanted to break power from a charge in progress, that would need a good sized contactor!

 

[thebigad]

Based on all the replies, I won't be doing an outlet timer! Thanks all!

 

[silentbutnotdeadly]

I'd imagine a timer that delays application of power rather than breaking it might be simpler because there is a slight delay in the application of power and the car realizing it is there and starting to draw current. But yeah if you wanted to break power from a charge in progress, that would need a good sized contactor!

This is heavy duty and should work-
http://www.intermatic.com/en/Products/TimeSwitches/MechanicalSwitches/24Hour/T100Series/T103.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[silentbutnotdeadly]

However it is not an outlet timer-

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

We use a 240 version of that for our pool. It should work, but you'll have to hard wire it to a new outlet.