30A Circuit Breaker tripped on Nissan Leaf

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yorkhung

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2012
Messages
21
Location
Orange County, CA
After waiting for my electrician to come for three weeks, I finally had it and decided to install the charger myself.
I have a 30A circuit breaker on the wire so I thought it wouldn't be tripped because Nissan Leaf suppose to draw 16A only.
However, after the successful charge the first night, my circuit breaker starts to trip after 15 min or so of charging.
I know the EVSE rated 32A so I should install it on a 40A+ breaker but shouldn't the EVSE limited itself to Nissan Leaf's 16A?
The EVSE return deadline is next week so I'm wondering if it will help if I get the 16A unit instead or have to rewire the breaker.

Thanks

n5n3oy.jpg
 
You’re right that the Leaf can only pull 16 amps at 240 volts and it should not have tripped a 30 amp breaker.

Strictly speaking, I recommend that you get the correct 40 amp breaker for your 32 amp EVSE. Also, I recommend that DIY electrical work be permitted and inspected by your local jurisdiction before being used.

Having said that, any chance of getting a few photos of the breaker and the outlet? What brand/model EVSE do you have?
 
It may be a worn breaker. I had an existing 40A circuit I repurposed for my leaf charger - it started tripping, which worried me until I figured out the breaker itself had failed and would trip with much lower than expected amperage. Replaced the breaker and all was well again.
 
The circuit is linked to other circuit like garage door and light.
But I only charge at 12pm - 6am so there was no other circuit using the power at the same time.
The unit is Leviton Evr-Green 320 and I am wondering if the unit is drawing peak current more than 16A for Leaf.
I would like to attach picture but doesn't see the forum is allowing that.
 
yorkhung said:
The circuit is linked to other circuit like garage door and light.

Do you have 240V garage door opener and lights? Did you use two single pole breakers or a two pole breaker?
 
yorkhung said:
The circuit is linked to other circuit like garage door and light.
But I only charge at 12pm - 6am so there was no other circuit using the power at the same time.
The unit is Leviton Evr-Green 320 and I am wondering if the unit is drawing peak current more than 16A for Leaf.
I would like to attach picture but doesn't see the forum is allowing that.

All of a sudden, I'm concerned for the safety of your installation. The Leviton needs to be on its own circuit breaker per code.

If you ignore code, it might work if your garage door and light are 240 volt, but that is not standard. Please don't use this wiring as is.

If you go to a photo hosting site (like Photobucket) you can upload your photos and then copy the forum link they give you to share them here. I'd really like to see how things are wired now.
 
FairwoodRed said:
All of a sudden, I'm concerned for the safety of your installation.
+1 !!!!

And you did not mention what gauge wire this circuit is using. Given the sketchy description ... you should contact an alternate licensed electrician.
 
LEAFer said:
And you did not mention what gauge wire this circuit is using. Given the sketchy description ... you should contact an alternate licensed electrician.

Yeah - that's a good point too. if the gauge is too small it will create extra resistance and trip the breaker... or worse, a fire.
 
LEAFer said:
And you did not mention what gauge wire this circuit is using. Given the sketchy description ... you should contact an alternate licensed electrician.
Adding to that you should ignore the suggestion to just swap the 30A breaker out for a 40A one, unless you are absolutely certain the gauge wire you have in the circuit is correct for 40 amps. Otherwise you're a fire waiting for a place to happen, and one for which your insurance will say "Oh, so sorry - your fault."

The breaker shouldn't be sized for the load you're expecting, it should be sized for the length and gauge (and a few other things, like type and routing) of the wire it's protecting. Yes you can put a 30A breaker on to wire that'll support 40A, but IMHO that just confuses things down the road if you (or anyone else) need to do future electrical work.

If you're not certain of what you're doing, get an electrician. The home you save may be your own...
 
LEAFer said:
FairwoodRed said:
All of a sudden, I'm concerned for the safety of your installation.
+1 !!!!

And you did not mention what gauge wire this circuit is using. Given the sketchy description ... you should contact an alternate licensed electrician.

The wire was already installed in the house before I moved in, so I was trying to use the existing Dryer outlet for the Level 2 charger. Talking with one electrician before I did DIY. He said he was only going to extend the cable on the outlet and use as is so I didn't think it was a problem. But maybe I should ask another electrician to switch out the wire and install the 70A breaker instead.
 
Reusing a dryer outlet is something that works in a lot of homes. It just comes down to the details. If an electrician looked at it and thought it was of the correct gauge, it probably is. If you can read what is on the wire and tell us the size, we can weigh in a bit more.

Most dryers are installed on their own 30 amp circuit breaker. Is that what you have? I’m confused by your comment that it ran the garage door and lights too. Can you clarify? An electrician said he was going to extend the wiring, did you extend the wiring? If so, how far and what size wire did you use? Presumably you have a gas dryer now, did you ever use an electric one on that outlet (ie do you know the outlet was in working order before this?)
 
FairwoodRed said:
Most dryers are installed on their own 30 amp circuit breaker. Is that what you have? I’m confused by your comment that it ran the garage door and lights too. Can you clarify? An electrician said he was going to extend the wiring, did you extend the wiring? If so, how far and what size wire did you use? Presumably you have a gas dryer now, did you ever use an electric one on that outlet (ie do you know the outlet was in working order before this?)

The only reason why I know is because when the circuit breaker tripped. The garage light and door goes out with it. I also find some 120V plug loses power with the 240 Dryer circuit breaker tripped. I don't know if the previous owner did anything special to have both 120V and 240V work on the same breaker. By the way, the breaker uses two slot so maybe that's why.
 
I didn't see mention of what EVSE you were using. Essentially you want the breaker to be sized for the wire and the EVSE. If you had a 40A breaker then you can certainly use a 30A one. You don't, however, want to use anything larger than what the EVSE can handle. (The Leaf won't draw any more than 3.3 kW). Again, not sure what EVSE you're using, but if you need to put a plug on the EVSE you'd want to use a NEMA L6-30R (assuming a 30A EVSE).

Given that you're breaker is tripping, which suggests a draw of over 30A, I'd be concerned about your EVSE wiring. Very concerned. Can't see how the 120v garage circuit would possibly be sharing the 240v dryer circuit. Since you say it does, I suggest getting a licensed electrician to look at how the wiring. In the meantime I wouldn't use the EVSE you installed.
 
It is possible to run 120 loads off of a 240 circuit (ranges have done that for years). In older homes builders were known to use shared neutrals and other oddities - stuff that technically works, but is no longer allowed by code. At any rate, it sounds like this project may be getting beyond your skill level. I don’t see any simple answers here. You have only two options: hire that electrician or start really digging into your wiring.

If you’re having troubles getting photos posted, try PM’ing me your email and we can try that route. You don’t happen to live in the Seattle area do you?
 
yorkhung said:
The only reason why I know is because when the circuit breaker tripped. The garage light and door goes out with it. I also find some 120V plug loses power with the 240 Dryer circuit breaker tripped. I don't know if the previous owner did anything special to have both 120V and 240V work on the same breaker. By the way, the breaker uses two slot so maybe that's why.
It seems clear to me that a previous owner did some DIY work in violation of the electrical code, and you now have a mess that needs to be cleaned up by a professional. Until you can get that done I would strongly urge you to use only 120v charging at home for your LEAF.

It will probably be expensive to correct the problems, but losing your house would be a lot more expensive. Get it done ASAP.

Ray

P.S. For the more electrically experienced here, anyone who would tap a dryer circuit to run a garage door opener is likely to have done other things that are unsafe. I'm sure yorkhung was working with the best of intentions, but his comments (e.g. about using two slots) make it clear that he is a novice. I do not think we should encourage him to address the problems created by the previous owner himself.
 
Hire an electrician NOW before your house burns down. BTW, if the fire is traced to faulty wiring that isn't to code, the insurance company is absolved from any liability. You will be rebuilding your house out of your own pocket.
 
planet4ever said:
yorkhung said:
make it clear that he is a novice.
Yeah, I have not done the actual electrical work so I'm being very careful not to make big changes.
I know the theory as I studied as electrical engineer at college, but when it comes to actual implementation I have zero experience.
Wished they would teach me how to build the electrical wire in college...
 
gfederas said:
Hire an electrician NOW before your house burns down. BTW, if the fire is traced to faulty wiring that isn't to code, the insurance company is absolved from any liability. You will be rebuilding your house out of your own pocket.
Old electrician's myth. If that were true, every homeowner who burned their house down because they left a candle burning would be left in the cold. LOTS of houses have substandard wiring and are covered.

Of course, the house might not be the the most important thing you lose in a fire, so get that wiring checked pronto!
 
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