Finally installed Bosch EL-51253 and couldn't be happier

[idog17]

Had the 2015 e-Golf SEL (SE doesn't have 7.2kW charging system) for over a year, only drive 50 miles a day to/from work, never need the 7.2kW charger until one day, the battery went down to 29 miles and it took all night to charge up to 90. I didn't want to pay $600 for one. Found one on Craigslist for $225, 18ft cord, shorter one like 12ft won't do in the garage unless you back up every time.
It's amazing, the whole battery is 21kW, if the batter is fully dead, it only takes 3 hr to charge. I charge mine from 29 miles to 104 miles in 2.5 hours. Just love it.
The 240V outlet for the dryer is inside the house, I checked the breaker and the wiring, 10 gauges were used for the 20A breaker. Bought 40A breaker, run the Lowes 10 gauge bundle 4ft to the garage from the dryer outlet - hardwired to the Bosch EL-51253 and mount it on the wall.
While it was charging, check the cables, not even warm.
I don't use electric dryer so the outlet was unused.
https://youtu.be/qNcmIJT-fo8
Cheers,
Louis

 

[JoulesThief]

REwire your electrical before you burn something down in your house. You need wire rated at least 40 amps, or 8 gauge, to run something continuous at 80% of rated current capacity, or 32 amps. Your EVSE draws 30 amps or a bit more, depending on the voltage.

You have a dangerous situation, please pull a permit, and get it fixed and inspected ASAP. 10 ga wire is 30 amp rated, only good for 24 amps draw continuous, please hire a qualified licensed electrician contractor, and pull permits, and get the work done inspected, before you kill or hurt innocent people, pets, and personal property.

Your EVSE needs to be run on a dedicated circuit line and breaker, to be to code, and on 8 gauge wire, minimum.

You do the whole EV community a disservice by placing posts up like this as your first post, that are dangerous and hazardous to one's well being, as well as their property. Please delete your post.

 

[Rsolaregolf]

JT is right on. 30A= 10ga, 40A = 8ga. I picked up a 10' piece of #6 at Lowes that was a leftover for $.70/foot when I wired up our 40A Clipper Creek last month. You can use a larger gauge wire than the code calls for but not a smaller gauge. The larger the gauge number the smaller the wire dia. If you don't know what your doing hire an electrician if you value your life/home. Feeling a cable isn't an approved NEC method :lol:

 

[bizzle]

You don't have to stop using the quicker charger. Set your eGolf (and your Bosch unit to be safe in case your eGolf setting is changed without your knowledge or someone else decides to plug in) to charge at <24A in the meantime so you don't risk a fire, but at 240V it will still charge nearly as fast as its full capabilities.

 

[JoulesThief]

You don't have to stop using the quicker charger. Set your eGolf (and your Bosch unit to be safe in case your eGolf setting is changed without your knowledge or someone else decides to plug in) to charge at <24A in the meantime so you don't risk a fire, but at 240V it will still charge nearly as fast as its full capabilities.

That is NOT an acceptable work around. People lend out their outlets and EVSE's for others to charge. It still leaves the fire hazard problem unresolved. The complete circuit needs to be capable of handling 40 amps at peak or surge, and 32 amps continuous. As a General Contractor, I know this from a liability standpoint. It needs to be taken out of service until a permit is pulled, the wiring fixed and the whole circuit is corrected and inspected.

 

[RonDawg]

You don't have to stop using the quicker charger. Set your eGolf (and your Bosch unit to be safe in case your eGolf setting is changed without your knowledge or someone else decides to plug in) to charge at <24A in the meantime so you don't risk a fire, but at 240V it will still charge nearly as fast as its full capabilities.

That is NOT an acceptable work around. People lend out their outlets and EVSE's for others to charge. It still leaves the fire hazard problem unresolved. The complete circuit needs to be capable of handling 40 amps at peak or surge, and 32 amps continuous. As a General Contractor, I know this from a liability standpoint. It needs to be taken out of service until a permit is pulled, the wiring fixed and the whole circuit is corrected and inspected.

I don't know if the OP's EVSE can do this, but some EVSE's do have the ability to dial down their input wattage just for situations like this. As an example, see page 3 of the GE DuraStation manual: http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/db/dba9cee7-6f4a-4f66-829f-2343d78ef480.pdf

I do agree with you that it shouldn't be done via the car's settings.

 

[bizzle]

I specifically wrote the Bosch unit needs to be set correctly.

 

[RonDawg]

I specifically wrote the Bosch unit needs to be set correctly.

Unlike with the DuraStation, I didn't see anything in the Bosch's installation/operation manual that lets you dial down the input wattage: http://www.evelectricity.com/charging/stations/docs/bosch-powermax-manual.pdf

Unless someone else can find something to the contrary, the OP needs to stop using that EVSE immediately and upgrade the wiring to the proper spec, or substitute the EVSE with one that draws 24 amps or less, or can be set to do so (like the DuraStation).

 

[bizzle]

The issue, as I see it anyway, is that I'm trying to give him practical advice to get him to the weekend when he can fix the issue. That's contrasted with the theoretical, yet also very real, danger of what we are all proposing.

No amount of us telling him something on this forum is going to alter his behavior. If he finds the charger useful and if he doesn't perceive the danger that exists, he isn't going to address it regardless. He is not going to stop using it and he's certainly not going to buy another EVSE that is safe to use. He's just going to use the one he has until a catastrophe occurs. I could be wrong but that's generally how humans behave so that leaves policy recommendations more akin to harm reduction rather than prohibition. That's why some cities implement safe places for heroin addicts to shoot up, like Seattle, because the authorities know telling people they can't use doesn't stop them from doing it and they end up overdosing (and dying). An analogous policy exists in the medical community that you all are probably aware of called triage where needs are ranked by order of immediacy so treatment can be focused most efficiently and efficaciously.

All that is to say the people responding in this thread are in agreement: the situation is unsafe and needs to be remediated. He hasn't responded to any of our concerns and it doesn't seem like he's bothered by them. My initial response was poorly worded and I'm sorry for sounding like I was contradicting the advice being given in the thread. I should have said, "if you're not going to stop using it immediately at least change the settings to avoid starting a fire" because you guys are correct: the only safe remedy is to re-wire it with the correct gauge wiring. I just have my doubts that he's going to follow our advice, unfortunately. Hopefully something hasn't happened already.

 

[JoulesThief]

Can you imagine him recharging his car at off-peak hours while he's asleep and the house starts on fire and burns down and he kills or injures his wife, children, pets or rest of family. Perfect example of Darwin Award nominee.

 

[Grandma]

House fire waiting to happen. Good job JoulesThief for calling this out as dangerous right off the bat! The OP is violating numerous code issues with this installation method and is putting himself and his family at risk. Let's hope he checks back in, reads the thread and then takes some corrective action.

To the OP: You are not an electrician and it's clear that you don't have even the slightest familiarity with the National Electrical Code. Hire an electrician to fix this hot mess!