Silly question?

[jillianvanliew]

This may be a silly :? question, but has anyone else tried charging outside while it's raining? I've been nervous abut doing this as water & electricity don't mix. I would be charging at home where my 120V AC wall outlet is dry but my eGolf is outside in the rain. Is this an option?!

 

[miimura]

It's no problem as long as you keep the charging cord's inline box out of standing water like a puddle, lake, or pond. The cable and the connection to the car can be active in driving rain, snow, sleet, or any other weather you can think of.

 

[JoulesThief]

yes, you can do so. But pay heed to the instructions about not using an extension cord for the EVSE unit. Keep it plugged in to a wall, never an extension cord. Also know that when you charge your car off of that circuit, it in essence should become a dedicated circuit for charging your car... Don't run other electric devices off of the same circuit when charging up your car. ie, no washer or dryer if you are using the outlets in the garage to recharge your car.

 

[johnnylingo]

It's no problem; I charge in my driveway regardless of weather conditions. One thing I'll add in addition to keeping the charger box out of puddles and not using an extension cord, the outlet must be properly grounded. And if the outlet is outdoors, it should be GFCI and WR (weather resistant). I found a nice package for about $30 at the hardware store that includes both the outlet and flip-down cover. Took about 30 minutes to install, but provides extra peace of mind I won't get any surprises if I need to remove plug in or unplug during rainy weather.

It also accommodates a small padlock, just in case I'm paranoid about one of the local junkies stealing my charger :lol:

 

[jillianvanliew]

Thanks guys! I said "**** it" & went ahead & charged my eGolf last night in the rain (so I could work on new year's eve) :| . Charging was no issue and work was the easiest 6 hours of holiday pay EVER!
Johnny lingo: love your cheap yet easy & very effective outdoor outlet box. That's genius!

 

[forbin404]

Charging in the rain is no issue, the design of the charging port protects everything.

 

[Grandma]

Correct. There is no voltage on the charging cable until a connection has been established and detected by the EVSE. This is why the yellow no voltage light is present initially upon connection of the plug to the vehicle. Only when you hear the EVSE relay click is voltage present on the cable.

Electrical engineers and electricians got your back, we go to work everyday and think about all the ways you could kill yourself, then design those opportunities out of the system.

 

[jillianvanliew]

Correct. There is no voltage on the charging cable until a connection has been established and detected by the EVSE. This is why the yellow no voltage light is present initially upon connection of the plug to the vehicle. Only when you hear the EVSE relay click is voltage present on the cable.

Electrical engineers and electricians got your back, we go to work everyday and think about all the ways you could kill yourself, then design those opportunities out of the system.

Thanks, Grandma. I figured as much. I love the fact that electrical engineers are available to answer silly "uninformed electrical engineer's" questions.