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Home charger

MG4London said:
Many people exclusively use the granny charger

Especially if only need to charge every week or so
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Yeah, me ... at home at least, never had any issue with overheating socket. On Economy 7 I can get about a third of the battery charged overnight.
 
I got a HyperVolt 3 installed by evcni. Home Charging | Electric Vehicle Charging NI
Its costing me £100 to fill my merc with diesel at the moment, so it will soon pay for itself.

20230125_132758.jpg
 
I've bought one of these 'dumb' 7kw chargers which an electrician friend is installing this week. You're unlikely to be able to get an install through official channels as it doesn't satisfy the current regulations requiring smart features, but it's going to cost me about £300 all in.

The cost of smart chargers (given I can use the iSmart app to control charging) is absolutely bonkers.

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I dont use Octopus for energy but i did get them to fit my home charger a wall box. Mine was a 25 metre run from the meter box and they did a fantastic neat job. i was told 4 hours to install but it ended up a day and a half. What they quoted was what i paid regardless. The guy took so much care making sure the cables were all straight, neat and tidy etc.
 
Tommy said:
Yeah, me ... at home at least, never had any issue with overheating socket. On Economy 7 I can get about a third of the battery charged overnight.
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Does your lead fit straight to the plug or do you need an extension lead?
 
MG4London said:
There would be no problems with an extension lead would there?
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Given your attitude to the risks of fire I am tempted to say, go right ahead and then leave it out in the rain and see what Darwin thinks. 😉

However, extension leads are definitely NOT recommended, especially coiled, as they may not be able to handle the current and if it rains there's an obvious short circuit risk.

Surveys indicate quite a few people are using extensions and it is a terrible idea.
 
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I used an extension lead when I used my granny lead (because the MG granny is only about 4m long). However my extension lead has heavy duty cable and plug, and I made sure that it was fully uncoiled before use.
 
I wouldn't use a granny lead indefinitely and I certainly wouldn't use it in conjunction with an extension lead.
But crack on you seem to have made your mind up anyway
 
Of course you need to make sure it’s uncoiled and you need to make sure it’s water proof of it rains

But all the horror story about your house and car burning down are exaggerated

First you would trip a safety switch and power would go off, this is what happens when I use heavy duty power tools for too long
 
MG4London said:
Of course you need to make sure it’s uncoiled and you need to make sure it’s water proof of it rains

But all the horror story about your house and car burning down are exaggerated

First you would trip a safety switch and power would go off, this is what happens when I use heavy duty power tools for too long
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Yeah we are exaggerating as I said you crack on, you seem to know best
 
MG4London said:
Of course you need to make sure it’s uncoiled and you need to make sure it’s water proof of it rains

But all the horror story about your house and car burning down are exaggerated

First you would trip a safety switch and power would go off, this is what happens when I use heavy duty power tools for too long
Click to expand...
By exaggerated you mean didn't happen or won't happen to me?

I think, like many people, you try something, find it works and then think that'll be ok then for the future.

This is why government has made car insurance, MOTs, seatbelts, etc... compulsory, because otherwise people wouldn't bother.

I think the government should make use of an extension lead illegal with a granny, mandate a dedicated circuit (illegal to use ring main) and an electrical inspection/certificate. Then if ignored and catastrophe strikes, it should invalidate the home insurance.
 
tsedge said:
By exaggerated you mean didn't happen or won't happen to me?

I think, like many people, you try something, find it works and then think that'll be ok then for the future.

This is why government has made car insurance, MOTs, seatbelts, etc... compulsory, because otherwise people wouldn't bother.

I think the government should make use of an extension lead illegal with a granny, mandate a dedicated circuit (illegal to use ring main) and an electrical inspection/certificate. Then if ignored and catastrophe strikes, it should invalidate the home insurance.
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Stop exaggerating 😉
 
tsedge said:
Given your attitude to the risks of fire I am tempted to say, go right ahead and then leave it out in the rain and see what Darwin thinks. 😉

However, extension leads are definitely NOT recommended, especially coiled, as they may not be able to handle the current and if it rains there's an obvious short circuit risk.

Surveys indicate quite a few people are using extensions and it is a terrible idea.
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As I walked through Edinburgh’s Waverley railway station many years ago, two folk were setting up a demonstration stand. For this they neede an electric kettle. So they had a fancy extension cable on a metal wind up reel. They only rolled out the few feet (told you it s an old story)
Some of you electrical types are away ahead here - but let me finish.
The instructions tell you to unroll the cable fully and avoid having it coiled.
They didn’t- the whole thing was glowing and smouldering spectacularly. Lesson learned graphically.
 
I would only regularly use a granny charger on a 3pin socket that I was confident was properly installed/certifed with reasonably new wiring. In fact if that was my charing solution, then I'd probably get an electrician to install a dedicated socket.

This issue is no really a one off charge, but 10 to 18 hrs at 10 to 13 amps day after day that is the issue. Eventually the insulation will break down and you may get a fire.

I had a fire on an immersion heater where the cable was wired into the heating element a few years ago. Stupid qualified electrician had broken some of the strands of wire when he stripped the end if the cable. It had worked fine for a good 5 or 6 years before one day it went and I had to call out the fire bridge. No real damage done, but a bit scarey at the time.


As far as extension leads are concerned I would never use a cheap wind up one. But a proper one made for the job with the correct grade cable, not on a reel, with an in line RCD, and a waterproof socket on the end is fine. As long as you don't leave it coiled up...
 
RobQuads said:
How are you finding your instavolt? Currently torn between that and the Zappi but sounds like there have been loads of app/online issues recently which given that its 100% reliant on the app isn't good.
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Instavolt is a rapid charging network I think you mean HyperVolt😂
 
RobQuads said:
How are you finding your instavolt? Currently torn between that and the Zappi but sounds like there have been loads of app/online issues recently which given that its 100% reliant on the app isn't good.
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I have the Hypervolt charger and it looks great and works very well so far - only charged once so time will tell. I ordered it with the 7.5m cable which means it will reach anywhere in our double garage and also outside as well if necessary. The app is easy to use.

Edit: It's also British designed and made and has good feedback on support
 

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