Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

[Godfrey De Silva]

Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

 

[Archev]

Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

Both ends of the type 2 cable have plugs similar to the “car” end of the granny and I have never heard of a socket adapter so no I can’t think it would be possible.

 

[BugEyed]

Not with a standard Type 2 cable as the PP pin on the male end is deliberately short to prevent this. This is intended as the joint from male to female is not waterproof unless held in the correct orientation (female down) which cannot be guaranteed.
It is possible to buy special leads that allow this to be done by their use isn't recommended. Instead you should use an extension before the granny lead, or a longer granny lead - 10m is commonly available and some much longer can be purchased at a price.

 

[5teep]

Better idea would be to extend the 13 amp plug end with a good quality heavy duty extension lead (and a water proof cover for it). I ran a setup like this for 3 months or so without issues.

 

[Elec Car Aust]

Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

As suggested by others. Use a high quality extension lead between your power outlet and the granny and ensure you use waterproof locking cover if outdoors.

Also consider a lead joint locking accessory if in a location where someone might disconnect the lead under full load. Enjoy.

 

[Gomev]

Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

No, but you can use an extension lead as mentioned above, but please make sure it is rated 13 amp, lots are only 10 amp. Also ensure it is fully unwound when using it.
Something like this has worked well for me and others from Wickes or wherever. The where from is unimportant, the spec is.

Masterplug 13A Weatherproof Garden Tidy Extension Lead - 15m | Wickes.co.uk

Masterplug 13A Weatherproof Garden Tidy Extension Lead - 15m

www.wickes.co.uk

or possibly the best.

EV granny charger 13A weatherproof extension lead

High quality 13A weatherproof outdoor waterproof extension leads heavy duty 1.5mm H07RN-F rubber cable. RCD option. IP66. Designed specifically to overcome the issue created by chunkier plugs on electric vehicles (EVs). 2m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m and 25m lengths.

toughleads.co.uk

 

[BugEyed]

The problem with using the pre-granny charger extension lead mentioned above is that whilst they are probably capable of withstanding 10A continuous current for extended periods they rarely, if ever, have a protective temperature sensor in the plug to protect against the socket that they are plugged into from overheating.
Apart from don't, the safest advice remains to use a special granny with a longer lead.

 

[awbugritt]

I tried that with a Nissan e-van and after only 20 minutes the garage socket was very hot.

 

[5teep]

If you find your wall socket getting very hot you should get a sparky to check your house electrics, this applies whether you have an extension cable or not.
In the time I used this set up my wall socket would get noticeably warm but never hot.

 

[awbugritt]

If you find your wall socket getting very hot you should get a sparky to check your house electrics, this applies whether you have an extension cable or not.
In the time I used this set up my wall socket would get noticeably warm but never hot.

Good advice, although in the end I decided that the van was not going to be economically viable at my time of life. I use the same socket for my electric motorcycle with no problem, which only draws about 1.3 kws for a maximum of 8/9 hours.

 

[Pwlcarz]

If you decide to go down the extension lead route, check carefully the waterproof rating of the extension socket and cover. Most of the ones you can buy from the likes of Wickes or Screwfix, are only IP44 rated (ie. SPLASHPROOF!). Unless you can be absolutely sure they are not going to get wet from constant rain or lie on wet ground for long periods, then you need to consider a lead with IP66 rating. This is totally waterproof protection, even from jets of water. The only one I've found that meets this spec is

EV granny charger 13A weatherproof extension lead

High quality 13A weatherproof outdoor waterproof extension leads heavy duty 1.5mm H07RN-F rubber cable. RCD option. IP66. Designed specifically to overcome the issue created by chunkier plugs on electric vehicles (EVs). 2m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m and 25m lengths.

toughleads.co.uk

,
although there may be others.

 

[jaydee]

Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

I have an extension lead designed for camping. It has a blue site plug attached (to use on French campsites).
The cable is rated to 16 amps, has a RCD and is 25metres long. I have a blue plug adapter to UK three pin 13 amp socket.
I have not used it yet as an extension to the granny charger but I'm sure I will at some point.
Anything untoward happens, I'll report it on here.

Can a home granny charger be extended with a type 2 cable.

 

[Hairyfool]

Heat has to be generated at a zone of resistance. Even the copper wire in the extension cable has some resistance and can get warm but most copper conductors are underrated such that at the rated current it should get no more than the ambient temperature. Looking at the wire itself too many extension leads are made of wire only just able to handle the labelled value as Gomev has pointed out.

When a wall socket gets hot it will have almost certainly nothing to do with the domestic wiring itself but down to the contact faces mating up to the pins of the plug. These are a beryllium copper alloy which makes it slightly springy to create pressure needed for a good contact. Unfortunately when they get hot they spread slightly reducing that pressure which is then likely to make a poor contact so tend to get hot even easier. As a precaution if the wall socket has got actually hot I would replace it.

Caravan lead should be 25m of 2.5mm CSA cable so would be rated at 25A even though they have 16A IP44 plug/sockets at each end. I used to use mine for the charger at times but the 16A plug to 13A socket converter was as short as practical with new components. Not cheap but if I was doing it long term I would probably buy a granny charger with a commando plug fitted.

 

[Godfrey De Silva]

Dear Members.
I appreciate all your comments and expert advice.
Thank you for the time.
Kind Regards
Godfrey

 

[BugEyed]

When a wall socket gets hot it will have almost certainly nothing to do with the domestic wiring itself but down to the contact faces mating up to the pins of the plug. These are a beryllium copper alloy which makes it slightly springy to create pressure needed for a good contact. Unfortunately when they get hot they spread slightly reducing that pressure which is then likely to make a poor contact so tend to get hot even easier. As a precaution if the wall socket has got actually hot I would replace it.

Often the reason for overheating is the similar contact surfaces on the fuse contained in the BS1363 plug. Unlike the contact surfaces between the pins on the plug and the socket springs the ones around the fuse are not regularly cleaned by being plugged and unplugged. The heat generated is transferred along the Live pin and often the visible damage is on the outside of the socket plate. So if you see such damage don't just replace the socket but check the plug.
On decent quality granny leads the plug is fitted with a temperature sensor which cuts charging if the plug overheats, but similar devices are rare on extension leads. So be careful if using one or a "cheap" granny lead without the temperature sensor. The presence of the temperature sensor is easy to spot as the wire from the plug to the "brick" is much thicker than you'd otherwise expect because of the two additional conductors.

 

[Godfrey De Silva]

Thank you for the update.
Indeed my granny charger is the original MG and I an sure the feature of thermal protection is incorporated in to the plug.
Lovely, I didn't know this earlier.
Appreciate.

 

[Lovemyev]

Often the reason for overheating is the similar contact surfaces on the fuse contained in the BS1363 plug. Unlike the contact surfaces between the pins on the plug and the socket springs the ones around the fuse are not regularly cleaned by being plugged and unplugged. The heat generated is transferred along the Live pin and often the visible damage is on the outside of the socket plate. So if you see such damage don't just replace the socket but check the plug.

I agree with this 100%.
I used a Granny lead for a few months, while waiting to get my wall box installed a few years ago now.
It was plugged into a very good quality outlet socket, supplied by a dedicated circuit from the CU ( fuse box ) no extension lead in use.
When the car had been charging for a number of hours, the plug top on the Granny would get warm to the touch.
Not mad hot, but there was definitely heat present.
When I unplugged the Granny and touched the pins on the back of the plug, the brass live conductor pin was warm.
The heat is produced at the weakest contact point, which is the fuse carrier clips that retains the 13 Amp fuse, to the live brass pin and the live ( brown ) conductor single insulated cable.
I make my own extension lead for very occasional short term use when visiting friends in mid Wales as the charging infrastructure is terrible .
I used a quality IP66 out door socket outlet and some 2.5mm three core flex.
It was a little tough terminating the 2.5mm flex / cable into the best quality three pin plug I could find on the market.
The weakest part of this set up, was that the three pin plug used to power the extension cable had no thermal protection built in, of course.
After a few hours of being on charge, the plug top did get wam only ( but never HOT ).
The rest of the set up displayed not heat at all.
The cable rating on the extension cable you decide to use, can not really be to high, it can only be to LOW and heat will be generated.
Using 2.5mm flex may appear “over the top” for some, but I am more comfortable with this personally.
I do like to view the use of an extension cable for charging of EV’s, as last measure really.

 

[BugEyed]

I agree with @Lovemyev but would either use a 16A CEE plug and interlocked socket or reduce the charge rate if forced into using a BS1363 3 pin plug and socket. New MG4 and 5 can do this on the infotainment screen, the rest of us need either an adjustable granny lead or a modified one set to a lower value.

 

[Hairyfool]

An acquaintance from years ago used to sell "snake oil" products to the local audiophile market such as Oxygen free copper wire etc.

One of his best sellers was a bog standard 4 way power block modified for his market. The modifications included soldering over the rivets in the copper bars, soldering in the cables into the screw down terminals and soldering in the fuses inside the plug.

Apparently they made a "huge difference"

 

[Lovemyev]

An acquaintance from years ago used to sell "snake oil" products to the local audiophile market such as Oxygen free copper wire etc.

One of his best sellers was a bog standard 4 way power block modified for his market. The modifications included soldering over the rivets in the copper bars, soldering in the cables into the screw down terminals and soldering in the fuses inside the plug.

Apparently they made a "huge difference"

They had “Snake Oil” salesmen in all the old cowboy films I seem to remember .