Charging from a granny lead, dangers?🔥🤔

[Rolfe]

I thought it was because it would provide enough mileage on the car to keep up with a Granny's relatively modest motoring needs!

 

[Lovemyev]

I thought it was because it would provide enough mileage on the car to keep up with a Granny's relatively modest motoring needs!

Yeah - That works as well I guess .

 

[MG4London]

I have been charging only with a granny lead from normal 3 pin plug going to an extension lead.

Never had any problems, even in the rain I just put a bucket over the extension lead

Obviously making sure it fully uncoiled.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised how fast it charges compared to what some said it would take 24hrs for a full charge with granny lead.

I’ve never let it go under about 20% but when I stick it on charge that evening after work it’s fully charged 100% next morning when I go to work.

I only need to charge it once a week or so

 

[Rolfe]

I'm getting on so well with the granny lead I think it's going to take some persuasion to get me to install a wall box.

My garage has four double power points with metal casings mounted on breeze-block walls with nothing inflammable nearby. These are on their own dedicated fused circuit. I don't even need an extension lead, not even to charge the car when it's parked outside the garage, so long as I back it right up to the door. When I can get the car into the garage the charging port will be only feet from the power point and everything is under cover. Yesterday after the thing had been charging all night the plug of the granny lead was absolutely stone cold.

I got back late on Sunday night with about 40% charge. I started it charging about 9.30. Admittedly it was somewhere about 1.30 pm (yesterday lunchtime) before it was finished, but I could have driven off at 8 am with 80% in the tank. If I start it at teatime it will be at 100% the next morning.

There is also a public charge point five minutes walk from my house. I tried it this morning, after getting back last night at 45%. (I deliberately didn't put the car on the granny charger to try this out.) The station is time-limited, but I got from 45% to 92% in 52 minutes. While the car was charging I was able to walk home, make a cup of coffe, do a few other things, and even stop to chat to a neighbour on the way back to the charging point. The price per KWh is slightly less than my own domestic supply costs, so there's no disincentive to using this. I then put it on the granny charger for a bit to bring it to 100%.

It's clear to me that the granny charger itself will keep up with most of my motoring needs, but if I get back late with a low battery then a visit to the public charger before bedtime will give sufficient boost for the granny charger to be able to bring it to 100% overnight regardless. A wall box is looking more and more unnecessary. Maybe if I wanted to go for an Octopus tariff, but I'm not sure that I do, really.

I’ve never let it go under about 20% but when I stick it on charge that evening after work it’s fully charged 100% next morning when I go to work.

I only need to charge it once a week or so

Actually that's something I've been thinking about. There are many days when I don't do much mileage at all. Do I just keep pootling about until the charge has dropped well below 50% and do one overnight charging session, or do I top it up more frequently to keep a good range available all the time?

I'm thinking that in case of something coming up in a hurry there might be something to be said for keeping it well charged. It's not as if you can just jump in the car and if necessary fill up in five minutes on your way to a family emergency.

 

[Archev]

Actually that's something I've been thinking about. There are many days when I don't do much mileage at all. Do I just keep pootling about until the charge has dropped well below 50% and do one overnight charging session, or do I top it up more frequently to keep a good range available all the time?

I'm thinking that in case of something coming up in a hurry there might be something to be said for keeping it well charged. It's not as if you can just jump in the car and if necessary fill up in five minutes on your way to a family emergency.

I like to stay 50 to 80% or thereabouts. I normally add 7 kW at a time to collect a point with EV energy- 30 Points gives a £5 Amazon voucher - not a lot but it all helps.

 

[Rolfe]

As I have an SR I just take it to 100% whenever I charge. Once I'm done experimenting with charge-points for the hell of it I might find myself topping it up fairly frequently so that it always has a good range available.

 

[KH11]

There’s a new EV energy charging site opened up a couple of miles from me. It is on an existing petrol station site that has a shop and a Costa Express machine. I haven’t seen a lot using them when I have passed. Don’t know if that’s because people haven’t realised that it’s now open or that there isn’t that many people with Electric Cars yet.

When I get my MG4 hopefully I will be charging at home. As I have got a Zappi being installed in 10 days. Unless I have a practice run on it in readiness for the run up Scotland.

 

[Lovemyev]

I have been charging only with a granny lead from normal 3 pin plug going to an extension lead.

Never had any problems, even in the rain I just put a bucket over the extension lead

Obviously making sure it fully uncoiled.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised how fast it charges compared to what some said it would take 24hrs for a full charge with granny lead.

I’ve never let it go under about 20% but when I stick it on charge that evening after work it’s fully charged 100% next morning when I go to work.

I only need to charge it once a week or so

I think some people are willing to dismiss the idea of installing a wall box, because it could be based on cost, or maybe because the Granny unit will just satisfy their charging requirements.
Maybe a low milage usage case, which is perfectly okay and appears reasonably normal.
But you rarely hear a decision to go for a "Wall Box" has been made, purely on any electrical safety risks ???.

Purely for interest value, I have plucked out this very recent quote below, it was taken from another thread from a fellow forum member @gazzaw.

You may / may not, find it worthy some serious consideration.
A quick search using the forum member user name above, will pull up the whole thread, if you need verifying its origin.

@gazzaw writes :-

"I've had my MGZSEV for 2 years and always used the granny charger with no issues but tonight the plug and charger got really hot after a few hours so I wanted to try your suggestion and change the plug. Do you know which MK plug you bought as I want to make sure I get a good quality one. Thanks".

Purely on a personal bases here, the post clearly makes the point to me at least, that even though the Granny lead has been used over a lengthy time scale, and with no reported problems.
Then completely out of the blue and without warning, his system suddenly develops a serious over heating problem.
Granny leads are sometimes referred too by some manufactures as "Emergency" charges. Therefore continued use over a time scale of two years, could be viewed by some as :- "Pushing your luck just a little bit too far".
Unfortunately the use of these units do not take into account the condition of the electricity systems where the Granny lead will be receiving it's charge from ? .

 

[Rolfe]

I'm not dismissing the wall box, it's just that it's not looking necessary at the moment. I thought I would be getting one, but I hadn't entirely realised how much they cost and I'd at least prefer first to get out from under the financial shenanigans of buying this car on about a week's notice, at the same time as a central heating repair bill for over £3,000 showed up. Other than safety reasons, right now I'm on "why do I actually need a wall box, again?" As regards safety, I have a very good electrical circuit for the thing, and nothing at all likely to ignite from the socket if it did overheat.

I have to say though, if I found the plug suddenly overheating when it had never done it before I would not be considering changing the plug. I'd be buying a new granny charger and ordering a wall box ASAP.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

I posted this a while back, I don't do high mileage but what price safety?, my house isn't that old metal sockets in the garage, brick walls. Still wouldn't risk it.
The £700 I paid was worth it for peace of mind

 

[Rolfe]

I'm keeping all that in mind, certainly.

 

[StackH]

There’s a new EV energy charging site opened up a couple of miles from me.

in Wakefield? Where exactly if you don’t mind me asking? I might take a look.

 

[KH11]

in Wakefield? Where exactly if you don’t mind me asking? I might take a look.

It’s at the Esso garage on Horbury Road heading out of Wakefield from Westgate.

It’s at the Esso garage on Horbury Road heading out of Wakefield from Westgate.

Not sure if there is about 8 chargers there but only ever seen one being used when I have been passing.

in Wakefield? Where exactly if you don’t mind me asking? I might take a look.

I take it you have got an MG4, what model did you get? I haven’t taken the plunge yet but was thinking of getting a Trophy model as that has all the equipment in that my current car has plus a little bit more.

I hadn’t seen any in the road till Sunday at Tingley Roundabout when we we’re heading home from the White Rose shopping centre.