Granny charging

[Beatsisbass]

Has anybody else had problems with granny charging making the output socket and therefore the plug very hot? I have to use an extension as I can't get close enough to my house for the charger to go directly into the wall socket. I thought it may have been the extension cable but bought a new one and tried 2 others still same overheating thing happens, I'm therefore scared of using the granny charger, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[JCFlippen]

Why not get an electrician to check things out? The output 13amp socket may not be a high quality one. The circuit needs to take 10amps for long periods of time.

 

[Lovemyev]

Has anybody else had problems with granny charging making the output socket and therefore the plug very hot? I have to use an extension as I can't get close enough to my house for the charger to go directly into the wall socket. I thought it may have been the extension cable but bought a new one and tried 2 others still same overheating thing happens, I'm therefore scared of using the granny charger, any advice would be appreciated.

I do not use the “Granny” unit that often, but favour the wall box instead.
My previous car was a PHEV and for the first seven months, I used the “Granny” unit almost every single night, but not from an extension cable.
Observations made over that time scale.
When the car had been on charge for a while, the top of the three pin plug would get WARM with out any doubt.
Not absolutely MAD hot - But it would be warm, I would say it was warmer in the live area of the plug.
This is where the 13 Amp protection fuse is located.
I have used the MG Granny unit on a couple of occasions on a suitable extension lead, when paying a visit to family who own a large static caravan in Wales.
The same result can be witnessed here after the car has been on charge for about 1 - 2 hours.
The top of the plug on the extension lead is WARM to the touch.
This is the plug that is plugged into the supply wall socket of the caravan of course.
I think you must expect some heat being generated really, it is a constant fairly high load being drawn over a longish time, so heat is going to be generated.
The socket you intend to use to power your “Granny” should ideally be on its own dedicated circuit supplied from your consumer unit for daily use and protected by a suitable protection device if your consumer unit is fairly old.
Needless to say, the socket outlet should be of good quality.
If you look at the quality of the moulded three pin plug on the “Granny” unit, it is fairly heavy duty and the cable is also very robust.
If when running this unit from an extension cable, you need the extension cable to be of a good quality, correctly rated and it needs to be totally unwound while in use.
I decided to get a wall box installed almost five years ago and then retire the “Granny” units for use while away on holiday where the charging infrastructure is poor.
Branded “Granny” units from the dealers, can be very expensive to replace outside of the warranty period.
You could be talking half the price of getting a wall box installed, to replace one.
A wall box is a much better long term solution if you have the facility to have one installed.
Just something to consider ???.

 

[Alb]

Which connection is getting hot?
Is it the one between the granny plug and extension socket or the one between the extension plug and house socket?
There's another thread here that revealed a problem with the fuse in the granny plug (loose connection).
Heat comes from a high resistance connection (it is proportional to the square of the current) so anything less than a good and tight connection can cause a problem when current is high.

 

[bloggsy]

I'm sure I've read a post about the poor quality of plugs that can come with the granny charger. Another member reported similar heating issues and when he investigated, he found the internal connections inside the sealed plug were of very poor quality and had even charred some of the metal connectors. If I recall, he either changed to a better quality plug or re-soldered the connector.

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[Lovemyev]

Which connection is getting hot?
Is it the one between the granny plug and extension socket or the one between the extension plug and house socket?
There's another thread here that revealed a problem with the fuse in the granny plug (loose connection).
Heat comes from a high resistance connection (it is proportional to the square of the current) so anything less than a good and tight connection can cause a problem when current is high.

I have witnessed both of the top cover of the"three pin plug getting warm ( not mad hot ) after a couple of hours worth of charging, even when plugging the "Granny" lead directly into a dedicated wall socket in my garage.
I have also seen the very same effect when plugging into a socket twice, in different locations when on holiday two years ago.
Last year we used the MG "Granny" when we where on holiday last year, but this time I was forced to use an extension lead, which I built using 2.5mm round flex and a outdoor IP65 rated single socket.
The three pin plug I used, was the best quality type I could find at the time and it was a M.K. branded plug.
In this case, it was the FIRST three pin plug ( MK Plug ) in the line, that was plugged into the socket supply that got WARM after a few hours worth of use.
So, what did I see ?.
Different cars ( VW & MG ) / different locations ( Home / Yorkshire / Wales ) different manufacturer of "Granny" units ( VW & MG Branded ).
Brown burning mark staining have been seen on the LIVE pin of the socket outlet, by some people who are regularly using a "Granny" unit.
Sometimes this burning has been caused by the use of poor quality socket outlets or three pin plugs, loose pins that carry the 13 Amp protection fuse in the plug etc.

 

[Phil Hayward]

The rivets in 13 amp plugs can cause problems, where the fuse holder is riveted to the live pin and on some plugs the rivet between the live connection and fuse holder, socket should grip hard enough to clean the plug pins.

 

[Les burrows]

Has anybody else had problems with granny charging making the output socket and therefore the plug very hot? I have to use an extension as I can't get close enough to my house for the charger to go directly into the wall socket. I thought it may have been the extension cable but bought a new one and tried 2 others still same overheating thing happens, I'm therefore scared of using the granny charger, any advicewould be appreciated.

Hi Beatsisbass i think you have the best answers here already as written buy JCFlippen writing get a professional to check it out I know you have said you have tried different leads but the normal 13amp extension leads all being rated at 13 amp are not really up to many hours of drawing 10 amps on them you need quite a heavy duty one for EV chargers and like everything else there is good and not so good and it might just be you socket that you plug into that’s not up to the job so best bet is as said above have it inspected

Lovemyev said you might be better with a wall box and he’s dead right and I may be stating the obvious but make sure the cable from it to you car is plenty long enough they come in different lengths example my Zappi is a tethered one and the cable is 6 meters long I could have had a 10 meter one for more money but I didn’t need it I only use around 3/4 meters so if you go for the box make sure cable is long enough or get an untethered one and a long type 2 cable these can be made almost an size you need them but the first job get your Electrics checked out better safe than sorry I think don’t you good luck
Les

 

[Lovemyev]

I may be stating the obvious but make sure the cable from it to you car is plenty long enough they come in different lengths example my Zappi is a tethered one and the cable is 6 meters long I could have had a 10 meter one for more money but I didn’t need it I only use around 3/4 meters so if you go for the box make sure cable is long enough

Good advice Les.
Another thing worth considering when you measure up for your Type 2 charging cable.
The MG uses a front mounted charging port, to future proof yourself get a cable that will reach the rear quarter panel also !.
Many other EV's use the rear quarter panel as their preferred place to locate the charging socket.
This could prove very handy if a visitor has an EV with this configuration.
Our better still, get a cable that is able to reach right to the hatch back, then you have the facility to charge with the car with it reversed on your drive also !.

 

[JodyS21]

If it's the wall socket getting hot, try a different wall socket / replace the wall socket with a decent quality one (easy diy thing for most folk)

 

[Lovemyev]

The high load, combined with the long time scale, will reveal any poor quality issues with socket outlets.
Although these outlets all meet the BS standard for this type of item.
There will be many outlets that fall short when used on a "Granny" unit.
There must be a very very small percentage of sockets sold, that will be used for powering a EV module.
The cheaper budget outlets will cover 99% of the normal demands of a normal house hold.
The largest load is likely to be a kettle / washing machine / toaster etc.
None of these items are likely to place the same demand over time that a "Granny" unit will require.
Always buy the best quality socket outlet as you can, would be my advice.

 

[Electrifried]

Has anybody else had problems with granny charging making the output socket and therefore the plug very hot? I have to use an extension as I can't get close enough to my house for the charger to go directly into the wall socket. I thought it may have been the extension cable but bought a new one and tried 2 others still same overheating thing happens, I'm therefore scared of using the granny charger, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Gomev]

.......
There must be a very very small percentage of sockets sold, that will be used for powering a EV module.
The cheaper budget outlets will cover 99% of the normal demands of a normal house hold.
The largest load is likely to be a kettle / washing machine / toaster etc.
......

On a recent holiday in a caravan park, I was wary of using the granny as I wasn't sure of the electrics. Then I checked the kettle supplied with the caravan and saw it was rated 3200 watts, obviously much more than the 2400 watt granny.
So plugged in granny and kept checking it for any warmth/heat but all was well. Happy days.

 

[Lovemyev]

On a recent holiday in a caravan park, I was wary of using the granny as I wasn't sure of the electrics. Then I checked the kettle supplied with the caravan and saw it was rated 3200 watts, obviously much more than the 2400 watt granny.
So plugged in granny and kept checking it for any warmth/heat but all was well. Happy days.

I had a very similar situation when we paid a visit to family staying in recently new static caravan in Harlech.
All the mod con’s !.
I checked the external 240 volt electric hook up isolation box.
Just to get an idea what carrying capacity of the breaker was being used to protect the van.
Ha ! - A Rolec branded device, oh dear .

 

[Les burrows]

Hi Gomev and lovmyev this is Exactly the correct thing to do check things and then for anyone who is still unsure ask and then Monitor what you do well done
Les

 

[Kithmo]

Last caravan we had the electrics were rated at 16A, plenty enough for the granny.

 

[Lovemyev]

Yeah - If the "Granny" is rated at 2400 Watts, thats pulling around 10 amps.
The load carrying capacity of the main breaker in the caravan we where visiting, had a C16 Amp breaker installed, so it could handle the "Granny" okay.
Not the electric kettle etc at the same time though !.
Just pick your best moment to charge, when other load demand is extremely low or even zero.

 

[JodyS21]

On a recent holiday in a caravan park, I was wary of using the granny as I wasn't sure of the electrics. Then I checked the kettle supplied with the caravan and saw it was rated 3200 watts, obviously much more than the 2400 watt granny.
So plugged in granny and kept checking it for any warmth/heat but all was well. Happy days.

I had exactly the same 2 weeks ago, we’re you in the same caravan lol

 

[Kithmo]

Yeah - If the "Granny" is rated at 2400 Watts, thats pulling around 10 amps.
The load carrying capacity of the main breaker in the caravan we where visiting, had a C16 Amp breaker installed, so it could handle the "Granny" okay.
Not the electric kettle etc at the same time though !.
Just pick your best moment to charge, when other load demand is extremely low or even zero.

Plug the granny into the same socket as the kettle is plugged into, then if you want a cuppa, unplug the granny, boil the kettle then plug the granny back in, sorted.

 

[Lovemyev]

Plug the granny into the same socket as the kettle is plugged into, then if you want a cuppa, unplug the granny, boil the kettle then plug the granny back in, sorted.

Great shout !.