Home charging with NEMA 5-15 to 5-20 adaptor

[newbiechubbie]

Hi all, I'm the newest newbie on this, and I would appreciate some help. I got a conversion car with about 16 deep cycle batteries. And, the cord to the electric socket at home doesn't fit, I believe the cord from the car is a 5-20 amp with one end point sideways. My home only has the standard home sockets, and a friend of mine told me to just buy a 5-15 to 5-20 adapter and then charge the car. Is this a good idea or is it risky? I was thinking of buying something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-1F515520-1-Foot-15-Amp-Adapter/dp/B00439KIF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405645658&sr=8-1&keywords=5-15+5-20+adapter

 

[smkettner]

You really need a dedicated 20 amp circuit and connector installed.

 

[Dsinned]

This would save you quite a bit and accomplish the same thing.

http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-30129...SCE/ref=pd_bxgy_lg_text_z/187-9238076-9400563

 

[miimura]

This would save you quite a bit and accomplish the same thing.

http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-30129...SCE/ref=pd_bxgy_lg_text_z/187-9238076-9400563

A plug adapter that allows a higher current appliance to plug into a lower rated outlet is not a good substitute for a properly installed dedicated circuit. I really don't recommend the adapter without knowing exactly the characteristics of the charger that it is feeding. If it really is pulling 16A through a 20A plug, a number of bad things can happen when you use the adapter, depending on what is between the socket and the electrical panel. If you plug it in to a circuit with a 15A breaker, it should trip within a few minutes. If the circuit has a 20A breaker, but feeds a number of daisy chained wall sockets, you can trip the breaker when you do things like plug in and use a vacuum cleaner. If the wire gauge is not sufficient and the breaker is old, it may not trip and the wire could overheat in the wall, possibly causing a fire.

Long story short, if a device has a NEMA 5-20 plug, it's a signal that a normal 15A outlet is not sufficient. Also, a NEMA 6-20 outlet looks just the same except the vertical and horizontal prongs are on the opposite sides. That is 240V, not 120V.

 

[newbiechubbie]

Thank you all. That is very good to know. Probably the best advise I'm getting is to have a dedicated 20 amp circuit installed. It's probably best to hire an electrician, right? Does anyone know how much an electrician would charge? The outlet is right there in my garage, I just don't know that his/her work would entail. Much appreciated.

 

[newbiechubbie]

Sorry, last question. So, I just found out my garage has an 15 amp outlets but it has a 20 amp breaker. In the next few days while I hire someone to set up a 20 amp outlet with its own wiring and separate own 20 amp breaker, would be safe to use the 5-15 to 5-20 adapter?

 

[miimura]

Sorry, last question. So, I just found out my garage has an 15 amp outlets but it has a 20 amp breaker. In the next few days while I hire someone to set up a 20 amp outlet with its own wiring and separate own 20 amp breaker, would be safe to use the 5-15 to 5-20 adapter?

Cost to put in the dedicated circuit will depend entirely on the distance and routing between the panel and the new outlet location. Safety of using the adapter depends entirely on how much current it will actually pull. Can you find any specs for the charger in the car?

 

[fooljoe]

If you're going to go to the expense of getting a dedicated circuit installed in your garage for charging, you can do a lot better than a 20a/120v circuit. I would recommend getting a 50a/240v circuit installed with a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. It's basically the same amount of labor, which is the majority of the cost, and just a little bit more for materials (bigger breaker, thicker wire and 4 wires instead of 3.)

That way you can still charge on 120v with a simple adapter, if that's really all that your conversion's charger can handle; but if/when you decide to upgrade to a production EV down the road you're already good to go.

 

[TonyWilliams]

If you're going to go to the expense of getting a dedicated circuit installed in your garage for charging, you can do a lot better than a 20a/120v circuit. I would recommend getting a 50a/240v circuit installed with a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. It's basically the same amount of labor, which is the majority of the cost, and just a little bit more for materials (bigger breaker, thicker wire and 4 wires instead of 3.)

That way you can still charge on 120v with a simple adapter, if that's really all that your conversion's charger can handle; but if/when you decide to upgrade to a production EV down the road you're already good to go.

Excellent advice.

 

[4EVEREV]

You may have 14G wire in the wall also. What is your charger make and model?

 

[newbiechubbie]

Thanks a lot. I found out the car draws 17 amps, and it has a 20 amp plug. My garage has a 20 amp breaker and it feeds 3 normal house outlets. I think I'm going to hire an electrician to do the right setup. I just wanted to charge the car a little in the meantime, but probably will not risk it. The car has these items:

Advanced DC FB1-4001 9" motor
Curtis PMC 1231C-8601 Controller
Albright SW-200B main contactor
Heinemann GJ1-B3-DU0250-01C Circuit Breaker, 250 ADC/160VDC
Zivan NG1 DC-DC converter 14v @ 55A output
Zivan NG3 120VAC charger - 120VDC output
4/0 Battery cables
15- US8VGC batteries

 

[fooljoe]

Looking at the specs for the Zivan NG3, it appears that the charger can take 240v as well as 120v AC, which gives you all the more reason to install a 240v line instead of just a dedicated 120v. Plus at anything higher than 16 amps you technically should be on at least a 25a circuit (so really 30a, because 25a circuits are exceedingly rare.) And like I said before, if you're going to need to get a new circuit anyway, you really should just go for a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 for versatility and "future-proofing."

Also it appears that you can adjust the maximum output current (and hence input current with a little trial and error) via a POT in the charger, so you could turn that down to ~10 amps and charge away for now, then crank it back up after you get your electrical work done. It seems like that charger's fairly versatile, but good documentation for it is hard to come by. I strongly encourage you to contact Zivan support and ask about whether and how you can switch between 120/240v and limit input current.

 

[newbiechubbie]

Wow, this extra info is great. I think I'll go with the 240v line hopefully soon. I'm calling Zivan support tomorrow and will post their response. Thank you so much