Charging Outside

[markminnc]

My FFE has to live outside. I have an old 911 and a small sailboat that take up all the room in my garage. There are no seals on the power plug or on the charge receptacle in the car. I have not seen any weather related notes on the charge station plugs, but intuitively these have to be weather rated. Any comments?
Mark

 

[WattsUp]

J1772 connectors (the connection standard used for EV charging "handles" and car "ports") are weather-rated. e.g., It is safe to charge an EV in the rain (at least as far as the car is concerned).

However, I do not believe the case (the "brick" portion) of the original equipment Level 1 EVSE that Ford included with the FFE is designed for outdoor use. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong.)

Of course, it is possible to simply keep the EVSE case sheltered (inside a garage?), running just the connector cord out to the car. You can also actually purchase J1772 extension cords, allowing you to keep the case sheltered even if you need to make a long run out to the car.

There are also many weather-rated EVSEs on the market if you want to go "fully outdoors".

 

[Jasper7821]

I kinda had the same question except I had a 240 RV weatherproof metal box installed on the concrete wall on the side of my building at work. There is a roof overhang that comes out about 4ft.
My concern wasnt the J1772, I have to open the cover and unplug the 4 pin dryer plug so I can take the Clipper Creek LCS-25 station home everyday.
Any chance of standing on the wet concrete and getting zapped from pulling the plug in the rain?
The plug is huge and has tons of plastic and there's no way that I could touch any of the metal pins when removing it from the RV socket. I dont even think the plug would get wet since when the lid is lifted no water would touch the plug.

 

[WattsUp]

Any chance of standing on the wet concrete and getting zapped from pulling the plug in the rain?

I think you'll be fine. But, as always, be careful with electricity. It's when things don't go like they're supposed to (frayed wires, water where it shouldn't be, etc.) that things go wrong, with shocking results.

Can your LCS-25 stay inside that box too, sheltered from rain?

Just for added safety, would it be possible to place a thick rubber mat that you can stand on when accessing the box? Might be overkill, but it wouldn't hurt either.

 

[jmueller065]

I believe that part of the J1772 spec is that when you press the button to release the plug; power is cut. Thus if you do drop the cable on the ground you shouldn't get zapped.

From the J1772 Wiki entry:

The J1772 standard includes several levels of shock protection, ensuring the safety of charging even in wet conditions. Physically, the connection pins are isolated on the interior of the connector when mated, ensuring no physical access to those pins. When not mated, J1772 connectors have no voltage at the pins,[15] and charging power does not flow until commanded by the vehicle.[14]
The pins are of the first-make, last-break variety. If the plug is in the charging port of the vehicle and charging, and it is removed, the control pilot and proximity detection pins will break first so that the Power Pin relay in the charging station will be shut off and no current will flow.

 

[Jasper7821]

Any chance of standing on the wet concrete and getting zapped from pulling the plug in the rain?

I think you'll be fine. But, as always, be careful with electricity. It's when things don't go like they're supposed to (frayed wires, water where it shouldn't be, etc.) that things go wrong, with shocking results.

Can your LCS-25 stay inside that box too, sheltered from rain?

Just for added safety, would it be possible to place a thick rubber mat that you can stand on when accessing the box? Might be overkill, but it wouldn't hurt either.

The rubber mat is a great idea. I'll do that.
But I'd have to build or buy a box for the station.
I'll wait until monsoons come in and see if the wall gets wet.
I'm hoping with the eaves on the roof and my car being in front of the station that it will stay dry.