Extension Cable for 110V charging

[rajasaab]

Hello

Headed to Outer Banks this summer with my R1T. We have a rental house in Corolla, NC for a week. Now there are limited charging options in Corolla, NC but I was thinking of using the 110V outlet in the house to charge while i am there. The truck will not be used for the week that we are there (we have golf cart and other vehicles that our friends bring) - so i was just thinking of plugging in at the house while we are there.
MY question is -- what type of a proper guage extension cable should i buy. I want to have that with me in case the outlet is a bit further away and i have to plug in the Rivian portable charger into an extension cable to reach the outlet.

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[Rivianation]

Hello

Headed to Outer Banks this summer with my R1T. We have a rental house in Corolla, NC for a week. ...

MY question is -- what type of a proper guage extension cable should i buy. I want to have that with me in case the outlet is a bit further away and i have to plug in the Rivian portable charger into an extension cable to reach the outlet.

Any outdoor extension cable is fine. An orange one from HomeDepot will do it. The problem is the Rivian mobile charger section will be sitting on the ground somewhere. I would toss that part under the truck for safe keeping.

 

[madgrey]

You shouldn't use an extension cord according to the manual. If you were to do so, you would need to know the length before determining the gauge.

 

[krockett]

Manufacturers won’t recommend any extension cord as their CYA. That said, I have no concerns with charging off a lvl 1 @12 amps with any heavy duty outdoor cable.

This is the one I went with - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SQF5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[zipzag]

Any outdoor extension cable is fine. An orange one from HomeDepot will do it. The problem is the Rivian mobile charger section will be sitting on the ground somewhere. I would toss that part under the truck for safe keeping.

Don't listen to this person. At least twelve gauge at 50 feet.

Also, nominal is 120V. One way to tell if the extension is heating is voltage drop. The house voltage will most frequently be a bit over 120V.

 

[madgrey]

Any outdoor extension cable is fine. An orange one from HomeDepot will do it. The problem is the Rivian mobile charger section will be sitting on the ground somewhere. I would toss that part under the truck for safe keeping.

Color isn't standard (for gauge). Personally, I'd keep it under 25 feet and go with 10/3.

 

[R1T Preds Fan]

Also going with a 10/3 here is the link to it…

GearIT 10/3 Outdoor Extension Cord (100 Feet) 10 AWG Gauge - 3 Prong Plug - SJTW Heavy Duty for Indoor/Outdoor - All Purpose Weather Resistant - Power Cord for Lawn, Garden, Appliances - 100ft https://a.co/d/78LPMxB

 

[pkropf]

I keep a 10/3 50' extension cord in my frunk for just such circumstances. Used it many times, no issues charging, no issues with the extension cord heating. 120v is a slow charge but quite usable.

 

[madgrey]

My reason for keeping the cord short is a matter of practicality. These low number gauge, three wire cords are big and heavy. I'd rather not have to carry any more than I need. A 100 ft seems like overkill for most situations so I'd measure twice and buy once.

 

[WSea]

Don't listen to this person. At least twelve gauge at 50 feet.

Also, nominal is 120V. One way to tell if the extension is heating is voltage drop. The house voltage will most frequently be a bit over 120V.

I agree. 12 gauge min and the shorter the extension cord the better. Use garage or exterior receptacle. If house is newish and wired per code those receptacles will be on 20 amp circuits.
I'd be somewhat worried if it's an older house (old wiring) with a constant/long high load (worried as in probably no charging at night while sleeping).

 

[Tomgriff]

Not sure if this is applicable to the Rivian, but I've found that some GFCI circuits won't work with my Tesla portable charger. This seems like a pretty good article and includes recommended wire sizes for distance/load - https://www.imperialdade.com/blog/extension-cords-101. Also, keep in mind that many household circuits are rated for 15 amps. At 80% for a continuous load you would be at 12 amps. Hopefully you can find a 20 amp circuit.

This first time charging using an extension cord I checked the heat at the plugs regularly to make sure it wasn't over heating.

 

[SANZC02]

Not sure if this is applicable to the Rivian, but I've found that some GFCI circuits won't work with my Tesla portable charger. This seems like a pretty good article and includes recommended wire sizes for distance/load - https://www.imperialdade.com/blog/extension-cords-101. Also, keep in mind that many household circuits are rated for 15 amps. At 80% for a continuous load you would be at 12 amps. Hopefully you can find a 20 amp circuit.

This first time charging using an extension cord I checked the heat at the plugs regularly to make sure it wasn't over heating.

Other thing to keep in mind is most 220 circuits are dedicated not very many 110 circuits are dedicated. I would flip the breaker off and see if anything else is running on the circuit before assuming there is no load and you can go 80% of it.

 

[jeeden]

I'd like to have one of these for similar situations (we used to go to the outer banks a lot and I can see it being handy with some of the driveway configurations).

I'm not all fired up to lug around a huge 10 gauge 50ft though either. It seems a lot of reviews on Amazon are good with 12/3 at 25 ft. I haven't played with the portable charger yet, is it 20ft? So that would give you 45ft which seems pretty good for most situations.

I need to play with it in our driveway, but have been living the level 2 charger life. Do you need to set the charge limit like you do for the level 2? The wife is going on a Mom's weekend to the eastern shore of VA in a few weeks and I'd like to have it figured out and boiled down to a 5 explanation for her.

 

[rajasaab]

I'd like to have one of these for similar situations (we used to go to the outer banks a lot and I can see it being handy with some of the driveway configurations).

I'm not all fired up to lug around a huge 10 gauge 50ft though either. It seems a lot of reviews on Amazon are good with 12/3 at 25 ft. I haven't played with the portable charger yet, is it 20ft? So that would give you 45ft which seems pretty good for most situations.

I need to play with it in our driveway, but have been living the level 2 charger life. Do you need to set the charge limit like you do for the level 2? The wife is going on a Mom's weekend to the eastern shore of VA in a few weeks and I'd like to have it figured out and boiled down to a 5 explanation for her.

nah....Level1 is pretty much plug and walk. But as mentioned above - just need to make sure you have the right cable and plug into a 20Amp circuit when possible. I am thinking the 25ft cable as well (and def no more than 50)

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I would:

(1) Personally not ever try to do this, but

(2) Buy the thickest, best extension cable you can afford, if you do need to do this.

?‍

Person above has another good point - you sure the outside outlet is on a dedicated circuit? Some of the vacation homes I've seen, you can't even get to the electrical panel (behind a locked door). Good luck, let us know how it works out for you! ?

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