Level 2 Charger problem to be aware of

[Jabbahop]

This didn’t affect our Rivian but our 2014 BMW i3. I just wanted to make people aware of this potential problem with Level 2 charging.

We have had the i3 for 10 years and always charged with Level 2 Clipper creek charger that we mount outside on the garage wall. Last week we couldn’t release the handle on the charger and after trying a number of things had to force it to disconnect. We took the car to service and they discovered the charging cable and charging port had some sort of short and had melted together. Replacing the charge port was pretty expensive. I called Clipper creek and they asked if I ever cleaned the contacts on the car and charger - I never have. They said if debris gets in there it can arc and cause the heating up and melting.

He said it could have been prevented by using foam tipped swabs and rubbing alcohol (circuit off of course) and cleaning the contacts of any debris. I did that and did find some spider webs and other stuff in our 2nd charger (the one the rivian uses).

I just thought I would pass this along in hopes if prevents problems for others.

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[beatle]

10 year old EVSE finally failed with no maintenance while used outdoors? I'd say that's not too bad.

I never cleaned the pins on my Tesla gen1 UMC, and that thing is now over 9 years old. I typically used that indoors though. Maybe it's worth checking out. I had a public J1772 connector partially melt to my J1772 >> NACS adapter earlier this year. There were a few others on Plugshare that noted the problem as well, so this seems to be more of an EVSE thing than a car thing, though a connector always has two sides.

Did Clipper Creek offer any instructions or maintenance schedule for cleaning?

 

[mikehmb]

Glad you shared that. People don’t often think of the maintenance required for the support gear on our cars. This is a good reminder, especially for outdoor use.

Hope you’re back up and running soon. We also have an i3 and are eagerly awaiting upgrading to an R3 …

 

[Jabbahop]

10 year old EVSE finally failed with no maintenance while used outdoors? I'd say that's not too bad.

I never cleaned the pins on my Tesla gen1 UMC, and that thing is now over 9 years old. I typically used that indoors though. Maybe it's worth checking out. I had a public J1772 connector partially melt to my J1772 >> NACS adapter earlier this year. There were a few others on Plugshare that noted the problem as well, so this seems to be more of an EVSE thing than a car thing, though a connector always has two sides.

Did Clipper Creek offer any instructions or maintenance schedule for cleaning?

Clipper creek just said check it occasionally and clean it with the foam (not cotton) swabs and rubbing alcohol. We have a lot of spiders/bugs during the summer here in Vermont so I am going to check it weekly and see what happens. I also never used the rubber cap that can cover the connector which was a mistake and I now use that each time I unplug.

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

Clipper creek just said check it occasionally and clean it with the foam (not cotton) swabs and rubbing alcohol. We have a lot of spiders/bugs during the summer here in Vermont so I am going to check it weekly and see what happens. I also never used the rubber cap that can cover the connector which was a mistake and I now use that each time I unplug.

Thank you for posting the PSA and the suggestion on how to clean the contacts. I have a five year old Juice Box and have always kept a cover on the J-1772 plug which is in doors. The situation I have been concerned about lately is the Level 2 charging cables and plugs at hotels that are sometimes placed on the ground by users. I have been thinking about carrying cotton swabs to clean them before start charging but now I will look for the foam kind. Two minutes of cleaning the charger before use will save everyone a lot of hassle.

 

[CBRacerX]

Wrap that rascal! The rubber cap prevents a lot of potential corrosion or insect incursions.

 

[EVTrukHog]

This didn’t affect our Rivian but our 2014 BMW i3. I just wanted to make people aware of this potential problem with Level 2 charging.

We have had the i3 for 10 years and always charged with Level 2 Clipper creek charger that we mount outside on the garage wall. Last week we couldn’t release the handle on the charger and after trying a number of things had to force it to disconnect. We took the car to service and they discovered the charging cable and charging port had some sort of short and had melted together. Replacing the charge port was pretty expensive. I called Clipper creek and they asked if I ever cleaned the contacts on the car and charger - I never have. They said if debris gets in there it can arc and cause the heating up and melting.

He said it could have been prevented by using foam tipped swabs and rubbing alcohol (circuit off of course) and cleaning the contacts of any debris. I did that and did find some spider webs and other stuff in our 2nd charger (the one the rivian uses).

I just thought I would pass this along in hopes if prevents problems for others.

I recently had Rivian mobile tech at my home for the 22,500 mile service... part of his multi-point inspection was to inspect and clean the pins on the Rivian portable charger (not the wall charger). He said my VIN range (12XXX) included some portable chargers that showed signs of deterioration in this area.

 

[Jabbahop]

Thank you for posting the PSA and the suggestion on how to clean the contacts. I have a five year old Juice Box and have always kept a cover on the J-1772 plug which is in doors. The situation I have been concerned about lately is the Level 2 charging cables and plugs at hotels that are sometimes placed on the ground by users. I have been thinking about carrying cotton swabs to clean them before start charging but now I will look for the foam kind. Two minutes of cleaning the charger before use will save everyone a lot of hassle.

these are the swabs I got but I am sure there are others that are fine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM5X8Q37?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[Captain JB]

Thank you for sharing. Good info to know.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Thanks for sharing! Definitely something to keep in mind. I have also had concerns about public chargers being left on the ground. But even my garage gets spiders, LOL. ?

 

[Jabbahop]

Thanks for sharing! Definitely something to keep in mind. I have also had concerns about public chargers being left on the ground. But even my garage gets spiders, LOL. ?

a really good point about public chargers. I think I am going to put a kit in my car with some swabs and alcohol wipes so I can clean when I use them @ hotels

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

a really good point about public chargers. I think I am going to put a kit in my car with some swabs and alcohol wipes so I can clean when I use them @ hotels

I am doing the same thing. The OP gave a link to 100 swabs for $7.99 on Amazon. I was thinking that alcohol wipes would be a good way to keep the small amount of isopropyl alcohol needed for cleaning.

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

a really good point about public chargers. I think I am going to put a kit in my car with some swabs and alcohol wipes so I can clean when I use them @ hotels

I am doing the same thing. The OP gave a link to 100 swabs for $7.99 on Amazon. I was thinking that alcohol wipes would be a good way to keep the small amount of isopropyl alcohol needed for cleaning.

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

I am doing the same thing. The OP gave a link to 100 swabs for $7.99 on Amazon. I was thinking that alcohol wipes would be a good way to keep the small amount of isopropyl alcohol needed for cleaning.

Oops. You are the OP. Thanks for the link. I like the orange swabs as that's my favorite color.

 

[Yossarian]

Clipper creek just said check it occasionally and clean it with the foam (not cotton) swabs and rubbing alcohol. We have a lot of spiders/bugs during the summer here in Vermont so I am going to check it weekly and see what happens. I also never used the rubber cap that can cover the connector which was a mistake and I now use that each time I unplug.

Thanks for bring this up as an area of concern.

One of the few complaints I have about the Emporia EVSE is that the charging handle faces upward when in the supplied holster. Emporia does provide a rubber cap, which seems seal reasonably well but I suspect will deteriorate fairly quickly in the outdoor, sunny east facing environment my EVSE lives in. Seems like a great idea to keep a couple of foam swabs on hand and clean things occasionally. I'm also going to contact Emporia to see if they'll send me a backup cover.

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