Home charge points (purchase/problems/questions) (See mod note post#1)

brownej

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811760#Comment_119811760

Fast charge options around Limerick are limited.

The moneygall chargers you mentioned are 50kW, There are 2 50kw stations in Birdhill aswell, (bank card tap to pay).

The chargers on Ballysimon can be quite busy as they are the only 150kW chargers around. Can be iced sometimes too as it is a busy station.

slave1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119818718#Comment_119818718

I'd contact installer, I've had one for years and never experienced this, the screws require torque fitting to retain IP measures. I was adding an extra CT clamp last month and took the cover of my Zappi off and the Zappi man who replaced a faulty board had overscrewed the screws and the grommits were all out of shape and not providing an IP seal so as I had some lying around I just replaced myself.

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119819127#Comment_119819127

i had a look in settings and there was a firmware update waiting to be installed.. installed that.. don't know if it will make any difference

slave1

Unless you triggered the firmware download it should not have been there waiting?

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119819137#Comment_119819137

i might have a few weeks ago - when you download is there a second step to install it? i just figured it would download/install

slave1

There is a second step after you download to install it, I'd also do it hours from when you need to charge the car as the update can take a long time!

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119819158#Comment_119819158

cheers to be honest with charging at work i'm not using it all but wouldn't be without it all the same

amacca

200 pages in is probably too late to the party but I'm looking around for a home EV charger

would only know that I want a tetehered one to prevent faffing around with cables etc

got a steer towards a Sync EV home charger from the garage.......I have no idea if that's a good idea or not, Rep said it wont charge directly from solar panels, is that standard?

Anyway, total novice, what would people here recommend

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119823534#Comment_119823534

never heard of that charger.. zappi and wallbox plus will allow you to use excess from solar panels if you have it for diversion to the car.. probably worth getting your wiring checked in the house for the installation as that can be a costly upgrade if required. Depending on the age of your house you might need the wires upgraded from the esb meter to the fuse board (referred to as 'tails') if you need this done - could add an additional 1k to your cost.. a charger with install should be doable for about 1200 (without wiring upgrade) and claim back 600 on the ev grant.. you need to apply for and have approval for the grant before purchasing any charger or paying for work etc. its all done online.. approval is pretty instant process.

amacca

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119823709#Comment_119823709

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I'm fairly clueless in this area. I have some links to the charger below. Ill take a look at the zappi and wallbox plus.....Are there any recommended installers or could you just buy the charger and then find a registered spark that does it?

https://25352913.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/25352913/EV/SyncEV%20Charger%20Datasheet.pdf

https://smartzone.ie/ev-chargers

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119823744#Comment_119823744

no one size fits all answer.. where are you based? im in north dublin and EV power in ashbourne did mine.. it can be hard to get electricians to look at the jobs as they are usually flat out busy.. can be easier to get a specialised crew to do it..

re your link.. load balancing is important if you have say an electric shower in the house.. if both the shower and the charger are both on at the same time the charger will scale down its power usage.. so you don't overload the house fuse..

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119823709#Comment_119823709

That tails malarkey does my head in. It's a few feet of twin and earth that isn't heavy enough for continuous 32A (even though the house might have a 9Kw/ 39A shower). Go to your nearest hardware shop and buy a length of 10sq cable disconnect from the meter join it to the existing cable with insulating tape and pull it through. If you can wire an electric cooker you can "upgrade" the tails.

Millennials ignore this post, anyone else older that can actually hold a phase tester without getting a brain hemorrhage should be able to do this...

I'm probably going to get a slapped wrist for posting this but it's exactly what an electrician would charge you €1000 for doing. If he's lucky he might have an off cut of cable in the van so it will cost him feck all.

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824153#Comment_119824153

you will need to pay the esb 169 euro to attach the new tails to the meter.. don't think you are allowed to do that.. the heavier cable is a pain to work with.. again depends on length of run.. tidiyness of job required.. if new earths are also required.. new earth rod.. i wasnt excited about paying the 1k to do it - but you won't get the cert to claim the grant from the electrician unless its done.. you could also not bother with the grant.. and probably get a cheaper 'cash price' for a charger install

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824153#Comment_119824153

That tails malarkey does my head in. It's a few feet of twin and earth that isn't heavy enough for continuous 32A (even though the house might have a 9Kw/ 39A shower). Go to your nearest hardware shop and buy a length of 10sq cable disconnect from the meter join it to the existing cable with insulating tape and pull it through. If you can wire an electric cooker you can "upgrade" the tails.

On the face of it you may not be too far wrong in alot of cases but in reality there is more to it. Increasing the spec of the tails, and hence increasing the current flowing through your consumer unit, means you could overload that consumer unit if it is not spec'd to take that extra current.... hence fire.

And as mick said, you are supposed to get ESB Networks out to disconnect you while the tails are being upgraded as it is physically connected to their meter. You cant just rip it out, I think it has a seal on it (at least some do).

The fuse in your consumer unit, your tails and the fuse in your meter also need to be in sync. i.e. upgrading the tails without a corresponding upgrade to the fuse is pointless.

Connecting both ends of the tails might not sound more difficult than wiring a plug, but there is more going on than that.

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824551#Comment_119824551

I am assuming the person knows their set-up. The amount of current being drawn by all devices in the house isn't going to change because the wire to the cu is fatter. That argument reminds me of the days when lads were replacing tungsten headlight bulbs with halogen, the car will go on fire blah blah blah. It's a fixed formula between watts, voltage and current, old bulb 55W new bulb 55W nothing is going into hyperspace, as far as the cable knows nothing has changed.

Synchronization of fuse and tails? If the system can power a 9kw shower it can charge a 7kw car.

Seurat

I’ll be getting a tether charger installed on my semi-d house. Anyone have any issues with vandalism to the cable or is there something I could do aside from putting the unit inside a gate (which is metres back)?

@amacca any company I got a quote from just wanted photos to see tails size so you will find out pretty quick if it is a big job or not

CoBo55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824702#Comment_119824702

Would an untethered charger be better? I went untethered for aesthetic reasons as I'm the middle of 3 houses.

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824647#Comment_119824647

The amount of current being drawn by all devices in the house isn't going to change because the wire to the cu is fatter.

I don’t understand your point so. Surely the whole idea of upgrading the tails is to draw more current… why else would you do it?

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119825042#Comment_119825042

i thought the idea of upgrading the tails was that the heavier wire can take more current? one electrician said my old wires would literally melt... till i mentioned i had an electric shower and how was that working? ive seen it with a fan heater i had once.. if you ran off a light extension lead the plug got really hot.. same principle i guess. i do think load balancing is a good idea.. often we will have drier, dishwasher, washing machine, oven going in the kitchen and someone puts on the kettle and the fuse trips for that circuit.. add a shower and car charge to that load and you wouldnt be far off 60 amps

Seurat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824947#Comment_119824947

I was initially thinking this but I do like the idea of the cable just being there

i guess it is different for every person

I have seen plenty of untethered charges (when you know where to look!) but haven’t yet seen a house with a tethered one

mailforkev

I have a tethered Wallbox Pulsar+ on on the side of my semi-d. It’s behind a downpipe so not visible at all if you look at the house front on. I’m on a quiet road so risk of vandalism minimal.

However, I need to get a charger on my parents’ house shortly and it will need to go on a front facing wall. So am trying to figure out what to do for them. Ideally I’d just get the same as mine, because I know how it works, but I think it would look messy. Their neighbour just got a new tethered VW branded charger (and a nice shiny ID.5) but it doesn’t look great. But there’ll have to be a bit of a trade off somewhere I guess.

Felexicon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824153#Comment_119824153

This is solid advice 🙃

mickey15ie

How long is it taking people to get the grant paid to them from documentation upload?

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824153#Comment_119824153

Anyone who says uses a phase tester should not be giving electrical advice

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119824350#Comment_119824350

spend 1000 to save 600??

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119830998#Comment_119830998

Grant or no grant. A registered electrician should provide you with a test record for the house to say the wiring meets regulations. If you fit a charger and didn't upgrade tails and something happened that required an insurance claim it might get a little sticky. The couple of electricians that did look at my job said they wouldn't do it without the tails upgrade but weren't interested anyways it was to much hassle

dmaprelude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119830884#Comment_119830884

Just got mine today, 7.5 weeks

Mike2006

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119832168#Comment_119832168

Did you get any notification after you submitted documentation to say that it was approved for payment?

I submitted all of my docs 6 weeks ago and I am just wondering how do I know that everything was filled in correctly and all required info submitted etc..?

Mike

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119832472#Comment_119832472

if you do it online, you will get an email saying all is in good order, or if say our electrician needs to supply documentation.. and that payment will be processed..

Dayor Knight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119827575#Comment_119827575

We are front facing, so I got an untethered EO mini pro for that reason. It's quite discrete and does the job very well. Might work for your parent's house. I need to charge our Id 3. once or at must twice per week, so using the cable is no issue at all.