Overloaded surge protector melted. Does this indicate issue with wiring or breaker?

NeutralHandle

We have outdoor socket that is really an extension lead with a surge protector.

Noticed it had melted at some point in last 48hr. 13A granny charger for PHEV had been in it and a 5A hedge clippers might have been running at the same time for a while. So I believe the problem was sustained overcurrent. Obviously we need to learn from that.

However, it seems like this is something that should have tripped the breaker. Does the fact it didn't warrant inspection of the breaker or our wiring?

There was heavy rain while charger plugged in, in case that might be relevant. Granny charger and car are fine. Wasn't. (Wasnt usng the clippers while it was raining.)

NeutralHandle

one other thing - the car was fully fully charged. So it shouldn't have been drawing power after that point, no?

Sleamhain

What do you mean it's really an extension lead?

Do not use an extension lead for charging a car, i t is asking for trouble. And using those granny chargers as a permanent charging solution is not a good idea in my opinion. 13A sustained for hours is too much for most sockets.

And obviously don't have anything else plugged in there at the same time. MCBs and fuses could take hours to trip on a slight overload. It's a curve, the higher the overload the faster it will trip. No issue here except that the extension lead is unsuitable for what you are using it for. Get a proper dedicated socket setup for charging the car at the very least. You could start a fire with the setup you have

10-10-20

Any photos of the setup showing the burns?

NeutralHandle

Wrt really being an extension lead, I mean it is something like this (not the same product, but same concept):

https://www.amazon.ie/Weatherproof-Waterproof-Cable-Extension-Lead/dp/B0F2847MDZ/ref%3Dasc_df_B0F2847MDZ?mcid=30645643862135fd91d3b470db898908&tag=ieshopgosmp-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=743310925803&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9749654731940455774&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9197600&hvtargid=pla-2421926140791&psc=1&language=en_IE&gad_source=1

Yeah we are getting a dedicated charger. We don't usually run it at 13A. Usually 6 or 10. But easy enough for someone to just leave it plugged in at higher setting so not ideal.

NeutralHandle

photos showing the burns

meercat

as others have already said,charging a car with a granny lead/extension lead isn’t ideal long term

Chances are the socket you plugged it into was old and not making a great connection for such a sustained load over long periods

Best advice is to install a dedicated charger

You’ll need to replace that socket too

It’s unlikely that the extension lead your using had 2.5 cable so may have contributed to your issues also

Buffman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124049723#Comment_124049723

Most if not all OEM supplied granny chargers I've seen supplied for here are max 10A for this very reason, unfortunately you've now seen the reason why running a 13A charger on a 13A socket is not recommended. The extension lead exacerbated the problem.

You've probably been OK up to now by running it at 6/10A, which is fine and TBH I do myself if granny charging away from home, without issues.

You have to be careful with the settings on some of the third party granny chargers, I've seen some that go as high as 16A. These would normally come with a 16A plug but I've seen some for sale 2nd hand where some 'genius' has a 13A plug on them which is dangerous.