When our EO charger failed we resorted to a variety of alternatives. Like many others we have a granny lead/charger in reserve which was one of the first things we pressed into service and after half an hour or so…….it stopped! The Octopus app told me it had ‘created a charging plan’. Pressing the ‘bump charge’ button repeatedly brought up a ‘failed to trigger’ notification.
We concluded that the app is unable to differentiate between chargers (if the car is the device) and that the bump charge option doesn’t work when a charging plan is in being.
If a granny lead is your plan b, you are on Intelligent Octopus, and your car is your device, just press bump charge as soon as you start with the granny.
Fossilnot
And Another Octo Int Thing
Why? I charged mine for first 3 weeks or so with granny charger. When we got home from collecting car it was at 20% and took nearly 2 days to charge.
We go to my daughters 160 miles away every 6 weeks or so to stay a few days, and it is plugged in their many hours to recharge.
We go to my daughters 160 miles away every 6 weeks or so to stay a few days, and it is plugged in their many hours to recharge.
Grey vrs coupe with 20” wheels, heat pump, heated windscreen and rear seat, adjustable suspension, Canton sound and head up display
We relied on the granny charger (not overnight) for a fortnight’s holiday with our previous Enyaq but the other conditions I specify did not apply. If you are asking why I don’t like leaving it charging overnight just test the temperature of your 13amp plug at the close of a charging session.
Fossilnot
Fossilnot
Also, using a granny charger with IO gives you massive off peak windows!
iV80X, Black Magic, 20” Vega Anthracite, Comfort Seat Pack Plus, Convenience Pack Plus, Heat Pump, Transport Pack, Light and View Pack Plus, Assisted Drive Pack Plus, Climate Pack Plus, Parking Pack, Family Pack. Acquired Aug 2023
I get free charging at work on one of my jobs but only from a 13A socket. I use my emergency granny lead, leaving it on charge for as many hours as possible. Plug gets barely warm at 10A........
iV60 Arctic Silver, 20" Vega's, Pod Point 7kw home charger. F & R Dash cams with fuse mod. and a few farkles...... 
13A sockets arent hugely great at carrying high loads for prolonged periods. they can suffer overheating, theres plenty stories across the EV forums about sockets and wiring melting while using them.
In a perfect scenario of a good quality socket, properly installed wiring etc etc, it will be totally fine.
However many household wiring installations are not perfect, have never been checked or tested in years and have old and worn outlets.
Even being well aware of this, I ran afoul of this recently in our own kitchen. We have a bank of sockets on the counter, where the kettle/airfryer/coffee machine etc plug in. The plugs get swapped about depending whats needing to be used. I happened to unplug the airfryer after it had been going for 20mins, to plug in the kettle, and realised the plug was really hot. Our kitchen was done up some 10 years ago by the previous owner, and the outlets used are extremely poor quality. Thus 20mins with an airfryer had already got the plug hot enough that it was uncomfortable to hold... I replaced the outlet, and it was very evident when inserting a plug just how weak the contacts in the old socket were. No more overheating with the new socket.
Had that been a car pushing 10+ A continuously for 8 hours, it would quite possibly have melted, and ofcourse if that happens in the middle of the night when no-ones around to notice the smouldering etc... well not a great idea! And even if it hadnt the first time, the heat deforms the plastic and weakens the spring tension, making the contact worse and worse until it eventually does self combust.
Thus the general advice is not to rely on a granny full time, and if you are using one, pay close attention to it and make sure the outlet is high quality and in good condition.
A useful guide is that if your having to use it at a relatives or other place, check the temperature of the plug top after 30mins, and recheck every couple of hours. And dont assume that because it was fine 4 months ago last time you were there, it'll also be fine now. Things can become damaged over time.
In a perfect scenario of a good quality socket, properly installed wiring etc etc, it will be totally fine.
However many household wiring installations are not perfect, have never been checked or tested in years and have old and worn outlets.
Even being well aware of this, I ran afoul of this recently in our own kitchen. We have a bank of sockets on the counter, where the kettle/airfryer/coffee machine etc plug in. The plugs get swapped about depending whats needing to be used. I happened to unplug the airfryer after it had been going for 20mins, to plug in the kettle, and realised the plug was really hot. Our kitchen was done up some 10 years ago by the previous owner, and the outlets used are extremely poor quality. Thus 20mins with an airfryer had already got the plug hot enough that it was uncomfortable to hold... I replaced the outlet, and it was very evident when inserting a plug just how weak the contacts in the old socket were. No more overheating with the new socket.
Had that been a car pushing 10+ A continuously for 8 hours, it would quite possibly have melted, and ofcourse if that happens in the middle of the night when no-ones around to notice the smouldering etc... well not a great idea! And even if it hadnt the first time, the heat deforms the plastic and weakens the spring tension, making the contact worse and worse until it eventually does self combust.
Thus the general advice is not to rely on a granny full time, and if you are using one, pay close attention to it and make sure the outlet is high quality and in good condition.
A useful guide is that if your having to use it at a relatives or other place, check the temperature of the plug top after 30mins, and recheck every couple of hours. And dont assume that because it was fine 4 months ago last time you were there, it'll also be fine now. Things can become damaged over time.
'21 Enyaq 60 Ecosuite
Well said Aragorn! My opinion is that a growing majority of domestic fire incidents are caused by charging batteries irresponsibly. (Without supervision…)
Other users must do as they see fit but I will not use my granny charger overnight or unsupervised-at any amperage!
Turns out that my EO wallbox was installed to questionable standards so I now have an Ohme ePod (untethered) that is doing a fine job. Octopus do not now install EO wall boxes…
Fossilnot
Other users must do as they see fit but I will not use my granny charger overnight or unsupervised-at any amperage!
Turns out that my EO wallbox was installed to questionable standards so I now have an Ohme ePod (untethered) that is doing a fine job. Octopus do not now install EO wall boxes…
Fossilnot
And that is exactly the issue.
10 amps isn't necessarily an issue - I've seen 3kW fan heaters, which is 12.5 amps, and they can be expected to be run continuously too. The issue is there potentially being no-one around when it does go.
If you have sensible regime of checking the sockets and cables, inside and out, cleaning the tarnish from the pins and making sure that nothing is getting too warm, then you shouldn't get caught out.
iV80 Lounge, Heat Pump, 125kW charging, Tow bar
Previous EVs: Leaf 40 (x2), Leaf 30, Leaf 24. EVing since 2014.
Previous EVs: Leaf 40 (x2), Leaf 30, Leaf 24. EVing since 2014.
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