Any Ideas - EVSE Level2 and Tight Fit

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Dan Albrich

Well-Known Member
So my wife and I had no issues with the car's included level 1 charger. Easy on, easy off as it were. We recently purchased a NEMA 14-50 plug for the garage, then coupled that with the 'travel' EVSE Jekayla Level 2 40 Amp.

Overall I'm pleased. Cost was low, and all seems to be working fine.

I do notice the Jekayla is a very snug/tight fit. Getting it on isn't so much a deal. Getting it off sometimes is quite difficult. I work around the problem by wiggling it (usually up and down) as I remove it.

So my questions:
- Did I save too much money? i.e. Is this issue most likely just due to getting something too cheap. i.e. had I spent a couple hundred more bucks would be connection on and off be smooth?
- Now that I have what I have, any ideas to improve the situation. i.e. non-conductive lube of some sort?
- Should i chill and not worry about it. i.e. maybe it will loosen on its own with time.

Since I've been using a rocking motion to remove it, I fear I'll damage the car's connector, or perhaps less so that I'll damage the Jekayla charger. Ideas/thoughts welcome.

-Dan
 
Dan Albrich said:
So my wife and I had no issues with the car's included level 1 charger. Easy on, easy off as it were. We recently purchased a NEMA 14-50 plug for the garage, then coupled that with the 'travel' EVSE Jekayla Level 2 40 Amp.

Overall I'm pleased. Cost was low, and all seems to be working fine.

I do notice the Jekayla is a very snug/tight fit. Getting it on isn't so much a deal. Getting it off sometimes is quite difficult. I work around the problem by wiggling it (usually up and down) as I remove it.

So my questions:
- Did I save too much money? i.e. Is this issue most likely just due to getting something too cheap. i.e. had I spent a couple hundred more bucks would be connection on and off be smooth?
- Now that I have what I have, any ideas to improve the situation. i.e. non-conductive lube of some sort?
- Should i chill and not worry about it. i.e. maybe it will loosen on its own with time.

Since I've been using a rocking motion to remove it, I fear I'll damage the car's connector, or perhaps less so that I'll damage the Jekayla charger. Ideas/thoughts welcome.

-Dan
Click to expand...
I think some have posted that there is an o-ring inside some EVSE handles that gives a very tight fit at the finish of plugging in. You might try dabbing on a little dielectric grease with a q-tip.
That might prevent having to rock it so much that you risk cracking the plastic on either the handle or car port and having a costly repair.
 
I had a nissan leaf before this and the 1st EVSE I bought was also a tight fit. Thus I bought a different second one that fits better. But since I got the clarity, it seems to be a more snug fit. I'm tempted to use the tip above with grease :)
 
For those who are unfamiliar, dielectric grease is readily available at any car parts store.
Make sure it is specifically dielectric grease, which is intended for use on electrical circuits.

Here is an example of one of the more popular brands:
upload_2019-1-16_8-51-42.webp
 
I bet the grease will solve the sticking problem, but if it doesn’t, I suggest using a different charging cord. Over time, I think the rocking and pulling on the car’s connector is a bad thing.
 
Hard to know where yours is binding.

As a general fix for this sort of thing, I find a quick spurt of Pledge can work wonders. Lightly lubes and seems to keep rubber and plastic bits more “supple”.

Worth a try.
 
Maybe this is obvious, but when you are experimenting to improve the fit, it is probably wise to unplug the EVSE from the wall so you are not 'chattering' the electrical connections while working on this.
 
Constantly plugging and unplugging a 14 - 50 NEMA plug?
Not a great idea unless you get an outlet specifically designed for that. There is a world of difference between a 10 dollar unit and something like a Hubbell HBL9450A (which costs about 70 dollars.)

If your contractor put in a standard dryer / stove / set it and forget it once every five years contractor grade NEMA outlet, that might be why it is binding.

Dielectric grease will help, but if you are actually plugging and unplugging your EVSE fromt his outlet every single day, you might consider upgrading to what Tesla recommends for that purpose: a Hubbell HBL9450A.
 
I've been using the Jekayla L2 charger for nearly a year now. I had the same problems you are having, but after removing the O ring and applying some Dielectric grease the plug became a little easier to insert and remove. After about a month or two of use, it is now as easy to remove as the L1 charger. Give it some time.
 
Sibilance said:
Constantly plugging and unplugging a 14 - 50 NEMA plug?
Click to expand...

NO !!!
That's not what I meant at all...

I was strictly referring to while he is experimenting with lubricants. Grease it, plug, unplug, plug, unplug, etc. in order to feel whether it is better. While doing this, you don't want any electrical chattering.

Clearly nobody should be plugging / unplugging their NEMA every day !!
 
MrFixit said:
NO !!!
That's not what I meant at all...

I was strictly referring to while he is experimenting with lubricants. Grease it, plug, unplug, plug, unplug, etc. in order to feel whether it is better. While doing this, you don't want any electrical chattering.

Clearly nobody should be plugging / unplugging their NEMA every day !!
Click to expand...
I know MrFixit.

I didn't mean to imply that you were suggesting that. However the original poster's thread starter made me think they are regularly unplugging and replugging their EVSE into this circuit.

Looking at their post again, I guess they mean plugging it into the car itself, rather than the NEMA outlet. My bad. I'm used to reading about early failures of NEMA outlets from constant unplugging.
 
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Thanks for all the great suggestions. I really appreciate them. Just for information, the EVSE I have happens to connect via NEMA 14-50 "RV" style plug but that end stays plugged in 100% of the time. I also have a dedicated 50amp breaker to turn off power using the panel. In short, I have no intention of plugging and unplugging the NEMA plug side. So while my EVSE is technically a travel charger, I'm using it like a permanent install inside my garage. I even have the cable supported with hooks from the source until it gets very close to the car (where I have a loop for the car-connection side). When I go home at night, I only plug/unplug the part that connects to the car.

-Dan
 
I've had the Jekayla unit since last April. Yes, it started out tight, but after a couple of weeks it loosened up. I didn't remove the O-ring or use grease.
 
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