craze1cars
Well-Known Member
Try not to laugh
My level 2 charger hung from garage ceiling
- Thread starter craze1cars
- Start date
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craze1cars
Well-Known Member
OK again try not to laugh as this was intended mostly to be an experiment/mockup. But the dang thing works so I might just leave it like this. Portable Mustart level 2, 32 amp charger.
Requirements for charger: My giant crew cab 4x4 MUST be parked on the other side of the garage to prevent blocking entry door to house. Wife refuses to back the Clarity into the garage and wants to pull in forward. Wife is short, I am tall. For these reasons it needed to be low enough for wife to reach, then retract toward ceiling high enough for me not to hit my head while walking under it. And I simply love the fact that I can walk around the entire car without ever having to step over a cord.
I searched the internet high (pun intended) and low for a ceiling mount EV charger -- best I could find, nothing remotely reasonable in cost exists. Gotta make my own.
Solution? Install 220V outlet in ceiling. Scrap wood frame. Spare recoil from a 5hp lawnmower engine I had laying around. Disassembled recoil and wound spring tighter so it would fully retract the weight of the cord back up to ceiling when not in use. A couple random brackets, zip ties, and bungee cords.
I think I'll name it...Art.
I love hillbilly engineering. Works great for both of us. As I am a welder/fabricator by hobby, honest plan was to mock it up in wood, then weld up a custom steel bracket using this wooden thing as a model just for measurements someday, but then again I'll probably stay lazy and not change a thing. It's a heckuva conversation piece just as it sits, and frankly fits my function-over-form personality quite handsomely.
Requirements for charger: My giant crew cab 4x4 MUST be parked on the other side of the garage to prevent blocking entry door to house. Wife refuses to back the Clarity into the garage and wants to pull in forward. Wife is short, I am tall. For these reasons it needed to be low enough for wife to reach, then retract toward ceiling high enough for me not to hit my head while walking under it. And I simply love the fact that I can walk around the entire car without ever having to step over a cord.
I searched the internet high (pun intended) and low for a ceiling mount EV charger -- best I could find, nothing remotely reasonable in cost exists. Gotta make my own.
Solution? Install 220V outlet in ceiling. Scrap wood frame. Spare recoil from a 5hp lawnmower engine I had laying around. Disassembled recoil and wound spring tighter so it would fully retract the weight of the cord back up to ceiling when not in use. A couple random brackets, zip ties, and bungee cords.
I think I'll name it...Art.
I love hillbilly engineering. Works great for both of us. As I am a welder/fabricator by hobby, honest plan was to mock it up in wood, then weld up a custom steel bracket using this wooden thing as a model just for measurements someday, but then again I'll probably stay lazy and not change a thing. It's a heckuva conversation piece just as it sits, and frankly fits my function-over-form personality quite handsomely.
Last edited:
lessismore
Member
a bit over engineered but kudos. 
just make sure the ceiling anchor is secure enough so the whole assembly does not fall on the windshield. salute from one Mustart customer to another
just make sure the ceiling anchor is secure enough so the whole assembly does not fall on the windshield. salute from one Mustart customer to another
craze1cars
Well-Known Member
LOL yeah that ain't coming down. Lag screws into ceiling joists...
V8Power
Active Member
I did similar with Packers Kromer 'zero gravity' tool balancers and we absolutely love the convenience. I tried retractors that didn't work well because the tension was too high by the time it was fully extended. Our JuiceBox Pro chargers are on the wall. The cables stay off the ground to prevent tripping and don't get gunked up.
craze1cars
Well-Known Member
Awesome. I actually had a bunch of adjustable tool balancers in my eBay watch list. I was stumped on which size (weight range) to buy and getting ready to guess on one. This was my original plan until I scoured my shop and found that Briggs recoil and modified it to work by winding the spring tighter. Nice job! Yours looks cleaner than my hack job. Glad to know that the took balancers can be made to work and thank you for sharing!
V8Power
Active Member
Hey @craze1cars, your setup is clever how you kept everything overhead and built it with stuff on hand. I had to use up a good section of valuable wall real estate for the chargers and 240V outlets. I ended up getting these German made used tool balancers in the higher than required 6.6 - 11 pound range off eBay because of the longer cable extension so I had to add 5 pounds of weight to get into range. Initially, I got a new chinese balancer to try in the perfect 2.2 - 6.6 pound range that worked great weight-wise but the cable extension length was a few inches too short for my ceiling height and where I needed to hang it. If I could have hung it over the car, it would be the perfect balancer. If anyone in the Toronto area is interested in my 2.2-6.6 lb balancer, please PM me.
craze1cars
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing the weight range that works and does not work. Will help me in the future if I improve my contraption...
jlebowski
New Member
Which model did you choose?
V8Power
Active Member
7230-01 to get the longer extension of the cable due to the higher height of our garage and so the handle/cable will hang higher up to walk under. The issue is that this bigger model's load range is higher than the actual weight of the handle/cable so I had to attach weights to make it work properly. If you can get away with a shorter extension, say if the cable will hang over the car and cand sit lower when retracted, then I'd suggest getting a smaller model with lower weight range so no extra weight is required and the tension is less.
Tek_Freek
Active Member
I needed to mount mine on the ceiling since there were no outlets free on that side of the garage. Luckily I have an outlet on the ceiling for the garage door opener. I am part way through the install and need to lengthen the chains for holding the unit to the ceiling. A last minute change ended up making them too short. A quick hanger made from some 12 gauge wire is going to be replaced by a bungee cord like the other one, but I need to track one down that is the right length. I found a hook with plastic coating for holding it on the cabinet.
Low enough for my wife to reach and high enough for me to walk under.
Low enough for my wife to reach and high enough for me to walk under.
jdonalds
Well-Known Member
Good idea Roger.
Pushmi-Pullyu
Well-Known Member
I'm all for practicality, so if it works, then who cares if it looks "hillbilly"?
But I'd be quite concerned about the fire hazard, especially with running the charging cable thru a metal hook. Please do yourself a favor and get a licensed electrician to check out the setup and the charging circuit. Quite aside from the physical setup, the circuit needs to be (a) isolated so nothing else ever draws on it at the same time the EV is charging, and (b) needs to be rated for a continuous draw of the number of amps that the charger is pulling; continuous draw requires (if I remember correctly) a rating 20% above the normal amp rating for the circuit.
And do (a) make sure it's a licensed electrician -- not all of them are -- and (b) ask for an estimate before the electrician begins. Some electricians charge a ridiculous amount of money for this sort of thing; $1000 or more. Get a second and/or third estimate if you think the charge is unreasonable.
Think of it as fire insurance for which you only need to pay a one-time fee!
But I'd be quite concerned about the fire hazard, especially with running the charging cable thru a metal hook. Please do yourself a favor and get a licensed electrician to check out the setup and the charging circuit. Quite aside from the physical setup, the circuit needs to be (a) isolated so nothing else ever draws on it at the same time the EV is charging, and (b) needs to be rated for a continuous draw of the number of amps that the charger is pulling; continuous draw requires (if I remember correctly) a rating 20% above the normal amp rating for the circuit.
And do (a) make sure it's a licensed electrician -- not all of them are -- and (b) ask for an estimate before the electrician begins. Some electricians charge a ridiculous amount of money for this sort of thing; $1000 or more. Get a second and/or third estimate if you think the charge is unreasonable.
Think of it as fire insurance for which you only need to pay a one-time fee!
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Nice set up and a good cost saver I’m sure.
I don’t have a problem with it not being on a dedicated GFCI protected circuit, if you don’t have anything but the garage door opener and garage lights on that circuit and you stay under the amperage restrictions. And I understand the desire to save $ that I don’t have since I am retired and just spending my son’s inheritance.
However, I will make a few suggestions.
It looks like you don’t have the power “brick” directly hung from the ceiling and that there is tension on the plug cable. If so, you definitely don’t want that and should take the pressure off by fixing the “brick” to the ceiling in some manner.
Also, where the charging cable goes around your hooks is almost like a pinch point and could put a lot of wear on these spots on the cable. You might want to cushion those points with something. My red neck engineering degree thinks maybe a short piece of the semi-rigid closed cell foam pipe insulation found at the big box stores for instance.
Just want you to stay safe so you can be on the forum a long time.
I don’t have a problem with it not being on a dedicated GFCI protected circuit, if you don’t have anything but the garage door opener and garage lights on that circuit and you stay under the amperage restrictions. And I understand the desire to save $ that I don’t have since I am retired and just spending my son’s inheritance.
However, I will make a few suggestions.
It looks like you don’t have the power “brick” directly hung from the ceiling and that there is tension on the plug cable. If so, you definitely don’t want that and should take the pressure off by fixing the “brick” to the ceiling in some manner.
Also, where the charging cable goes around your hooks is almost like a pinch point and could put a lot of wear on these spots on the cable. You might want to cushion those points with something. My red neck engineering degree thinks maybe a short piece of the semi-rigid closed cell foam pipe insulation found at the big box stores for instance.
Just want you to stay safe so you can be on the forum a long time.
Tek_Freek
Active Member
The supports are definitely temporary. I just threw this up so we can use it. As I mentioned in my earlier post I had the unit hanging from the chains but had to move it. I've not adjusted the length for them yet. After my doctors appointment tomorrow it should still be cool enough to go out and work on it.
Our car only charges overnight so no other load on the circuit. Even if we come home late the garage door will be closed by the time it's plugged in. The lights are only on when I turn them on so that's not a problem.
I like the foam pipe insulation idea. I might have some of that. I still want to find better supports though. These work, but I really don't like the narrow pressure points. I might have a piece of foam long enough to reach between both support points. I like the idea of supporting it all the way across. Even if I don't it's cheap. I'm still trying to figure out a better support off the cabinet. Maybe a small version of a hose reel.
Our car only charges overnight so no other load on the circuit. Even if we come home late the garage door will be closed by the time it's plugged in. The lights are only on when I turn them on so that's not a problem.
I like the foam pipe insulation idea. I might have some of that. I still want to find better supports though. These work, but I really don't like the narrow pressure points. I might have a piece of foam long enough to reach between both support points. I like the idea of supporting it all the way across. Even if I don't it's cheap. I'm still trying to figure out a better support off the cabinet. Maybe a small version of a hose reel.
Dan Albrich
Well-Known Member
Love it. From the pic's the EVSE appears to be exactly the same as mine. Mine is actually
"Jekayla Level 2" but looks identical to your
"Portable Mustart"
Anyway, just interesting. I wonder if same original equipment manufacturer.
"Jekayla Level 2" but looks identical to your
"Portable Mustart"
Anyway, just interesting. I wonder if same original equipment manufacturer.