What's the best 120V 15A Level 1 Charger?

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Zim said:
As a side note, probably redundant. But use caution with adding a 20 amp *breaker to a series of outlets that were previously on a 15 amp breaker. I'm not familiar with code standards, but I'd imagine the wire gauge will need to be sized up from the breaker for 20A.
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This is a really important piece of information to be aware of. The breaker is sized and designed to protect the wire. So a 15 amp breaker will ensure that the wire going to the receptacle does not overheat and start a fire if the device at the other end pulls too much power. You cannot just replace that 15amp without knowing what wire is going from the breaker to the receptacle. Code is different in different jurisdictions, but usually a 15amp receptacle will have only 14 gauge wire but a 20 amp breaker will needs 12 gauge to operate safely.
 
Adam Berti said:
This is a really important piece of information to be aware of. The breaker is sized and designed to protect the wire. So a 15 amp breaker will ensure that the wire going to the receptacle does not overheat and start a fire if the device at the other end pulls too much power. You cannot just replace that 15amp without knowing what wire is going from the breaker to the receptacle. Code is different in different jurisdictions, but usually a 15amp receptacle will have only 14 gauge wire but a 20 amp breaker will needs 12 gauge to operate safely.
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I don't disagree but the original post was asking about switching a 15A outlet on an existing 20A circuit to a 20A outlet.

It's common practice to have a series of 15A outlets on a 20A circuit with 12 gauge wire so multiple high amperage appliances don't trip the breaker (like in a kitchen).

Theoretically it should be fine to swap one to a 20A outlet but you'd definitely want to confirm that the wire gauge is correct and that the rest of the outlets are rated for 20A pass through (I think most are). You'd also need to be careful with what's plugged into the other outlets. No clue if that's up to code though, I don't think I've ever seen it done so I would definitely check with an electrician.
 
Carsten Haase said:
I don't disagree but the original post was asking about switching a 15A outlet on an existing 20A circuit to a 20A outlet.

It's common practice to have a series of 15A outlets on a 20A circuit with 12 gauge wire so multiple high amperage appliances don't trip the breaker (like in a kitchen).

Theoretically it should be fine to swap one to a 20A outlet but you'd definitely want to confirm that the wire gauge is correct and that the rest of the outlets are rated for 20A pass through (I think most are). You'd also need to be careful with what's plugged into the other outlets. No clue if that's up to code though, I don't think I've ever seen it done so I would definitely check with an electrician.
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And, most EV folks recommend against using a daisy-chained set of outlets to plug EVSE into a) because the EVSE is probably pulling 16A continuous on the 20A breaker, about maxing out what is safe for that 20A breaker, and b) because each of those daisy-chained outlets is a potential source of a loose connection, which when taxed to 16A, might just heat up and start a fire, far away from the EVSE that is plugged into a different outlet downstream of the loose wire. With a single outlet on the charging circuit, at least a bad connection at the lone outlet might tip the owner off by being warm or discoloring or smoking.
 
There is nothing wrong with insisting on a UL listed charger just be aware that all it means is that’s it was submitted for UL testing and passed.
It’s perfectly possible to have an EVSE that would pass UL certification if it was submitted for testing but hasn’t been.
I agree you have no way of knowing if the one you’re looking at would be one of the good ones or not but don’t assume that because it isn’t UL listed it’s garbage.
Lectron is a massive company and supplies quality products. So plenty of companies exist that make a quality product that is not UL listed.
I’d go with long established brands that have plenty of reviews. If I see common threads of cables becoming exposed or any other pattern of issues I’d be concerned, otherwise not.
And be aware it’s not a charger, it’s a glorified switch inline in a power cable. As long as the cabling is the correct gauge and the contacts are rated correctly there really isn’t much to these things.
I have two non UL listed OpenEVSE units and they’re very high quality. They use UL listed components and the casing is transparent so I can see all the assembly work inside and what is spaced away from what.
If something goes wrong and causes a fire it’s likely melted wiring which would have to be a properly cheap piece of chunk, or the charger or battery in your car. There really isn’t much to these things.

Again not saying you’re wrong to go for UL listing, go for it, just don’t assume it’s junk if not. This is the one area I take great issue with Toms reviews of EVSEs and his scaremongering around non UL listed ones.
 
I like OpenEVSE because it does not require an external service to provide smart functionality and has an API so I can write my own apps to communicate with it.
However, unless the above are important considerations I would not recommend one to the average person.
Their interface is a built in web app/page which looks like something from 15 years ago and while I have no issue with that it’s not intuitive where you set things or what certain values mean. There is no smartphone app, it’s web based. You can’t access it away from home because there is no external cloud service, unless you know how to deal with port forwarding but frankly I wouldn’t want to expose it to the world as I don’t think its authentication is up to much. It is a geeks EVSE for hobbyist hackers. Given the price of a ready assembled one it isn’t cheap either.

But it is exactly what I want.

For me the only negative is that the WiFi module has a bad habit of disconnecting from the home wifi and it then goes into stand-alone mode for a while although it does eventually reconnect. Given I have other wifi items in the same garage that have no such issues it’s not my mesh network, and there is only one wall between the garage and one of the access points anyway and a very good signal strength reported by other clients in the same garage. The wifi module needs work.
 
Greenlineguy said:
If you can find the one that comes with the Chevrolet bolt it is a very nice level one charger which also can be converted to a 240 16 amp evse through a simple plug adapter you can buy one online or make the adapter yourself!
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I built my own 240v adapter to work with our 2021 Kona ev oem "charger". The adapter plugs into a 240v stove outlet, but if we unplug it then we go back to the original 110v plug; used for traveling/visiting family.
We charge @1.3kW on 110 and @2.7kW on 240. We get home in the evening, start our charge and end up @ our target of 80% in the morning.
 
F14Scott said:
And, most EV folks recommend against using a daisy-chained set of outlets to plug EVSE into a) because the EVSE is probably pulling 16A continuous on the 20A breaker, about maxing out what is safe for that 20A breaker, and b) because each of those daisy-chained outlets is a potential source of a loose connection, which when taxed to 16A, might just heat up and start a fire, far away from the EVSE that is plugged into a different outlet downstream of the loose wire. With a single outlet on the charging circuit, at least a bad connection at the lone outlet might tip the owner off by being warm or discoloring or smoking.
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In many manuals it even spells out it should be a single use or dedicated receptacle for charging.
 
Mr Murdock, unfortunately I’m not familiar with a product that splits amperage (effectively turning off EVSE) for 120v 15A situations. There are plenty of 240V 30 A or greater splitters for splitting power between electric driers / ovens, but nothing I find for 120V. Maybe search for a smart amperage 120V monitor?

Splitvolt NEMA 10-30 is the product I mentioned.
 
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