EV Charging Disaster 

Hot damn dude. Just throw the main breaker when you're pulling off the cover of your breaker panel. No reason not to. You certainly understand to not touch "these plates" but you freely wave your hands and tools in front of them, just waiting for you to misjudge the distance, or your screwdriver to slip out of you hands, etc. DONT WORK IN A LIVE PANEL!

This was all new to me - extremely helpful. I don’t do my own electrical work, but I like to watch to learn and will make certain the connectors are torqued going forward.

The 3 most important words a dad should be able to say to his kid, “I screwed up…” I love your videos. Preparing my garage for an EV right now. Your videos will save me a ton of money on hiring someone. I thank my dad for making me “handy” and not to be afraid of learning different skills.

Great advice. I would also recommend setting the torque back to zero before putting away your torque screwdriver. That way it will stay accurate and not lose calibration.

Great video and great of you to admit mistakes for the benefit of others. My father in law is a electrical engineer and showed me how to do house hold fixes. The biggest tip he gave me was that after you’ve tightened the clamps on everything, when you’re tidying up to come back and check the torque again one more time as the tension on the copper would settle and loosen for new connections.

I wish more people would mention to torque the screw terminals, it's so important!

Great video, I would also add that many attached garages are not required to have smoke or heat detectors in the garage. With many of us now charging very large batteries in the garage we really need to put some thought into safety systems and perhaps change code to get detectors in the garage.

I had the same issue. The screws weren't tight enough and my son noticed a burning smell coming out of the EV charger. Fortunately, we opened up the EV charger, clipped out the burnt wires, and cleaned up the area. Thanks for posting this video. Hopefully, it will save some people from a unnecessary house fire.

Great video and glad to see you sharing your mistakes so everyone can learn. I had to plug and un-plug my Levitron plug many times when I was trying to repair my Juicebox 40 charger (self-inflicted as I ran over the wire by accident). I finally got it to work but i guess wound up wearing out my Levitron plug from multiple plug/unplug procedures testing my repair on the Jucebox. A week after I got the charger working again, I went into the garage and smelled rubber burning and found out that one hot terminal on the plug was melting. That's when I started looking for a better plug than the Levitron (and thanks for one of your earlier videos comparing the 14-50 plugs). I recently switched over to the Hubbell and all is good now. What I learned from this whole experience is that I won't charge my Tesla at 40 amps unless I need to. Just to be extra safe, I charge at 24 amps most of the time and that's fast enough. It's easy to change the amperage in either the Juicebox app or the Tesla if I need a quicker charge. I also will unplug the outlet every few months, clean it, and look for any signs of problems.

Good video. The driver bit you should use is called an ECX bit. Probably #2. The following holds true no matter who installed the receptacle: I would encourage anyone using any plug/receptacle that they use all their senses. Eyes-any discoloration on the plug prongs means something is wrong. Ears-listen as sometimes you can hear an arc when in use. Nose-smell around the connections as arching (produces ozone) is easy to smell even long after using it. And warm/hot wire insulation gives off a distinct odor. Touch-the plug and/or receptacle should never be hot.

Great video.. Changes in recent years to the NEC have included a requirement for arc-fault interrupt type of circuit breakers. They're a great addition to the code in helping to prevent house fires. They are NOT to be confused with GFIC type breakers which instead sense electrical currents not returning on the neutral wire as expected, but rather on the ground. Another point is that many of the electrical connections in receptacles, switches, and light fixtures are 'quick click' (press in connections). They amount to being holes you press the stripped wire into that have a small metal tab usually being brass, or brass plated steel, copper plated steel and actually are a very small area of connection. Time as well as a higher current draw will break down or erode those connections creating arcing and as well know, once that begins it will only get worse. I prefer to buy receptacles, switches that have screw terminals and use them instead. They will hold up better over the decades.

Thank you Chris for another very informative video. Wow! Eye opening! We had an electrical issue where half of our condo lost power. Come to find out it caused by a switch that was improperly installed which was actually arcing. Thank goodness it did not cause a fire. 😅

Great job bringing attention to this very important problem.

Another move might be to buy an infrared thermometer/infrared camera. Take a reading/picture of the outlet right after its been charging the EV for an hour (or more). If it starts showing elevated temperatures, you should check/replace it. Otherwise you are probably fine. It's easier to do, and so you are more likely to do it, than the other (remove plug, check for looseness, remove plate, remove outlet, check wires and retorque and reinstall) method. Just a thought.

Thanks a $million$ HandyDad. I had a major house fire 10 years ago. A tragedy that no one wants to go through, if you love your home & family.

Thanks for your videos! Had to rewire a circuit at my son's house due to old/cheap/loose connections with this circuit! Fixed it better than when house was built, which is a tract house !!, about 5 years old !!

Very cool! . An arc fault circuit interrupter may well be worth the money too. Good vid. Already fried one nema 6-50 outlet here with our S. Car was smart enough to know something was up and it just stopped drawing power.

Thank you Chris. Even though I do not have my Tesla yet. This video was super informative. Keep on HandyDading!

Good video. I installed a 14-50 plug about 5 years back for an EVSE for my Nissan Leaf, which I no longer own. I now use that outlet (with an adapter) to power an inflatable hot tub instead. I didn't use a torque driver to get precise torque, but made sure everything was very very tight and secure.

My 240V plug was installed by a licensed electrician. He used a homedepot 10 dollar plug. After 2 years of usage, I heard the ZAP ZAP arcing sound. I took it apart and saw the plug melted. I redid the whole system with new wires, 50 dollar hefty plug, and a $150 GFCI 50amp breaker.

A key thing about current ratings is that they come with a time at the rated current, since a current rating really is a temperature rating a rating of how much current is needed to reach the connectors maximum rated temperature in a certain time under controlled conditions. An EV charger is unlike most other appliances that have a plug on them in that they can draw the maximum rated current for hours on end. A load like this needs to be derated for safety so that you are not pushing the connectors and conductors near their maximum rated temperature every single time the charger is operated. If you allow the charger to draw X amps, since it will do so for hours on end, use connectors and conductors rated for at least 1.5 times that.

My wife's aunt lived alone for many years and eventually relied on a 2kw fan heater plugged into a UK 240v outlet. There was no EV nor wiring issue but the poor contact achieved by the appliance's plug (dirty pins ?) together with the continual 8 amp load eventually led to outlet dis-coloration and a smell of heat-damaged bakelite which I fortunately noticed. The issue is cumulative in that a poor contact gets hot which will worsen the contact resistance and increase the heat generated at the plug/socket.

Thank you for taking the time to make your videos.

Great video. I inspect all my high load breakers and connections every two years….and tighten up everything. It is amazing how stuff gets loose. I have a home in a coastal environment, so corrosion is also a problem. Installed ARC fault breakers everywhere possible. I was amazed at how many ARC faults I had. This meant going to individual outlets and fixtures to chase down the detected ARC fault. I was stunned the house had not burned down when I started searching for ARC faults. Much of it due IMOP to sloppy electrical work….not tightening down to spec, and sloppy wire nut install. It was a time consuming pain in the back, but worth it. Several homes on our street have burned due to arching fires. Salt air is especially conducive. You can also spot arch faults with thermal imagers….put a 1500 watt space heater on an outlet. You can see the heat build on a faulty outlet in minutes.

Every wire that I connect I treat with an anti-oxidization grease, this helps to prevent oxidization that can result in resistive wire connections over time which overheat. I have recently installed a new 200a service at home and treated each connecting wire with Ox-Guard. I believe this is a local code requirement and is checked by the inspector. Btw, I have come across some overheating horrors during many years in the electrical industry. Unfortunately only the tip of the iceberg is published, many disastrous house fires result. Thankyou for a good informative video.

This reminds me of a window AC unit I put in for a relative. The plug was getting warm, so I flipped the breaker and took it out. It was an old receptacle with the wires pushed in. I replaced it with the screw type, and no more issues.

Thanks for the explanation. It is always good to learn from someone’s mistake.

Well there goes more security advice! Thank you so much. I will be taking mine off and checking and retorquing to spec. 🙏🏽

Excellent points. Also, crimps can impose a significant resistance especially with the high count stranded wire types (finer strands). The crimping tool will register a proper tightness but the wire can relax (maybe migrate?) causing a loss of conduction over time. Thermal imaging is the best way to confirm satisfactory terminations and reveal flaws.

You’d be surprised how many times professional electricians need to be reminded about torquing down even single phase breaker bolts. I’ve gotten some funny looks when forcing them to stop their work and go to the Home Depot to purchase a torque driver. Even in industrial facilities, these simple steps are skipped and you need to be firm about enforcing code. Not to mention that most of these breakers are only rated for a single wire up to a particular size. Unless it’s listed and labeled for dual wire connection, don’t do it. Thanks for sharing this video.

Can you believe I was planning on calling Tesla tomorrow to learn the proper torque setting, and here you, thank you, showed me where it’s listed in the Hubbell 14-50 (which comes tomorrow from Amazon)! I’ll sleep better tonight knowing the two torque settings! There’s also an electrician (Jefferson Electric) on RU-vid who said to torque the Hubbell to 25, and another who said 50, so it’s a Wild West out there, and printed instructions are what we should rely on. And I appreciate your following up on your previous mistake. Thank you!

Amazing. I used the same outlet as you. I bought the same torquing screwdriver. So glad I did. Man, 75 inch-pounds hurts to turn! Guarantee that most people did not tighten them enough. As to checking the outlet and breaker after installation, most electricians I have spoken to suggest a recheck after 6 months, and if it takes no additional torque to tighten them, you should be good to go. Lastly, write the date of install somewhere on the outside of the outlet so people (you or the next owner) can check things out.

Great video! One thing I would suggest is to hard wire an EV charger that will be stationary. The plug and receptacle are an additional failure point. Also, you may find from use that the GFCI breaker will trip frequently due to the built-in ground fault capabilities of most EV chargers. Are hard wired setup does not require GFCI breaker. IMO hard wired is the safest and lower cost way to install a high powered home EV charger. I have seen many melted plugs and receptacles over the years due to faulty receptacle or poorly made 14-50 plugs.

Thank you. Good information. Just a note...They make #1 and #2 ECX bits and screwdrivers that combine the Robertson square with a flat blade. They grip outlet screws better than traditional tools...

Thanks,appreciate your work

this was very helpful. I have the hummell and tightened like you said.

The problem I see with those torque specs is they are right at the stripping torque for those screws. Particularly on the bigger breakers with aluminum set screws where a big wire limits the thread engagement. Bad designs in my opinion. When you strip out a $100 breaker torquing it to spec it makes you rather unhappy. I don't have an alternative unfortunately, as they need to be tight.

I had a dryer receptacle burn up on me after I first moved into my house. I was always just tugging on the wires after tightening them down. I had an electrician tell me that what he does is tighten them down until they are nice and tight. Now back it off a little bit then tighten it down again and then you got it. That seems to have worked but obviously the torque would be best.

Great video, I also check mine with an IR camera after charging for a couple of hours. Any spots that are even 1 degree warmer than the surrounding temp, show up immediately. Great for checking the molded plug too. Although even the IR cameras that fit on your phone are a little pricey. But it's useful for lots of things like finding heat leaks, bad breakers, wet spots. I even found a leak in the roof when I was just looking for heat leaks. I saw a patch in the middle of the ceiling that was a tiny bit cooler than the rest. I assumed it was just missing insulation. When I went up in the attic, the insulation was there, but damp. There was a vent stack above that was leaking a tiny bit. The rubber seal around the pipe was deteriorated and needing replacement/repair. Nice to catch it before needing drywall work or rotting roof decking.

Reminds me of learning about Basics of Tire Removal & Re Mounting . Take the time to do it right . Check & Re check . Might save a life .

When verifying connections are not under-tightened, a value that is 10% less is a good rule of thumb to be sure that you do not overtighten the connections.

I have a substantial DIY solar system with lots of integration with my existing wiring. Periodically I take my fluke temperature gun and get readings on every breaker, and gfci outlet in the house, as well as all the larger wire connections among the various breaker boxes. Right after I installed my 3rd 5.1kw battery I was doing my checks when I got an elevated temperature on the input side of the 250a marine circuit breaker I installed. I quickly discovered that I missed the final tightening of the nut. I had snugged all of the connections so I could point the lugs in the final position and just missed it. I don't know what all would have happened if I wasn't routinely checking

Great Video, now I learned more on safety installation of NEMA

What an eye opener for a none professional (DIY) or even a professional electrician. Always safety first is the best policy.

You may want to reconsider the "double" torque idea. Best to do it once. Also, removing the cover on a "hot" panel is suspect.

Valuable to know, but once my EV "charger" is installed, the thing I connect and disconnect is the J1772 connector on my car. I think in 12 years of use, I've connected it to the wall outlet five or six times (assuming twice at every house where I've installed it.) And I always crank it as far as I'm able when installing an outlet or switch or junction.

Being from Canada originally I always loved using the robertson.

After install I always do a resistance test.In to he UK it part of BS 7671 .if high it could be a poor connection. Interesting what others do.Thanks nicely done video.

Thank you Chris very informative…..also would like to inform about heat. 1. The NEC is a MINIMUM Standard for safety. 2. More mass (more copper)will remove heat from a device(switch, receptacle) or Over Current Protective Device(Breaker). 3. Heat sink: a substance or device that absorbs or dissipates especially unwanted heat (as from a process or an electronic device) What that means, more mass connected to a device or breaker the heat is removed away from that device, or breaker, it runs cooler. 4. Proper torquing is still required of course. Lets say the code requires a minimum of 30 Amp cable, well #10 AWG NM Cable at the 60 degree celsius column is rated at 30 Amps, which in most cases is fine to use. But if we want better performance in the dissipation of heat from our connections, I would upsize the wire by the next higher Gauge size, now to the extent of upsizing 2 or 3 gauges higher, Im not an Electrical Engineer and am sure there are mathematical formulas for cost and price compared to performance. Remember heat is money loss, dangerous, could be a sign that something is wrong. I also forgot to mention make sure your device or breaker are rated for 60 degree celsius wire its marked on the device, NM cable is rated 60 degree ampacity. This is a long conversation ask your local electrician, wire and device have to match for proper column ampacity to protect the wire insulation.

Now everyone I know with electric vehicles they leave the charger plugged into the wall and almost never unplug it. I put the outlet in on one and I probably overtorqued the screws because I like my electrical connections to be tight due to the issues you mentioned. And I will most likely go back soon and check it out anyway. I do remember putting a tiny amount of dielectric grease into the connection points before putting the wires in to prevent corrosion in the terminals. I even put a small amount on the slot for the spades in the breaker box to prevent corrosion there.

really good video and a very good message. it is really important. However, also remember that if the screw is tightened too much, it will deform when it gets hot and thereby become loose. Therefore, it is important to tighten exactly as the manufacturer prescribes.

Good video. My coworker had a house catch fire in their neighborhood. It was the plug for the EV in the garage as the cause. Scary to think about. I don’t mess with electrical so had an electrician do mine, $350 buys a lot of peace of mind.

I have often wondered about the number of people saying "its easy" that "for a couple hundred bucks you can buy a breaker and put in a 50A charger yourself" along with the number of products coming out saying "split and share your dryer plug". I think it would be far better if we get to having a standard EV plug like J1772 and put THAT permanently wired into buildings rather than the mish-mash of plugs...I've also seen some chargers advertised that let you pick the max rate regardless of the plug, and Amazon has lots of reviews about people loving "didn't have to change the outlet and it works at 15A instead of 12A" or even some "worked at 20A with existing outlet" begging the question if someone is using a 15A plug and 15A outlet at 20A just because the breaker is bigger.

Great video! We (electricians) usually encourage people not to DIY a car charger. However, if you are going to do so, a calibrated torque driver is probably one of the most commonly overlooked tools needed. Every time someone calls me to request a 6-50 or 14-50 outlet for EV charging, I usually talk them out of it and we end up installing a hardwired charger instead. No risk of overheating and melting outlets. I wouldn't want one of those 14-50s in my house cooking while my kids are upstairs sleeping.

Great you share that info and make people aware of the power of electrical power. And pictures are worth 100 words. Currents of 30, 40 or even 50 Ampere are no joke and need to be handled with respect. I just wonder, why introduce that outlet and plug anyway ? It is an unnecessary potential failure point. After some plugging and unplugging the contacts will wear out, no question IF, but WHEN. An (IMHO) far better option is skipping the socket and plug and make a permanent fixed connection to your EV charger, making it a wall-charger. (and if desired keep a separate mobile charger in your car). Last point, people should NEVER EVER unplug while the EV could be charging. That is pretty dangerous and will definitely destroy the connector, it has to be replaced then, even in case you should not see damage. This is one reason we have the standard for EV chargers. It will stop the charging as soon as the (shorter) CP signal pin is disconnected so the current can not flow while unplugging the power connection.

Well done for the update. There are way too many videos that are giving old, outdated advice on EVSE installs. Most of the videos that are 4-5 years old on this subject should probably be taken down. This is what I do for a living and I am getting away from 14-50 outlet installs and going with hardwire only.

In the US, some people do DIY wiring, and in many places that's legal. However, when it comes to installing anything with a heavy draw of current - like an EV charger - I'd want it to be done by a qualified professional using high-grade equipment.

*TAKE THE VIDEO TO HEART... I can relate. But I would go further. Forget receptacles and plugs altogether. Hardwire it.* My scary store, I bought a used 2015 Nissan LEAF SV end of 2017. Great deal. So clearly LEVEL 1 no good. I bought a used Clipper Creak 20 AMP wall mount charger (240v x 20 amps -= 4.8KW) The charger I bought had hard wiring leads, no plug. So I decided it would be COOL (pun intended) to put put a chord and plug on charger, and mount a NEMA 6-20 AMP wall outlet (obvious mistake I see now). *I figured charger rated at 20 amps and receptacle is rated 20 amps. All is good?* in my garage I added two CB's (220V) to the CB service panel, ran the wires out bottom of CB box into wall (garage is drywalled). I fished the wires to a retro outlet box I installed. I installed the 220V 20 AMP outlet. I added chord and 220V plug to the Clipper Creek charger..... I then mounted charger on studs/drywall and plugged it in. Worked great for awhile. It also gave me flexibility to plug in my 240V Air compressor (not at the same time). *After a few weeks it melted the wall outlet. It was not pretty. I could see it melted and ready LED was not illuminated on charger. No fire but melted, very ugly, and glad I did not burn the place down.* What happened? Well the receptacle was a cheap NEMA 6-20 Amp 240V outlet they sell at the big box stores (that start with H or L). It was working at the rated power for hours. It failed. Fortunately the melting caused it to OPEN or fuse. The CB's where 20 AMPS did not trip, so I was running just under 20 amps. Never the less this was a bad idea. *SO THE FIX - I hardwired it.* I got rid of plug and receptacle and hardwired it. I recommend this as #1 choice over plugs and outlets for high AMPS. I used metal conduit to run the individual wires from charger to the wall box (with plain flat plate and metal fitting to run wires). I spliced the charger wires to wires from CB box, with wire nuts very securely. For compressor I added an additional and separate 240V service with 20 AMP NEMA 6-20 220V outlet, Yes like the one that burned up. This is the plug my compressor uses. The air compressor uses much less current, more like 8 amps. Also the compressor runs for a minute then shuts off. Duty cycle is important. An EV charger is continuous for hours and hours. Why direct wire? It is easier and cheaper and makes less heat. BIG BEEFY plugs and receptacles are expensive. Then you have all those screw connections. My car (SV model) has optional higher charging capability of 6.6 KW. The standard charging rate is 3.6KW. LEVEL 2 chargers at 4.8KW is plenty for a Nissan LEAF SV that can charger from 20% to 80% in a little over 2 hours. To get to 100% takes longer as the controller limits charge as it gets near 100%. I would SKIP the plugs and receptacles for EV chargers. DIRECT WIRE especially for bigger KW chargers. Leave the receptacles and plugs for electric range/oven and electric clothes dryer.

Great update to your previous video, thanks.

Nice video thanks. I believe it is not smart to plug and unplug an outlet that big every day or any outlet as too many bad things can happen including wear and possibly touching the leads ect. So much better to have a hard wired charger box that you just plug into your car. This video makes me realize its importance all the more.

Here in Germany, we use a more reliable power outlet for EV-Charging up to 22 kW 230 Volt 3 phase. There are 2 connector types. One for 3 x 16 Ampere (11kW) and a bigger one for 3 x 32 Ampere (22 kW). However vor EV-Charging we prefer to install a specific wallbox which includes also a 5 m cable with a connector to the EV charging port. By the way, wire nuts are crap and risky. We prefer Wago connectors, also available in US.

This is why it’s illegal to do your own electrical work in Australia. If you do your own and there is a fire, your insurance will not cover you. All electrical work must be done by a certified electrician. Also those wire nuts you guys use are not allowed here, all wiring must be connected using screw terminal blocks.

Great advice, thanks !!!

Great video and cool to see someone owning up to their mistakes and learning from them. Just fyi, it's best practice to pull the breaker out of the box before you torque them so so don't bend the bus connection if the breaker twists.

Nice summary of the issues you have with bad connections. The design of the US domestic installations and outlets compounds the risks enormously. due to the high currenty everythig heats up a lot more. In Europe normal outlets are 220V, the connectors are designed to handle 10A indefinitely, that gives you 2,4 KW to play with. For Charging an EV n an outlet that is of course not much. so you either go with a single phase outlet with 16A, that gives you 3,6 kW, or you go three phase 16A or 32A. wich gives you 11 or 22KW since most EV use the three phases in a star configuration. otherwise they would be able to use 18 or 36 kW at a 16A32A three phase outlet. Three phase power to the house is standard in most of Europe. utlet desig also mahes a huge difference, for the high currets have a look at CEE connectors for comparisun. So long story short, if you want to charge an EV at home safely in the US, use a wallbox. they have connectors that are designed for the high currents.

Just installed a 30amp outlet in my shop for our Tesla mobile connector. Going to check the torque on all my connections tomorrow. Thanks.

As a professional electrician who is predominantly involved in diagnosis, repair and replacement, I seriously recommend that people just stay out on their electrical panel and call an electrician. Most people know enough to get themselves hurt. Electricity has the potential to be very dangerous but more so, it can still work even when done wrong! In that case, it's a ticking time bomb and you're risking the safety of your family. That all being said, I totally understand why people do this. It's your home and perhaps you like to take on projects and perhaps you are very proficient at a lot of tasks. You can easily buy just about everything you need at your local hardware store but you can't buy training or years of experience. Kudos to this man for admitting his mistake and he did give good advise. I do respect all people and their right to repair their own homes but please be careful and maybe think twice about whether you should even be doing it or not. I know trades people can be expensive but you are not paying for the labor, you are paying for the expertise and assurance that it's done right.

That is valuable advice. I charge my EV from the dryer outlet, and each time I do, I have to remove the the dryer plug to insert the EV charger plug. Now you have me thinking about what might happen over time when removing and reinserting these plugs. I better get on with the replacement outlet like you advised, and get one of those torque screwdrivers. I checked the outlets from your link, and they are pricey, but if it averts a possible house fire, it is definitely worth it for sure. Much thanks.

Excellent! Well Done!

Great video, thanks for your honesty!

Sandy Monroe had a great video covering this several months ago but they also brought up something most people don't know about and that is duty cycle it's a good watch and is very technical.

This was a really cool and informative video! Maybe I could add some useful information to it. Just to clarify - I am not familiar with the available electrical connectors in the US market, since I live in Europe (actually in Norway), so I have way better overview on European market. So, after this clarification let me explain that there exists a much better terminal design than the screw terminal shown in the video - this is the spring terminal. Many years ago I worked for a company named WAGO. This German company invented 75 years ago the spring terminals, which eliminate the need to periodically tighten the terminals, because the spring follows all changes/movements during the years and in addition the contact will be resistant against the resonances and the temperature gradients as well. Now I have really different job, but as an experienced electrical engineer I still suggest to everybody to prioritize the electrical component with spring terminals instead of any screw-type because of the way higher safety. But please note, that only the reliable, good quality products (from well-known manufacturers) should be used (better to avoid the unknown manufacturers remakes) and it is similarly important to follow very tight the connection rules described by the manufacturer. I think US can be really proud on the Space Industry - so it is good to know that within the Space Industry there is the only accepted terminal type is the spring terminal (in most cases the original make) even on the spacecrafts and on the boosters... I hope this information makes Your live better and safer! 😉

Whoa, thanks for this. I should go check my work…

Such an awesome video! Thanks!

thank you for the informative video.

I use that Hubbel industrial grade outlet and I got a competent electrician to install it and I also run it at a few amps below the maximum rated just to be a bit safer and that way I sleep soundly at night.

Good diy video man, for future reference buddy use a ES1 bit to torque your screws. It’s literally a combo flat/slot drive and Robinson/square drive bit. It fills the entire void in the screws and prevents cam-out and stripping of the screws.

Terrific video and very interesting. Thx

great teaching

Thanks for this great video!! Did you experience nuisance trippings since you installed the GFCI breaker?

Thank you for great information related with safety. I see Rutgers school logo. I’m a Rutgers alumni too!

Great video, very informative.

Great to listen and fix. Great daddy. Voted

One of the two hot screw-down terminals in the 14-30R socket installed when the house was built, had a mechanical failure where one side of the 'U' broke. As a result, the wire could not be clamped tightly. While the outlet voltage measured 220V as expected, it would not have been able to pass any significant current without overheating. Ended up having to buy a new socket and ensure that all four screw terminals (2 hot, neutral, ground) would tighten properly.

Leviton outlets just don't hold up to EV use. It's amazing they're able to be sold. I've personally removed one that had begun melting at a friend's house. The difference in quality between the Leviton and Hubble is significant!

Good video. Why the yellow wire nuts in the panel on the circuit above? I like the torque driver. Would like to have an insulated version.

Excelent video. This video will save lives

Wow! A video that gets right to the problem, then the solution! He didnt want to play video DJ! 5 starrs!

Awesome, wow I learned and will remember

Thank you. Good video

That ”flex then dual torquing” is important on that those size condutors. Its surprising how much that type of copper wire will relax if only torqued once.

Now I know why the outlet blow my charging adapter and the outlet. 🤔 Great Video 👍

I once had a commercial power distribution box whose internal wiring was not torqued to spec by the manufacturer. This was a hefty unit distributing 30 amps @ 240v into several separate 120v 15 amp circuits. We had purchased about a half dozen of these. The one with the improperly torqued wiring failed, having melted the plastic supports on the internal bus bar.

Also important to prevent arcing when plugging in is to always connect to the wall socket first, and then the car. And opposite when finishing charging. Remove from the car first. Because the plug that goes in the car has protection against arcing.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe loose neutral wires are the main cause of electrical fires, particularly in residential buildings. When I was a volunteer fire fighter I was shown the cause of many house fires due to loose neutrals, mostly due to work done by DIYers. Because of that and knowing the symptoms of loose neutrals I've detected and repaired a few in my own home. I'm in a wheelchair now and can't reach my breaker panel so I have an electrician come in every 5 years and retorque every screw in my panel and it surprises me how a few loosen up over time.

Thanks for the video. I do some of my own electrical work but this video convinced me I need to invest in a torque driver. I can’t find a version of your torque driver that goes to 75 in lbs, only to 70 in lbs. Is that what you used?

Awesome Video Best Regards from Sofia Bulgaria

ty for this video!!

⚠️ Great Video... EXCEPT --> DO NOT TORQUE CIRCUIT BREAKER TERMINALS WITH BREAKER INSTALLED!! The movement on the panel bus will likely loosen the spring tension on the breaker contacts. Torque up the contacts with breaker in-hand. THEN snap it in. Thanks for the videos... Btw - Hubbell is the BEST!

Since I’m not an electrician I get advice from my neighbor who is. I also go one size larger on plugs and wire. It costs more but makes me feel better. I’ve never used a torque but I tend to over tighten things. I do have a small torque and will test things.