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Battery Charger: Need to replace after breaker caught fire?

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TanyaW

New Member
May 23, 2022
3
0
Cali
My panel recently caught fire from a bad (?) 60amp breaker. The charger is just on the other side of the panel. The panel is being replaced. Should I replace the charger as well? How do i know if the charger was affected by the fire in the panel? Thanks!
 
My panel recently caught fire from a bad (?) 60amp breaker. The charger is just on the other side of the panel. The panel is being replaced. Should I replace the charger as well? How do i know if the charger was affected by the fire in the panel? Thanks!

If the HPWC doesn't look like it was affected by the fire, it probably wasn't. The panel enclosure is explicitly designed to contain fires.

I'd be REALLY suspicious of a bad installation job, assuming your panel wasn't already on the list of "These panels will burn your house down".
 
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Unfortunately "probably wasn't".... is not satisfactory for me and the safety of my family. Also, what do you mean by REALLY suspicious of a bad install job? Are you thinking it was a bad install or was not a bad install? ( I already have the answer to that ) - My question is should I replace the wall charger.. I think I answered my own question here. Electrical is not something to take a chance with.
 
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If the HPWC doesn't look like it was affected by the fire, it probably wasn't. The panel enclosure is explicitly designed to contain fires.

I'd be REALLY suspicious of a bad installation job, assuming your panel wasn't already on the list of "These panels will burn your house down".
Unfortunately "probably wasn't".... is not satisfactory for me and the safety of my family. Also, what do you mean by REALLY suspicious of a bad install job? Are you thinking it was a bad install or was not a bad install? ( I already have the answer to that ) - My question is should I replace the wall charger.. I think I answered my own question here. Electrical is not something to take a chance with.
 
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You've answered your own question.

I meant I suspect it was a bad install job. Circuit breakers are supposed to be extremely reliable at their jobs, so unless the breaker was installed poorly or the panel is known to be of dubious construction, they shouldn't be bursting into flames.

It'd be interesting to know what wire gauge was used for the circuit. If its 8AWG, your installer is clearly at fault. If its 6AWG, that's overloaded if its not in conduit(although its unlikely to burst into flames).

I'd usually(but not always) expect a bad connection at the screw-terminals of the breaker to cause the breaker to trip due to overheating before it actually burns.
 
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There's no particular reason to think the wall connector is the cause or was damaged based on your description. That said, someone qualified should inspect the inside of the wall connector for damage and recheck everything about that circuit. Well worth paying a second electrician for an hour of their time, if you have any reason to doubt the first guy.
 
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Can you give us a little more description of what happened? I’m sure we’d all be interested to hear what happened so we can avoid it and can‘t really give any advice without knowing more of the story. Was it the breaker the the EVSE was on? If so were the wires burned/jacket scorched at the the breaker end? If no scorching was the issue incorrect breaker installed and just the breaker fried? Any notice of anything at the EVSE contacts end? Too small of a wire? Wires weren’t torqued enough, etc? It sounds like you may have caught it before anything totally catastrophic happened which is great!
 
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My panel recently caught fire from a bad (?) 60amp breaker. The charger is just on the other side of the panel. The panel is being replaced. Should I replace the charger as well? How do i know if the charger was affected by the fire in the panel? Thanks!
TanyaW

Sorry to hear of your misfortune but thank you for posting.
I think your misfortune would be a benefit to many others if you could provide a little more information on your charger installation.
Was your charger installed by a local licensed electrician?
Was a local permit filed and did your charger installation pass inspection?
Where was that 60 amp breaker that failed purchased and was it UL approved or was it something of unknown origin made in China?

Whether to replace the charger and other components should be a decision left up to a local licensed approved Tesla electrician in my opinion.
Good luck and keep us updated on the outcome
 
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Nothing in your initial description of what happened leads me to believe the wall connector needs to be replaced - unless it shows some obvious signs of overheating from proximity to the fire.

Especially since it has not even been established if the 60 amp breaker that burned was connected to the Wall Connector.

Yes, the Wall Connector is probably fine.
 
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Was it the breaker the the EVSE was on?
This is the most important question.

If so were the wires burned/jacket scorched at the the breaker end? If no scorching was the issue incorrect breaker installed and just the breaker fried? Any notice of anything at the EVSE contacts end? Too small of a wire? Wires weren’t torqued enough, etc? It sounds like you may have caught it before anything totally catastrophic happened which is great!

Regardless of the wiring to the Wall Connector, the circuit breaker shouldn't catch on fire ... if the fried breaker was even connected to the WC.

No matter what, at worst, it should just trip.
 
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I would have a professional electrician take a look to see what you will need. His opinion might be eye opening.

I see so many posts from owners wanting to DIY or hire handyman to do their charging installations. Our cars consume large amounts of current over long periods of time. Better to spend enough to get a quality job.

Not saying the OP did anything wrong, but this would be a good time to get an expert opinion.
 
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This is the most important question.



Regardless of the wiring to the Wall Connector, the circuit breaker shouldn't catch on fire ... if the fried breaker was even connected to the WC.

No matter what, at worst, it should just trip.
Yeah I don’t think OP is going to come back to enlighten us. I’m betting on incorrect breaker for panel or loose connection.
 
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I think that electrical fires are mainly caused by loose connections. Personally, I wouldn't even consider replacing the HPWC. It didn't cause the fire - if it drew too much power, the breaker would trip.

Since a loose connection on the breaker likely caused this fire, for sure, I'd have the connections INSIDE the HPWC checked. High current connections require a lot more torque on the screws than many expect.
 
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Are you thinking it was a bad install or was not a bad install? ( I already have the answer to that )

What answer do you have?

Yes there are a lot of questions to ask here:

Was the 60A breaker for the HPWC? or something else and if something else, what?

Was this panel installed recently? or is it and old one?

Most importantly ... was it made by Federal Pacific?
 
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