Charging interrupted / GFI outlet opening

[lordbarf]

Hello, I have been having an issue with my charging being interrupted or failing to start. Our garage has 2x 120V circuits, one outlet in each circuit is a GFI, and second is a normal outlet.

The issue is that the GFI oultet will open randomly overnight and i'll get a charging interrupted notification, this happens maybe a few times per month so it's not very frequent. A few months ago the standard mobile charger stopped working entirely and tesla replaced it for free, but this problem has persisted.

A couple weeks ago, I was unable to charge at all. As soon as I started charging, the GFI would open. I tried a second charger, tried the other circuit in the garage, same problem. I then tried both chargers and both circuits on my gfs model 3, which had no problems and was able to charge. So, it appears it's an issue with the car and not the chargers or the GFI outlets. Later that night I was able to charge again. I have a service appointment set up with tesla...

Has anyone else had this issue or know what the solution is?

 

[jcanoe]

GFCI receptacles can wear out, also get old develop issues after some years. The simplest option would be to replace the GFCI receptacle with a new GFCI receptacle.

You can verify that the second receptacle on the circuit is wired to the GFCI if you use the Test button on the GFCI and the second receptacle is also shut off. If the second receptacle (the one that is not a GFCI receptacle) remains powered when you press the Test button on the GFCI receptacle then you may want to plug in the Tesla Mobile Connector into the non-GFCI receptacle.

The Tesla Gen2 Mobile Connector has built-in GFCI protection. This GFCI circuitry protects the user when plugging the Tesla charging connector into the Tesla vehicle's charging port. The GFCI receptacle separately protects the user when plugging/unplugging the power plug from the wall receptacle. If you leave the Mobile Connector plugged in there is no additional protection provided by the GFCI receptacle. The GFCI receptacle provides protection when unplugging or plugging the power plug from the outlet.

 

[sewing1]

I had this issue in my garage. It has two 20 amp outlet circuits. The receptacles are all 15 amp, including the GFCI outlet on each circuit. I replaced one GFCI receptacle with a 20 amp one. But when I plugged in my mobile connector with the NEMA 6-20 adapter it would always trip the GFCI. I did some Internet searches and found that it is not recommended to charge on a GFCI protected circuit. So I replaced the GFCI with a regular 20 amp receptacle and am Charging with issue.

 

[lordbarf]

good points, thanks. To clarify yes, the 1st and 2nd outlets are in series on the same circuit, I would imagine it's always done this way so that the GFI on the first outlet will detect any current leakage on downstream receptacles. House is pretty new construction, within 5 years.

Replacing the outlet might be a good troubleshooting step, considering the charger has GFCI built in anyhow. I could try this and if the charger itself is tripping it would further point to the car being the issue.

Before my gf got the model 3 she had a chevy volt with no charging issues for 3 years. I still think the root cause is with the car, hopefully someone competent at tesla will look at it when I bring it in.

 

[jcanoe]

I had this issue in my garage. It has two 20 amp outlet circuits. The receptacles are all 15 amp, including the GFCI outlet on each circuit. I replaced one GFCI receptacle with a 20 amp one. But when I plugged in my mobile connector with the NEMA 6-20 adapter it would always trip the GFCI. I did some Internet searches and found that it is not recommended to charge on a GFCI protected circuit. So I replaced the GFCI with a regular 20 amp receptacle and am Charging with issue.

A 6-20 receptacle is for 240V and 20 amps. A 5-20 receptacle is 120V and 15 amps.

 

[sewing1]

A 6-20 receptacle is for 240V and 20 amps. A 5-20 receptacle is 120V and 15 amps.

Thank you for the correction. I was working from memory instead of going to my garage and looking at the adapter.

 

[jcanoe]

Thank you for the correction. I was working from memory instead of going to my garage and looking at the adapter.

My response was incorrect. A 5-20 receptacle is for 120V and 20 amps, not 15 amps.

 

[gixxer614]

You can always dial back the amps the charger pulls. By default to 80% of the rated circuit, but if you're having issues, take it back further. Obviously it will charge slower, but better than not at all

 

[davewill]

Some GFI outlets are more sensitive than others. You can certainly try replacing the GFI outlet with a new one (or another brand). If that doesn't work, you could also try switching to a GFI breaker and a regular outlet. Eliminating the GFI completely would be a code violation as they are required in garages.

My personal recommendation would be to bite the bullet and put in a dedicated charging circuit (or two if your girlfriend lives there, too). Even a 240v 20a circuit will charge your car almost three times faster. It will also save power as it's much more efficient.

 

[Ray01]

I have a 2017 Model S. I work at the airport in Orange County. Since I bought my car I have always been able to charge my car using my Mobile Connector on the 20amp, 115v, GFI outlets at the airport until recently. Over the last several months I have found the GFI outlets trip off as soon as the car begins charging even when it’s set to pull only 5 amps. As these outlets are located outdoors they are required by code to be GFI for safety reasons. (Damp environment potential) I’ve tried multiple different outlets and even different charging station locations on the airport. All trip. I checked with the airport and no modifications have been made to their outlets. I even tried it on my two, known good GFI outlets, at home with the same result. Every GFI outlet I’ve tried trips.

I’ve met a number of other airport employees (Tesla Owners) who experience the same problem.

I took my car into my local Tesla Service Center. They said they had no GFI outlets on property so they could not even try to duplicate the problem. They did however test both my Mobile Connectors (I have two) to see if they were the problem. They both tested good. They also said there were no fault codes on my car’s charging system.

The Service Center said forwarded the problem/concern up to engineering. That was almost two months ago and I have yet to hear anything back. After the first month I reached back out and it’s still crickets.

I believe there’s a fault or software change that has affected the cars charging system that has created this problem. It does not appear to affect all Teslas however as I see some that appear to be charging just fine at the airport.

 

[thebirdman1]

I have a 2017 Model S. I work at the airport in Orange County. Since I bought my car I have always been able to charge my car using my Mobile Connector on the 20amp, 115v, GFI outlets at the airport until recently. Over the last several months I have found the GFI outlets trip off as soon as the car begins charging even when it’s set to pull only 5 amps. As these outlets are located outdoors they are required by code to be GFI for safety reasons. (Damp environment potential) I’ve tried multiple different outlets and even different charging station locations on the airport. All trip. I checked with the airport and no modifications have been made to their outlets. I even tried it on my two, known good GFI outlets, at home with the same result. Every GFI outlet I’ve tried trips.

I’ve met a number of other airport employees (Tesla Owners) who experience the same problem.

I took my car into my local Tesla Service Center. They said they had no GFI outlets on property so they could not even try to duplicate the problem. They did however test both my Mobile Connectors (I have two) to see if they were the problem. They both tested good. They also said there were no fault codes on my car’s charging system.

The Service Center said forwarded the problem/concern up to engineering. That was almost two months ago and I have yet to hear anything back. After the first month I reached back out and it’s still crickets.

I believe there’s a fault or software change that has affected the cars charging system that has created this problem. It does not appear to affect all Teslas however as I see some that appear to be charging just fine at the airport.

I am an airport employee in SFO, drive a 2021 Model Y and have exactly the same problem!! It is extremely frustrating not to be able to take advantage of the free charging capability at work. Are there any solutions yet???