It's also possible there is another load on the circuit (same with your neighbors garage). Do you have a refrigerator or anything that cycles on the same circuit?

 

Try a commercial charging station or a friend's EVSE to rule out the on-board charger. A number of on-board chargers have been failing.

 

This may sound crazy but how old are your houses? We had ours built in 2010 and they put these then newly mandatory (and IMHO idiotic) arc fault breakers which detect what they think are sparks on the line - except some times they get it wrong (Arc-fault circuit interrupter - Wikipedia - "For instance, lightning strikes provide voltage and current profiles that resemble arc faults, and vacuum cleaners and some laser printers trip AFCIs.").
As it was explained to me by the electrician that came out to replace the two that after about five years in the house started tripping when we turned on the TV or the ceiling fan, erroneous tripping gets more common as the breakers age. I've since replaced all of them with newer ones that supposedly are better...

 

never happened with my NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage. I had it installed for my Tesla, got a 14-50 to 6-20 adapter and has been using it with my T8, works great, charges empty to full in 2.5hours.

you probably have something else going on in that circuit. you may want to go with a sub-panel box.

 

The circuit is shared with a a tankless water heater and the breaker would not trip if I unplug it. But there has to be something changed as it has always been there. The house was a brand new construction in 2018 so it also rules out the outdated outlet. I’ll find a commercial charging station to check the onboard charger.


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The circuit is shared with a a tankless water heater and the breaker would not trip if I unplug it. But there has to be something changed as it has always been there. The house was a brand new construction in 2018 so it also rules out the outdated outlet. I'll find a commercial charging station to check the onboard charger.

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What is the current draw for the tankless water heater?
What is the current draw for your charger?
What is your breaker rated at?
Tankless water heater + charger might be close to rating of the circuit breaker.
If each one by itself doesn't trip the breaker- there you go.

 

I'd say too... even if it turns out to be a car issue, it's not a bad idea to get a 220 in the garage... you can qualify for a tax credit right now and it's going to quickly become one of those "must haves" for real estate. Might as well do it while you can get some federal assistance on it.

 

How much do those run for and is it worth it if my home was built in 1997? Not sure if that makes fitting it more expensive.

 

Glad this thread came up. It happens in my garage with my 120v outlet once a month I would estimate. Not a big enough deal for me to care but still strange. It’s a dedicated outlet with nothing else running on it so I doubt it’s overloaded. Then again I’m not an electrician so I’m only speculating.

 

Glad this thread came up. It happens in my garage with my 120v outlet once a month I would estimate. Not a big enough deal for me to care but still strange. It's a dedicated outlet with nothing else running on it so I doubt it's overloaded. Then again I'm not an electrician so I'm only speculating.

For US, the cost of putting in a minimal L2 (240v 20A service) with a NEMA 6-20R (receptacle) is inexpensive if your electrical panel is in or near the garage.

You just need to open the electrical panel to see if you have up to two empty (blank/gray) spaces for a 240v, 20A breaker. An electrician could install it in a couple of hours - likely less.

If you want to future proof and install a 240V 50A service the cost goes up. Cost is dependent on the length and complexity of the wire run. Again, if the panel is in your garage, the cost will be minimal as well.

I have two 240V services:
1. 20A service with NEMA 6-20R (always on, regular rates) for Turbo Cord Dual. Last year, this was installed for less than $200 with a 65' wire (12/2WG) run.

2. 50A service with NEMA 14-50R (cycled, off peak) for Juice Box Pro. Five years ago, the cost of this service installed was $500 with a 65' wire (6AWG) run as my electrical panel is on the opposite end of the house. You would need to buy an appropriate residential EVSE which can run ~$450 to $900 depending on amps, features, et al.

Your local costs may vary.

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Those breakers slowly wear out too.
I mean I do follow your logic with testing it in your neighbor’s garage, but that doesn’t mean that his isn’t wearing out too.

I had one that would trip every time I used a vacuum. Replaced it and no issues anymore.

 

Pretty sure you just have something else running on the circuit that overloads the breaker. Im pretty sure the t8 will draw 15 amps on a 110v plug and often times this is the max of the circuit installed in most houses. Try shutting the breaker off and using a ciruit tester to unplug everyone on that breaker and see if it continues.

Also could be worn out gfci or breaker. As they wear out they trip at lower amperage.


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Im pretty sure the t8 will draw 15 amps on a 110v plug

Nope, less than 12 amps at 110v.

 

I'm not sure if you're saying the home built in 1997 is old or new... I live in a 200 year old home so it's all about perspective. Wiring is generally pretty easy to run but there can always be surprises. Only a local installer will be able to look at your home and get a guess for the costs. The materials for wiring a 50 amp outlet themselves are not overly expensive. Even the full charging station only runs around $700.

 

Like some have already mentioned install a dedicated 220v circuit and outlet.

No need for a fancy charger.

Use the 220v option with the cable that came with your Volvo.

It fully charges is just a few hours on a 220 volt circuit.

Worth the effort to have a 220v outlet installed. Make sure the 220v outlet is the 20 amp one that matches your charger.

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So I got a quote from someone for $200-$250 to put a 220v 20 amp receptacle in place of my 110v. The outlet is literally right under the electrical box in the garage where it plugs in if that makes a big difference. Besides the car being plugged in the outlet and the water heater in the corner there is a fridge not pictured that I'm pretty sure isn't on the same source. Please see attached.

 

Like some have already mentioned install a dedicated 220v circuit and outlet.

No need for a fancy charger.

Use the 220v option with the cable that came with your Volvo.

It fully charges is just a few hours on a 220 volt circuit.

Worth the effort to have a 220v outlet installed. Make sure the 220v outlet is the 20 amp one that matches your charger.


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You've got a gas water heater. It literally draws a few watts. That won't trip any breaker when you're charging on the same circuit...ever.

 

Then why does it trip at all? Granted it's maybe once every few weeks but it happens. The water then puddles which makes sense since I'm guessing the gas water heater draws from it based on what you said. I have a fridge off to the right about 10 feet from the water heater but I'm pretty sure that's on it's own. If a beer fridge was on the same circuit as the XC90 it would probably trip all the time.

 

Outlets like that are typically not dedicated and its likely daisy chained to multiple other outlets.

Don’t replace the current outlet just add a new 220v. It’s like a half hour job if they place it right under the panel box. Looks like the previous professional homeowner poked a wire through the sheet rock with crappy stick on conduit. Handy friend or neighbor can likely help you do this. You have openings in your panel box so its an easy job.

If you want a nicer job have the electrician put the 220v outlet on the wall closest to your driver door so the cord isn’t laying along you garage floor.


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Outlets like that are typically not dedicated and its likely daisy chained to multiple other outlets.

Yep!

Don't replace the current outlet just add a new 220v. It's like a half hour job if they place it right under the panel box.

If you're a DIYer this is a very easy thing to do! YouTube is your friend.

Looks like the previous professional homeowner poked a wire through the sheet rock with crappy stick on conduit.

Love the "professional" comment, haha [emoji12] Depending on whether your electrician's work will need to be inspected by the town inspector and how "exacting" that electrical inspector will be, that completely sheet job poke-a-hole-in-the-wall-with-my-thumb then stick-a-live-wire-through-it might not get on the good graces of the inspector. (This is like giving a big ol' finger to the inspector.) If you've got the electrician there, I recommend to might as well have her fix that too. Seeing that electrical abomination makes me cringe!

Now that I think about it, with these two electrical data points, what else is going on electrically in your house??? . . .

Whoever did that wiring really needs to buy the B&D book below (ask for Jeff on Amazon) - the best $15 I've ever spent on home remodeling.

- Engineer by day, Grandmaster DIYer after-hours (self-conferred title)

 

The times I've tripped a 120v/20A breaker while charging has been when I've plugged into an outlet that shares the same breaker with other outlets also in use. Typically it's been while sharing a dorm fridge.

Although more often it's been when I've plugged in at a campsite with our R-Pod plugged into the pedestal at a site and plugging in our T8 through the R-Pod's external outlet or directly to another outlet on the same pedestal (when both are on 120v/20A rather than using the 30A dedicated RV plug).

 

Well as an update @likeXC90 @Gary-16-Xc90

this is what it looks like now. I have 220v quicker charging and am pleased. And the hazard is fixed.

 

Perfecto. Looks nice.

 

Ordered the book, thanks for tip!

 

Watch out, knowledge is power - in this case, electrical power! [emoji12]

Happy wiring!