Home charge points (purchase/problems/questions) (See mod note post#1)

eagerv

Felexicon wrote: »

He is wrong

He may well be, ours was done a while ago before Covid.

eagerv

Jack lemmon wrote: »

Wallbox plus fitted today

Looks very neat..

Jack lemmon

eagerv wrote: »

Looks very neat..

It’s as neat as he could do it, it’s in a recess and at the back of the house so out of main view thankfully.

eagerv

Jack lemmon wrote: »

It’s as neat as he could do it, it’s in a recess and at the back of the house so out of main view thankfully.

I don't mind the look of them, anything functional I like. Beside mine (Just out of picture) is a hose recoil system which is so handy when washing the cars.

Kramer

Felexicon wrote: »

He is wrong

Is it permissible to just clip NYM-J externally, without ducting/conduit?
I didn't even think this was permissible indoors, if the cable would be accessible & subject to impact/damage.

Seeing so many interpretations here, it's not great.

Felexicon

Kramer wrote: »

Is it permissible to just clip NYM-J externally, without ducting/conduit?
I didn't even think this was permissible indoors, if the cable would be accessible & subject to impact/damage.

Seeing so many interpretations here, it's not great.

Yes you can....however, it 8s not UV rated so can not be unprotected in a place that will get direct sunlight.

NEDDURC

Hi all,
Looking for some advice - ordered the VW ID3 recently so hopefully have it in a few weeks.

I see a good few people have got home charging boxes installed - any recommendation for box and installer please?
I live in a 3 bed semi - built 3 years ago.
Esb meter box is at the side of the house and ideally the box could connect be placed near that - is that possible?

Cyrus

NEDDURC wrote: »

Hi all,
Looking for some advice - ordered the VW ID3 recently so hopefully have it in a few weeks.

I see a good few people have got home charging boxes installed - any recommendation for box and installer please?
I live in a 3 bed semi - built 3 years ago.
Esb meter box is at the side of the house and ideally the box could connect be placed near that - is that possible?

No it seems not the cable will have to be run from your fuse board

I went with the eo smart home from electric Ireland 1099

Jack lemmon

NEDDURC wrote: »

Hi all,
Looking for some advice - ordered the VW ID3 recently so hopefully have it in a few weeks.

I see a good few people have got home charging boxes installed - any recommendation for box and installer please?
I live in a 3 bed semi - built 3 years ago.
Esb meter box is at the side of the house and ideally the box could connect be placed near that - is that possible?

No it has to be wired directly to the fuse box. I have a air to water heat pump etc... and was advised to get the wallbox plus, so I did.

DrPhilG

Cyrus wrote: »

Any reason these zappis don’t have isolator switches ?

Mine does.

Cyrus

DrPhilG wrote: »

Mine does.

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Nice looking units in fairness

Rusky rusky

NEDDURC wrote: »

Hi all,
Looking for some advice - ordered the VW ID3 recently so hopefully have it in a few weeks.

I see a good few people have got home charging boxes installed - any recommendation for box and installer please?
I live in a 3 bed semi - built 3 years ago.
Esb meter box is at the side of the house and ideally the box could connect be placed near that - is that possible?

I got a wallbox pulsar plus installed yesterday. 700eur net of the grant (will be when the car reg plate will be available)

KCross

Cyrus wrote: »

Any reason these zappis don’t have isolator switches ?

The topic about the isolator keeps coming up. Electricians seems to be interpreting the rules differently. Some say its mandatory, some say its not.

If you happen to get an electrician that is willing to signoff without one then thats what you get. The SEAI dont care one way or the other as long as they get a cert for the job.

eagerv wrote: »

I was also told by the installer that one is not needed if close to distribution board. He is a major installer of home and public charge points.

Felexicon wrote: »

He is wrong

I thought the general rule around isolators for appliances had a 2m element to it so maybe if the charge point is within 2m of the consumer unit you dont need it?

Gforcemurphy

DrPhilG wrote: »

Mine does.

Do you mind me asking, did you get the Hub or the Eddi as well as the Zappi charger? Trying to figure out if I need / could do with either. Have solar panels (8) on the house, and to be honest I don’t think I need it to be smart, as the car app (Volvo) should give me whatever charge notifications I need. Am I missing something though? If I could get away with just getting the Zappi, I will, as it’s pricey enough as it is. Cheers.

McHonda

Rusky rusky wrote: »

I got a wallbox pulsar plus installed yesterday. 700eur net of the grant (will be when the car reg plate will be available)

For those of you with the wallbox pulsar, what are you doing with the cable? Does it sit on the unit or is it just hanging on the ground?

arch_stanton

cruisey1987 wrote: »

I paid around €700 for the installation plus €600 for the charger, but my fuse box is in the middle of the house so the cable had to be run through the walls before being brought outside so was more complex than some jobs.


I hear the ESB is allowing people to take a cable off the meter now, they weren't allowing that when I got mine installed. That should make the job somewhat simpler (and cheaper)



My mum is going through the process of getting a charger installed for her upcoming ID.3. She's going with the deal offered by VW which is installed by Bord Gais. It's pricey but it comes with a warranty and saves her the hassle of dealing with getting quotes from different electricians, so worth it in her case.

How did you get on with this? Has the installation taken place? I ordered the Volkswagen connect (middle option of the three available) on Monday. Apart from the automated receipt from Elli I've heard nothing else.

Looking at the Bord Gais website they seem to subcontract to "local heroes" and they're all based in Dublin. I'm in the midwest.

I won't have the car for a couple of weeks but I think the installer might look at my prehistoric fuse box and meter and shake their head so I'd like things to get moving

KCross

Gforcemurphy wrote: »

Do you mind me asking, did you get the Hub or the Eddi as well as the Zappi charger? Trying to figure out if I need / could do with either. Have solar panels (8) on the house, and to be honest I don’t think I need it to be smart, as the car app (Volvo) should give me whatever charge notifications I need. Am I missing something though? If I could get away with just getting the Zappi, I will, as it’s pricey enough as it is. Cheers.

Eddi is for diverting Solar excess to hot water. With just 8 panels you are very unlikely to get any benefit from it.

The hub gives a few things...
- the ability to update the Zappi to latest software and hence get fixes and new features.
- access to real time usage data and reports of your Solar and EV chanrging.
- ability to control the Zappi for things like stop/start sessions, edit timers etc


Whether any of that is worth it is entirely a personal decision for you. If all you want to do is plug the car in and have it charge overnight you can get along fine without the hub.

KCross

KCross wrote: »

If you happen to get an electrician that is willing to signoff without one then thats what you get. The SEAI dont care one way or the other as long as they get a cert for the job.

That'll be changed soon I'd say.
No isolator no grant.

Rusky rusky

McHonda wrote: »

For those of you with the wallbox pulsar, what are you doing with the cable? Does it sit on the unit or is it just hanging on the ground?

Currently on the unit, but I’ll buy a hook in a DIY store

Felexicon

McHonda wrote: »

For those of you with the wallbox pulsar, what are you doing with the cable? Does it sit on the unit or is it just hanging on the ground?

Wallbox do a cable tidy (fancy hook) if.you want the whole thing to match

Felexicon

KCross wrote: »

The topic about the isolator keeps coming up. Electricians seems to be interpreting the rules differently. Some say its mandatory, some say its not.

If you happen to get an electrician that is willing to signoff without one then thats what you get. The SEAI dont care one way or the other as long as they get a cert for the job.





I thought the general rule around isolators for appliances had a 2m element to it so maybe if the charge point is within 2m of the consumer unit you dont need it?

Unfortunately not the case. Isolator needs to be accessible at all times so cannot be behind a door that may be locked.

Its overkill for most installations but rules are rules.

Kramer

Felexicon wrote: »

Isolator needs to be accessible at all times so cannot be behind a door that may be locked.

What if the charge point is behind a side gate, with the car on the driveway?
Or if the car is in a carport or garage/shed? What if there's a guard dog in the owner's yard, keeping watch on his owner's expensive EV charging?

It'll be great waking up to an uncharged car, needed for work in the morning, because some scrote decided it was fun to switch it off.

Handy too for a thief to ensure he doesn't get electrocuted while removing either the valuable charging cable or indeed, the charge point itself!
Imagine waking up to a missing Zappi c/w 8m tethered cable - at least the isolator was handy for something though :rolleyes:.

Charge points & the cable feeding them are protected by RCDs at the consumer unit & the cable from the charge point to the car is also protected by the charge point's own RCD.

It's been 10 years since EVs first appeared & there are likely 100s of thousands of owners safely charging at home since, without unsightly, externally fitted & "always accessible" isolator switches - it's a ridiculous rule IMO.

Not shooting the messenger here Felexicon, just highlighting the unnecessary rule.

AndyBoBandy

I got mine installed the end of February, with no Isolator....

Delighted as it would have looked so unsightly next to my charger...

slave1

I’ll be getting a tethered Tesla charge point and the isolator will be sprayed to match

AndyBoBandy

slave1 wrote: »

I’ll be getting a tethered Tesla charge point and the isolator will be sprayed to match

Or just get the right installer who won't install the isolator (should you wish to not have it).

Guy based in Kildare did mine for me...

arestifamiliar

McHonda wrote: »

For those of you with the wallbox pulsar, what are you doing with the cable? Does it sit on the unit or is it just hanging on the ground?

I do this

McHonda

arestifamiliar wrote: »

I do this

Nice neat install!

zg3409

Kramer wrote: »

Handy too for a thief to ensure he doesn't get electrocuted while removing either the valuable charging cable or indeed, the charge point itself!

Chargers have been stolen from new builds already in Ireland. I can imagine for any thief an

I think this comes from kitchens where dishwashers and washing machines caught fire and the plug was inaccessible. Now they mount a switch above countertop level to turn off dishwashers etc. In theory a home user could turn off dishwasher at fuseboard, but in real world it is definitely needed in a kitchen situation.

I suppose if someone was electrocuted or charger/cable/car fire it might be handy to easily isolate. In some cases the isolator is bigger than the charger.

zg3409

Gforcemurphy wrote: »

Do you mind me asking, did you get the Hub or the Eddi as well as the Zappi charger? Trying to figure out if I need / could do with either. Have solar panels (8) on the house, and to be honest I don’t think I need it to be smart, as the car app (Volvo) should give me whatever charge notifications I need. Am I missing something though? If I could get away with just getting the Zappi, I will, as it’s pricey enough as it is. Cheers.

The Zappi comes with a free wired current clamp. If this is placed on main feed to house fuse board Zappi can see if solar export is happening and charge car instead. The hub is not needed, but handy for software update, app control and logging. You can install hub later and it wirelessly connects to Zappi for around 120 euro. So hub is not essential in solar system.

You need a second CT clamp between your inverter and consumer unit so the zappi knows how much is being generated.