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

I've a Pulsar Plus myself but never had any issue with updating it. I'd get on to their support, I've found them pretty responsive with a different issue I've been having around a recurring error state and red halo (PEN fault, from reading online).

They advised a software restore initially but it recurree, and are now shipping a replacement unit once I get the installer back (they've no personnel to support this themselves in Ireland) to check and conduct a replacement if they authorise same (via phone at the time). Now to see how engaged the installer is with this, though they are a Wallbox partner....

The installer that wanted you to upgrade the mains was diligent in pointing that out

he’s also not permitted to do a car charger installation without the correct size cables in place

they must also ensure that the earthing arrangement is correct and test and verify the installation

what you have done is dangerous and could potentially be a fire hazard

Only 1 installer mentioned the tails upgrade and that's fair enough. Most houses in the country would need the tails done and most likely the earth-rod and bonding too. The basic install price for a wallbox was €1400 without these extras....which the installer in question did not offer as a service despite them being a general domestic electric company. The money is in quick charger installs.

Several others just quoted blind at between €1200 and as high as a shade under €1600.

What I have done is no more dangerous than replace a socket in the house. Don't be hyperbolic. There was a charger in place already. A simple swap is actually safer, as the new unit is better built and safer as such. I would have added an isolator switch, but then that would have been considered a change in the circuit.

Funny that the install only a couple of years ago was considered safe and now since the new grant came out, it's not. The installers are absolutely creaming it. Same thing will happen with solar next month. On top of the grant which the installers absorb as extra profit, the zero VAT will pocket them a couple of grand extra per install as quotes go up by 20-25%

The installer looks after the grant, but you first need to apply via the SEAI website and give your details. After being accepted, you can get your quotes. The installers usually first ask if you have the grant in place. After all is done (assuming your house is up to current regs) you have all the paperwork submitted to SEAI and wait a couple of months for the €600 you were overcharged by the installer.

Did you read his post before turning on the faux outrage? The house wiring was deemed suitable pre grant and obviously was as it's still standing without a burnt hole in the roof, now because he undid three wires himself it's going to become the towering inferno, will you cop on for feck sake...

I saw on the installer grant form there is a question “is there already an existing charger in place”. Is this a disqualifier for the grant?

It wasn't fine pre grant, the electrician that installed that charger day one didn't do his job properly and should've upgraded the tails, installed an earth rod and upgraded the bonding. Nothing at all grant related, this has to do with safety and regulations.

Look at it this way, that house is operating everything from a 10 sq cable. An Ev charger further than a few meters from the distribution board should have 10 sq feeding it imo. Showers these days must be wired in 10sq and your arguing that it's fine for everything in the house to run off the same size cable?

I do agree though that installers are charging mad money for charger replacement where cables are already installed.

Yes I am. The house has run perfectly fine for two years on his existing tails, which I'm sure are still perfectly adequate. It's just the usual grant assisted gouging going on. Every cowboy and his horse have been installing 9kw showers since the 90s and not a word about it.

Exactly. It’s actually over 5 years was fine with the previous charge point in my case. 6 years now with the same circuit. No explosions so far.

I appreciate the dangers of DIY, but logic is out the window with the regs now. Try to make an improvement and add a safety measure and you get ridden.

By trying to everything by the book and to the regs, I have since been told that because my consumer unit is under the stairs where I have a sink, I can’t get solar. This was after spending €600 getting an earthrod and bonding done last week.

I will now likely do DIY solar and have a friendly electrician make the grid connection. I’d have preferred to get everything done by professional installers, but so far, they’ve cost me money I didn’t have to spend. I’m well capable of doing the bonding myself, but wouldn’t make the final connection.

You see that's the thing with electrics, they're fine and work away until they don't.

10 sq is not sufficient for a house, again this has nothing to do with a grant. If you ask a registered electrician to install a shower and the house is fed by 10's then he must upgrade them, check for an earth rod and bonding. Esb must get involved as the rec cannot touch the meter. If you refuse he should then issue a notice of potential hazard, and you will be forced to upgrade. Surge protection must now be installed too. This is not an opinion, these are the regulations whether we like it or not.

I assume you meant to say that installing a priority switch means that a that a tails upgrade is/was required. Otherwise your first sentence is self cancelling. In any case, the 10sq has been sufficient up until now. The purpose of the priority switch is to prevent too much juice being pulled from 2 high power units.

There are 2 reasons I wanted the tails upgraded. To have a second charger installed for convenience (with load sensing for extra peace of mind) and for the planned solar installation.

My electrics are old, but they are perfectly fine. I have had an earth rod and bonding done and plan on further improvements.

You are wrong about the grants....it has everything to do with grants. Electricians are busy sucking up all the grant money, which makes everything more expensive. To avail of grants, the customer needs to jump through hoops unless they have a home built recently, but not too recently. I had 2 Electricians tell me they don't do tails or CU replacements because SAFE ELECTRIC have made the work not worth the hassle. Why bother moving or upgrading a CU which could take a whole day and cost as little as €350 according to leccy websites when you can do 3 EV charger installs and charge 1k for labour on each of them?

The grants do nothing but pad the pockets of the tradesman and make it so much harder and more expensive to get them to do any other work. This is why more people will give the middle finger to the regs and will do the work themselves.

Fair point there, you're saying the grants are having an indirect affect on other work.

The issue for most contractors is dealing with the ESB is a pain. They need to visit a house to look at the job the customer wants done, they find issues like yours and then inform you that you need upgrades done. Customer is pissed because they need shell out more than they thought and the contractor then has a headache because the customer is unhappy and they then need to make multiple visits to perform the upgrades. It would be so much cheaper and easier if contractors could change the tails without getting Networks involved

I recently had a smart meter installed and when I checked the cabinet I found that TLI (working on behalf of Esb Networks) had removed the Isolator between the old meter and and the consumer unit, meaning if my board ever needed upgrading then the work would either have to carried out with live tails, or Networks would need to kill the power. When I rang to complain I was told that I could have the isolator reinstalled, but I would need to provide a cert. Most of the older digital meters had built in isolators where the contractor could connect/disconnect, none of the smart meters have these but some have been installed with a stand alone isolator, most have not and it comes down to cost.

I mentioned in my last reply that your house may not be neutralised, do you have an earth wire connected directly to the ESB neutral at the meter?