Sponsored

240V charger blowing breaker

First Name
John
Joined
May 18, 2023
Threads
5
Messages
24
Reaction score
3
Location
Encinitas CA
Vehicles
23 Lightning
I have been charging my f150 at home on a 240v charger for 1 year and never a problem.

yesterday I used a DC fast charging station for the 1st time ever.

now when at home my 240 charger is blowing my breaker in 5 min

is there any coincidence that this is now happening after I used DC for 1st time ever?
Sponsored

 

Newton

Well-known member
Joined
May 27, 2021
Threads
11
Messages
394
Reaction score
542
Location
WA State
Vehicles
VW e-Golf, 2023 Lightning Lariat SR, Kia EV6, Toyota T-100
What is the rating of the charger, and what is the rating of the circuit breaker? The rating of the 120V breaker times .80 must be greater than the amp rating of the EVSC ("charger"). Of course, you can't simply put in a larger breaker because it is sized to the wire.

It could be related somehow, but the EVSE should not be able to trip the circuit breaker even if the truck is doing something wrong. That is its job.
 

Runaway Tractor

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2024
Threads
13
Messages
485
Reaction score
781
Location
USA
Vehicles
Yes
Certainly a coincidence and one likely has nothing to do with the other.

Tripping after 5 minutes indicates a minor overload condition. Not a hard fault or major overload. Guessing what is causing that required more information from you.
  1. What charging cable are you using? Ford's provided one or something else?
  2. What outlet are you using? A legit 14-50R on a 60amp breaker? Or something 'different'?
If a legit 14-50R on a 60 amp breaker, using Ford's 7.6kw mobile charging cable, I can see no other cause other than the charger is broken. But I also don't see how that unit can cause a slow overload on a 60amp breaker without literally being on fire in your garage. I'm assuming you didn't forget to mention the house is currently burning down. So more info needed.
 

Maquis

Well-known member
First Name
Dave
Joined
May 20, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
3,554
Reaction score
4,488
Location
Illinois
Vehicles
2021 Mach-E E4-X; 2023 Lightning Lariat ER
Almost assuredly this is a coincidence as nothing in the truck should be able to override what the EVSE will pull from the circuit, but what wall charger are you using?
That’s not how it works. The EVSE sends a pilot signal to the charger in the truck to indicate the maximum allowable charge rate. The charger in the truck then sets the rate.
The EVSE has no direct control of the charge rate.

There is no way to troubleshoot the OP’s problem with the information given. He needs to measure the actual charging current.
 

Sponsored

Maquis

Well-known member
First Name
Dave
Joined
May 20, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
3,554
Reaction score
4,488
Location
Illinois
Vehicles
2021 Mach-E E4-X; 2023 Lightning Lariat ER
Tripping after 5 minutes indicates a minor overload condition. Not a hard fault or major overload. Guessing what is causing that required more information from you.
Tripping in 5 minutes would require 2 to 3 times rated current. Minor overload? 🤷🏼‍♂️

Ford F-150 Lightning 240V charger blowing breaker IMG_0100
 
OP
OP
First Name
John
Joined
May 18, 2023
Threads
5
Messages
24
Reaction score
3
Location
Encinitas CA
Vehicles
23 Lightning
Thanks All!

I have a 100 amp main breaker with 70 amp service. running into the house

my 240 v breaker is 50 amp and I’m using the Ford charger provided.

I have never had an issue until yesterday and have called an electrician to come out as well.

Ford F-150 Lightning 240V charger blowing breaker IMG_2491
 

Runaway Tractor

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2024
Threads
13
Messages
485
Reaction score
781
Location
USA
Vehicles
Yes
Tripping in 5 minutes would require 2 to 3 times rated current. Minor overload? 🤷🏼‍♂️
Read that graph again. The vertical axis is seconds, not minutes. Taking 5 minutes to trip according to that graph indicates about 1.25x rated current. So on his 50 amp breaker, about 62 amps, which is indeed a minor overload.
 
Last edited:

Runaway Tractor

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 25, 2024
Threads
13
Messages
485
Reaction score
781
Location
USA
Vehicles
Yes
my 240 v breaker is 50 amp and I’m using the Ford charger provided.
OK. Stop using it immediately. If a 30 amp charger is tripping a 50 amp breaker, something is very very wrong somewhere. This could be a poor connection in your house wiring to the outlet. Or it could be the charger is damaged. I would think the charger would be smoking if it was pulling enough load to trip that breaker, which is odd.
 

Maquis

Well-known member
First Name
Dave
Joined
May 20, 2021
Threads
9
Messages
3,554
Reaction score
4,488
Location
Illinois
Vehicles
2021 Mach-E E4-X; 2023 Lightning Lariat ER
Read that graph again. The vertical axis is seconds, not minutes. Taking 5 minutes to trip according to that graph indicates about 1.25x rated current. So on his 50 amp breaker, about 62 amps, which is indeed a minor overload.
Damned, I haven’t even started drinking yet!
 

Sponsored

TaxmanHog

Moderator
Moderator
First Name
Noel
Joined
Jan 19, 2022
Threads
174
Messages
12,674
Reaction score
13,385
Location
SE. Mass.
Vehicles
2022 Lightning Lariat-ER & 2024 HD Road Glide CVO-ST
Occupation
Retired
o_O
 

Pioneer74

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2021
Threads
32
Messages
3,565
Reaction score
6,343
Location
Dearborn
Vehicles
2022 Lightning Lariat ER - 2022 Mach-E Premium
Occupation
Electrician
First thing I would do is sniff the outlet to check for a burning smell. The connections could have come loose.

And if you leave the EVSE plugged in all the time, unplug it and look at the face of the receptacle to see if any melting is occurring.
 

Maxx

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2021
Threads
39
Messages
1,919
Reaction score
2,217
Location
MD
Vehicles
23 Pro, Sky RL, Frontier, Aurora V8, Buicks, ....
If you are concerned about your DCFC charging and what is going on with home charging, something like this is a good investment:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073XKQQQW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can see temp and current in multiple locations in the truck. There are sensors everywhere. Even if the problem is with the Ford mobile charger, it is still good to know what is going on when you are connected to a DCFC or if something has changed. When my Ford mobile charger went bad, I could see the current and power fluctuations so I stopped using it before things got worse. I was around one year mark with the charger as well.

I doubt this is a problem (truck probably will stop charging if it gets too hot) but it does not hurt to make sure the charging port is clean:

Ford F-150 Lightning 240V charger blowing breaker 1707780300950
 
Last edited:

Grumpy2

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 23, 2022
Threads
18
Messages
651
Reaction score
674
Location
Central Oregon Coast
Vehicles
23 F150 Pro SR
Occupation
Retired Hvy Construction
Tripping after 5 minutes indicates a minor overload condition. Not a hard fault or major overload. Guessing what is causing that required more information from you.
Something should feel hot, or smell hot. If not, I suspect your EVSE is at fault. After several repeated trips, your breaker may need to be replaced also...
Sponsored

 
 





Top