FCSP on Ceiling?

[Tinnemaha]

Is there any reason NOT to mount a Ford Charge Station Pro on the ceiling of my garage? I'm planning a major construction project and it dawned on me this morning that a ceiling mount would eliminate a tripping hazard. Pull it down off of a wheel like an air hose in a shop. Anybody done this? Does it have to be mounted in a vertical orientation or anything? Seems like a good idea right now, but many things are until they go south. I wonder if I'm missing something.

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[Grumpy2]

Access to the box if you want to change settings?

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/heres-one-for-ya.19795/

High on the wall instead?

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...-ford-mobile-charger.16177/page-2#post-328059

 

[Runaway Tractor]

You'd have to come up with some way to not have 20ft of charging cable dangling from the sky. Sounds like taking a trip hazard and making it into a head bonking hazard.

 

[Iroc34a]

Is there any reason NOT to mount a Ford Charge Station Pro on the ceiling of my garage? I'm planning a major construction project and it dawned on me this morning that a ceiling mount would eliminate a tripping hazard. Pull it down off of a wheel like an air hose in a shop. Anybody done this? Does it have to be mounted in a vertical orientation or anything? Seems like a good idea right now, but many things are until they go south. I wonder if I'm missing something.

It is a great Idea. This is a Lectron mounted to my ceiling. I used a tool balancer for the cord end, and mounted the plastic plug holder to the wall. Love it. This unit has an on off switch, I can reach using the Lightning running boards.

 

[Howard_Scott_Warshaw]

While it seemingly would allow more universal access to each corner of a vehicle, you should pull dimensions to verify the cable can still reach where it needs to. If cord management is the concern, you could just put one of those retractable hose reel things on the ceiling. Or install something similar to one of those booms you seem in self service car washes.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

Long time in the fire service here as well and I agree. But that stuff is designed for it. There is no cable spool for an 80 amp J1772 cable. If he can do it in a way that doesn't just trade one hazard for another, sounds great. But it's probably not as simple as the OP may think it is.

I'd love an auto-eject for EV chargers for a lot of reasons.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

The tool balance cable to suck the cable up out of the way looks like a winner.

 

[chl]

I think one possible issue that could arise is temperature.
Heat rises.
An the FCSP also generates heat.
Heat kills electronics.
The FCSP has a lot of electronics in it.

So the question is how well the FCSP will handle the heat if that is an issue in the location installed.

Another possible issue is there might be some local code/inspector issues, but your electrician will/should know if so. The inspector will/should want to check the AC wiring inside the FCSP.

NOTE; The wires have specific torques that are required and specified in the install manual. Be sure they are followed or you will have issues.

Specified Torques for AC wiring:

Hot wires #3AWG 60 in-lbs. (6.8 Nm)
Earth #6AWG 35 in-lbs. (4 Nm)

Yet another thing to consider is the weight. The install manual says the mounting hardware must support 100lbs. That might include the weight of the massive cord though. If the ceiling mount is going to support the cord weight then be sure the ceiling structure (beams) can support that weight. If not you'll have to heavy them up.

I also saw a YouTube video where the white cover part kept falling off even in a wall mount situation - it is just a snap on fit. Could fall off more easily if on ceiling facing down.

If none of those things are an issue, put it on the ceiling for sure.

 

[Tinnemaha]

Thank you all very much for the insight; All very good points!

 

[Jim Lewis]

I think one possible issue that could arise is temperature.
Heat rises.
An the FCSP also generates heat.

I agree with chl. The FCSP is notorious for running hot. The Sunrun subcontractors who installed my FCSP had a lot of experience, and they said the FCSP has had temperature problems in the past, particularly when charging at 80A in summer weather. They thought it was crazy that the case had no venting and no fan. If the ceiling of your garage is under an uninsulated attic, that would just exacerbate any tendency to overheat. Mounted on a wall, there is going to be air convection up over the FCSP case. Mounted on the ceiling, there will be much less convection cooling. The FCSP cable length and usage instructions also warn the user not to let a significant length of cable hang in the air. The cable is supposed to descend to the ground from the FCSP, run to the truck on the ground, then rise from the ground to the truck charging port, i.e., you're not supposed to let the entire length of the cable hang in the air between the FCSP and the truck charging port. So, coming down vertically from the ceiling there may be several more feet of cable weight added to the drop than the design of the cable is allowing for. Given the thickness and relative rigidity of the cable, I don't think you can wrap it very tightly around a spooling wheel, either. Forget whether I read it on this forum or a Sunrun tech advised me not to stress out the cable with too much torsion. I never try to tightly curl the cable, but I am very generous with my looping.

 

[Runaway Tractor]

A licensed electrician that sticks to code may actually not do it for you at all. They're generally required to install IAW the manufacturer's instructions and the instructions are for wall/post mounting. Some local AHJs may have EV charger specific local regulations as well. You'd have to do this installation on your own in these cases.

The heat issue is a very valid concern. So is serviceability considering the less than glowing track record.

 

[dmd3home]

My situation was a bit different....I have 3 EVs in my garage and need charging access for all of them (my Lightning is in my workshop that has its own charger). Because I needed to get to all 3 vehicles, I mounted my charger (a ChargePoint in this situation) in the center and built a rotating arm that pivots to each vehicle. I really wanted to have, as you have suggested, a reel if some kind to take up the extra cord. That part was a bit challenging as you'd also have to have rotating contacts that would carry 40 amps! I gave up on that idea and just left the excess cord coiled up on the rotating arm. It works quite well as it is, so dropped the reel idea. But yes, mounting to the ceiling worked well. Here I mounted the charger to my plywood storage rack on the ceiling and ran power to the 14-50 outlet I mounted on the side of the rack. It may look a bit strange, but I never have a cord on the floor and can easily charge all 3 cars!

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