Short answer
Work from the outside in: first the cable and the plug, then the car and its charging settings, then the charger and its light, and only after that the circuit in the meter cupboard. If charging always stops at the same moment, it is usually the car or a timer. If the RCD trips, it is a question for the installation.
Who this article is for For anyone who charges at home and finds it suddenly no longer works. You can do the first four steps yourself. Everything behind the cupboard door is work for an electrician.
1. The cable and the plug
Unplug the cable and look at both ends. Watch for discolouration, burnt edges or a plug that was warm. A cable that lies on the ground and has been driven over can be damaged inside without you seeing it.
If you have a second cable or can borrow one, try it. That rules out half of all faults straight away.
2. The car
More often than you think it is here:
- a charging timer in the car or the app set to the night tariff
- a charge limit set to 80 percent, so it stops at 80
- the car is locked or in a mode that blocks charging
- a software update that started halfway through charging
Try the car at another charger or a public charge point. If it does not work there either, it is not your installation.
3. The charger
Almost every wallbox has a light or ring with colours. What green, blue, yellow and red mean is in the manual and differs per brand. Note the colour and the flashing pattern before you restart; that is exactly what I need on the phone.
You restart it by switching the charger off via its own breaker in the meter cupboard, waiting half a minute, and switching it back on.
4. It charges, but slowly
That is usually not a fault but a setting:
This is what limiting looks like in the app: lower, but smooth and without interruption.
- load balancing is throttling back because the rest of the house needs electricity, see load balancing
- the car charges single-phase while the charger can do three-phase, see single-phase or three-phase charging
- the charger is set to a lower maximum current, for example by the previous installer
- it is cold: a cold battery charges more slowly, that is normal
5. The circuit in the meter cupboard
If the breaker or the RCD of the charging circuit has tripped, reset it once. If it trips again straight away, leave it off and call. Keeping on trying achieves nothing and damages the installation.
What could be wrong then is in RCD keeps tripping and in which RCD for an EV charger.
What I bring when I come
A test kit to test the circuit and the earthing, a test adapter that simulates a car, and a thermal imaging camera for the connections. With those a charging fault is usually found within an hour. The hourly rate for faults is on the fault service.
From my own work
A customer in Meerssen thought his charger was broken: it was suddenly only charging at 6 amps. Nothing was broken. A heat pump had been added a week earlier and the load balancing was doing exactly what it was supposed to. After adjusting the setting the car charged at full power again at night.
When to call an electrician
- The RCD or breaker of the charging circuit trips
- The charger gives an error code that comes back after a restart
- Charging stops irregularly and the cable gets warm
A warm plug or cable is no small matter: unplug it and call. During the day on +31 43 204 18 26, outside office hours via the fault service.
Frequently asked questions
My charger is flashing red, what does that mean?
That differs per brand. Note the colour and the flashing pattern and look in the manual; with that information I usually know on the phone where the problem is.
May I reset the EV charger's circuit?
Resetting it once is fine. If it trips again straight away, leave it off and call. Keeping on trying damages the installation.
Why does my car charge more slowly in winter?
A cold battery takes less current. That is not a fault in the charger but how the car behaves.
Further reading
EV charger at home: single-phase or three-phase, and which protection
The choice depends as much on your car as on your connection. With the costs, the RCD debate and why load balancing is not an optional extra.
Which cable to the EV charger, and what the distance does
The further the charger is from the meter cupboard, the thicker the cable has to be. That is usually the item that decides the price.
Load balancing: why your main fuse can cope after all
Without load balancing the car keeps charging at full power while the oven and the tumble dryer are on too. With load balancing the car automatically charges more slowly.
Questions and comments
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