Charging Cable Extension

I recently ended up buying this SJTW 10/3 extension cord to replace SJEOW 12/3 extension cord by recommendations found in this thread. I don't know how stiff it gets when it gets really cold. It is rated only to -20C.


Previously I was using 12/3 cord for the extreme cold rated down to -60C (-80F). It has flexible jacket made of CPE (chlorinated polyethylene elastomer), unlike regular thermoplastic constructed jacket found in heaver SJTW cords. I looked for 10/3 gauge SJEOW cord, but could not find one. If 10/3 cord gets too stiff in winter, I may have to return to this 12/3 cord.

 

Scroll down 5 row of pictures
the third one from the left
Amazon.com: 240 volt extension cord


Conntek NEMA 5-20 Outdoor Extension Cords, 20 Amps 125 Volts
$29.99$29.99

its 12 gauge too.

 

Yeah, but it dose not work on my 120V wall outlet.

 

looks like ya need an adapter for that one too. sorry I didn't notice that is what a NEMA 5-20 looked like.
I must need another mug O joe.

edit cursed NEMA standards

 

Well, thanks for looking, but what I want is NOT an 12 AWG cord. I want 10 AWG pure copper cord with SJEOW construction for extreme cold outdoor use. So far, I have not found any. To be honest, I think 15A/125V rating is OK. The 12/3 cable did not heat up while I was using it for almost two years. I just wanted to be extra safe by using heavier 10/3 gauge cord as recommended in this thread.

 

Home Depot has flexible rubber insulated 10gaugue 3 wire for I think $2.44/ft
But you would have to add your own plug and socket to the wire and I have no idea what it's temp rating is.
10 gauge is way overkill (in my mind anyways) for even 100' ext if you're only using it at a 120 volts.
240 volt at 100' might be legit!
I'd be interested to hear what you and others in this thread have to say about 10 gauge 100' at 240 volts.

 

My concern on custom making cord is fittings on the ends may not be weather tight. I am not sure if store bought ones are weather tight either (I know they are not waterproof), but they do look more "sealed" than home made ones. I park my car outsidet, so it need to be at least weather proof.

Yeah, I have no idea what 240V extension cord should be used, for I have no 240V outlet accessible for my car charging. Even for my L1 EVSE, I only need 10-15 feet of extension cord to get to my car. I am currently using 25 ft 10/3 cord shown in my previous comment above, but if I can find a shorter SJEOW construction 10/3 cord, I will replace current one. Just to be safer.

 

Yeah, I was kind of brief and incomplete with the earlier comment and you raise a good point. The limitation on these is the plugs. They are only 15A plugs. So that's still going to be a weak point. The cable in question might be copper, now that you mention it, but they aren't bragging about it. If it is, that's about as good as you can get unless you can find one with a 20A plug on it. And then you still have a 15A plug on the EVSE. I just like to aim for the minimum of voltage loss over the length of the cable. So copper #12 even with the 15A plugs will perform better than aluminum the same size with the same plugs. I hope I said that in a way that makes sense.

 

If you only knew how pathetically crappy those "sealed" connection* points are on the pre-molded extension cords.

This picture is correct in showing where your pre-made cord will fail 8 out of 10 times (IMO).


Rob43

* Water goes inside the female end with no problem.

 

After considering various responses to my inquiry, I ended up ordering a custom-built "Smart Extension Cords" from Rob43. Specifically, 30 feet (what I needed upon careful measurement), 10/3 AWG, 125V, 100% copper, with NEMA 5-15 plug & receptacle, for outdoor use with/between Toyota's L1 EVSE and a standard household 15 amp 120 volt GFI outdoor outlet. I received it just before Thanksgiving and have used it a half dozen or so times thus far. It's working great for me and seems quite well made, high quality, and durable. No indication of any heat build-up (although outdoor use during 40s degree weather would render it difficult to detect manually). Orange plugs are firmly attached to the yellow cable. Extremely pleased.

 

For those of you dealing with water:

www.amazon.com/SOCKiTBOX-Weatherproof-Connection-Electrical-Enclosure/dp/B009RX5H6S

 

Rob43, How do I PM you concerning:Charge Up In 2 1/2 Hours Using Your Toyota OE EVSE (Charger) At 240Volts
L2 Charging Adapters: 10 Gauge, 100% Copper Cord, Most Are $49 Shipped In The USA, Or $67 To Canada

 

On a PC browser, click on the envelope icon near the upper right corner:


Then go to "Start a New Conversation". This will create a private message / conversation to whoever you invite.

A mobile device view has a different format, so I can't help with those.

 

Easier method (I think, anyway): click on the arrow to Rob's post that's in your quote to take you to his post. Then click on "Start a conversation."