He said fitting the lead through the letterbox was a requirement. I don't belive a 13A socket suitable for use outdoors that will fit through a letterbox exists.
What cable to extend a Tesla mobile charger?
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Oh I see, I didn't appreciate your purpose.
A standard extension socket goes through a letter box and OP has mentioned there is a protective enclosure.
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There are ways around a plug with sustained high loads over heating, however you say only 2 weeks so not worth doing anything for such a short time.
I must admit taking the car to a charging point is not as easy as some seem to think, I know my local one has again been switched off due to abuse, OK I can get it switched back on again, but it does mean some one who thinks they are travelling to a 22 kW charge point are going to be disappointed if the arrive when office closed.
I must admit taking the car to a charging point is not as easy as some seem to think, I know my local one has again been switched off due to abuse, OK I can get it switched back on again, but it does mean some one who thinks they are travelling to a 22 kW charge point are going to be disappointed if the arrive when office closed.
[ my emboldening ]
That's true .... but why should it be any more likely that the extension lead plug would overheat to the point of causing a fire whrn used for this purpose than if it were used for long-term powering of any other largish load (e.g. an electric heater)?
Perhaps a bit OTT for a 2-3 week temporary requirement ?
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The problem is temporary can become semi permanent.
It definitely can, but in this case it sounds pretty certain that the EV charger in going to be installed within a small number of weeks.
Kind Regards, John
"VERY IMPORTANT: I need to be able to put the extension through a letter box. That's really really important!"
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not put the extension thru a letterbox.
It is even much more important than you not getting someone to slap you around your head with a wet fish.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not put the extension thru a letterbox.
It is even much more important than you not getting someone to slap you around your head with a wet fish.
Toughleads are designed specifically for your purpose, including a letter box connection.
I use a toughleads extension to charge my car - I'm impressed with it
I use a toughleads extension to charge my car - I'm impressed with it
As long as the cable is safe against damage by the letterbox and it doesn't create a trip hazard or get damaged as the door opens and closes I don't see any issues and is something I have been doing for many years at a multitude of different venues. It isoften the only way of hooking up to power at customers premises without breeching their security.
That part is easier, stay out of the way when the boat comes in.
Good answer, I thought that comment might give a titter.
Although, seriously, to all but the most stringent of care the practice of putting extensions thru a letterbox potentially opens up the risks involved.
It did bring to mind one I heard in the early 70s.
Building site, flat floor, mansize hole in it.
Somebody decides to make it safer for the workers and puts an old door down to more than amply cover the hole for the rest of the team.
So far so good.
But days/weeks later last few workmen on site, clearing up that floor, two of them told to move the door.
They pick it up and move it forward to store it.
The chap at the back promptly disappears down the hole a couple of storeys up, goodbye vienna.
H & S were considering who to prosecute for manslaughter.
I was told it was as true, fairly recent, happening.
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Yes in my case I've been hooking up temporary power and running cables for 60 years on customers premises and risk assessment has been applied for years before H&S kicked in. It's easy to forget that not everyone has the same experience and forsight.
We (father and myself) had public liability insurance in place for 55 years roughly and to our knowledge only ever had one incident where anything 'went wrong' and that was a member of public tripping over a cable (rather the cable rolled under his foot) after climbing over crowd barrier into an arena during a police carchase demonstration to get better pictures. He tried to claim off me for damage to his expensive camera & lens. I have to say there was been a number of occasions where cables have got damaged but more often than not it's during installation/recovery rather than during the event or someone being pigheaded
I must admit, that when I first got my car, before I got round to getthing the Zappi bought and installed, the granny charger was in use on a extension lead with a 4 gang rubberised trailling socket, run under the garage door and rather than being in an enclosure, I simply rested it and the inline control module of the cable on an offcut of 4x2 under the car to keep it dry and out of puddles 
To be fair, it was an extension made of 2.5mm flex (Yes, I know its not supposed to be in a plugtop.....), and it was plugged to the garage ring which is from its own type A RCBO, and after it had been on for a few hours I checked the plugtop with the back of my hand.
It could only be a temporary measure, I hated kneeling down onb the floor to put it under the car, and it had no way to control according to agile rates, I reckon it takes me no more than 15seconds these days to uncoil the cable from the zappi and plug in, I couldn't have lived with the temporary arrangement for very long!
To be fair, it was an extension made of 2.5mm flex (Yes, I know its not supposed to be in a plugtop.....), and it was plugged to the garage ring which is from its own type A RCBO, and after it had been on for a few hours I checked the plugtop with the back of my hand.
It could only be a temporary measure, I hated kneeling down onb the floor to put it under the car, and it had no way to control according to agile rates, I reckon it takes me no more than 15seconds these days to uncoil the cable from the zappi and plug in, I couldn't have lived with the temporary arrangement for very long!
Heaters should not be used with extension leads either.
Example of why not appeared earlier today: https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/overheated-plug.623110/
There are certainly potential issues associated with using heaters (or any large load) with extension leads, but primarily relating to the cable, not thee plug.
Why, for a given heater (i.e. a given current), should the plug of an extension lead be more likely to overheat than the plug of the heater itself? Are you perhaps suggesting that extension leads have 'inferior plugs'?
Kind Regards, John
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