What does an electrician check on a home EV charger that stops working?

An electrician troubleshooting a home EV charger that has stopped working goes in order: is power reaching the charger, is it the right voltage and properly grounded, are the connections inside tight, what is the charger's own fault code telling them, and are the settings, cable, connector and car behaving. Emporia's troubleshooting guide separates the first look at the breaker and lights from the voltage, ground and wiring checks, which it says should be performed only by a qualified professional.^[1] That split is a good guide to what you can note yourself and what to hand over.

What you can note before the visit

These checks need no tools and no opening of anything. Write down what you see; it saves the electrician time.

• Whether the breaker in the panel has tripped. Emporia's guide says to confirm the breaker is on and that the green power light is lit; if the light is off, the charger is not receiving power.^[1]
• What the status light is doing. Chargers report faults as a pattern of flashes, so photograph or describe it.
• Whether the charger is set to Off in its app or held back by a schedule. Emporia notes that a charger set to Off in its app will not charge even with a car plugged in, and a schedule can block charging outside its hours.^[1]
• Whether another car or another Level 2 charger behaves the same way. Emporia suggests testing both, and also notes that a low 12V battery can prevent the vehicle from accepting a charge.^[1]
• Any damage. One manufacturer's manual says do not use the product if the cable is ragged or has broken insulation, or if the enclosure or the connector is broken or cracked.^[3] It also says not to use the charger with an extension cord or adapter.^[3]

What the electrician checks

The supply. With the charger confirmed dead, the next step is a meter. Emporia's guide says that if the charger still has no power after the breaker check, the supply is verified with an electrical meter, and that the ground wire must be a true ground, not a neutral, with the correct wire gauge.^[1] A missing leg, a low reading or a breaker that keeps tripping points to the circuit, not the charger.

The connections. On a hardwired charger, the guide has the internal wiring connections inspected when voltage is confirmed but the charger still will not power on.^[1] A loose connection is a common cause of intermittent faults,^[2] and Emporia adds that loose wiring can contribute to thermal issues.^[2] For a plug-in charger on a NEMA 14-50 outlet, Emporia says the line and neutral connections in the outlet may be reversed.^[2] An electrician also looks at the outlet itself for heat damage and a loose fit.

The fault code. Most chargers say what they think is wrong. Emporia's Classic charger shows faults as a count of slow and fast orange flashes, and its table covers a grounding fault, an output short circuit, over current and a fused relay;^[2] for a fused relay it says to disconnect from power immediately.^[2] Grizzl-E chargers count red flashes instead, with codes for lost ground, high and low GFCI, a stuck relay, high temperature, over current and a diode error.^[3] A code narrows the search; it does not replace the meter. Some faults are temporary: Grizzl-E's manual says that when a charging session is interrupted by a temporary error condition, the charger restarts charging automatically once the cause returns to normal.^[3]

Heat and weather. The Emporia Classic is rated for operation between -22°F and 122°F, and loose wiring can contribute to thermal issues.^[2] If the charger faults only on hot afternoons or in deep cold, tell the electrician; it points to where it is mounted.

Settings and communication. If the power is fine and the charger shows no fault, the electrician checks the charger's current setting, any app or Wi-Fi link, and whether the charger and car are talking. Keep the serial number handy; Emporia's support asks for it.^[2]

When to call a licensed pro

The voltage, grounding and connection checks involve a high-voltage circuit and, on a hardwired unit, an open enclosure. Emporia reserves them for a qualified professional.^[1] The Code of Virginia says no individual may engage in work as a tradesman unless licensed, and its definition of a tradesman covers electrical work for the public,^[5] and DPOR says the Board for Contractors regulates individual tradesmen who work in the electrical trade.^[6] Virginia's building code requires a permit before work on electric wiring begins, with emergency work reported by the end of the first working day after it starts.^[4] Whether a given repair needs a permit depends on the work, so ask the electrician and your local building department.

Stop using the charger and call a licensed electrician promptly if you see scorched plastic, smell burning, find a hot outlet or plug, or the breaker trips again right after a reset. Read why an EV charger keeps tripping the breaker for the likely causes of that symptom. For routine care that may prevent the call, see whether a home EV charger needs maintenance. To plan the money, read how much EV charger repair costs in Virginia.

Loclis lists DPOR-licensed electrical businesses with their licence number. Browse EV charger repair or read more electrical repair answers.

When the charger stops, describe the problem once and licensed local electricians quote the repair.