Any particular type of 3-pin socket required?

[NightPHEVer]

I'm about to move house, so I want to have my Rolec 32amp 'fast' charge point removed (so I can take it with me) and replaced with 3-pin socket, so I can continue to charge my PHEV using the Mitsubishi supplied 3-pin charge device, until I actually go. My Rolec is connected to a dedicated 32amp 6mm, twin and earth armoured outdoor cable via its own garage mini consumer unit. It's inside the garage - not outside in the open. I'm aware that the replacement 3-pin socket needs to be a good quality item capable of cheerfully supplying 10amps for 5 hours, but what particular variety of socket is best suited? Maybe the sort of thing normally used for disabled buggies?

I see that Rolec do actually supply their own 3-pin device but it costs £80. The new house owner's don't have an EV so don't care whether there's a charge point or not so I don't really want to spend £80 as I'm already having to pay a qualified electrician to install it, as I need the correct certification.

 

[Regulo]

I'd fit a good quality metalclad unit, just make sure the breaker in the mini consumer unit is changed from the 32 Amp one to a 16 Amp. Your electrician will best advise, anyway, if he has to certify the install.

 

[maby]

Why do you need the certification? As far as I know there are no regulations in this country that forbid you to change a 13A socket!

 

[NightPHEVer]

Certification is for the benefit of the buyer's and/or their solicitors. We've had so much time wasting with the buyer's requiring 'certificates' for just about everything you could imagine that's ever existed or occured in the last 25 years I've owned the house (my house is in a conservation area) or if not, an insurance policy to cover the fact that it might not exist entirely 'by the book' (A land registry anomaly which nobody has ever cared about - including the Land Registry authority themselves - that has in fact existed for the last 55 years!), that I don't want to encourage any other further delays.

I was under the impression that there's no reason why any 3-pin socket shouldn't be fine, as long as it's a quality product and not a cheap 'n' nasty plastic job. I was thinking that a metalclad socket would be sufficient too. The sort of thing you'd expect to see in a garage anyway I guess. There is a 16amp option on the mini-consumer unit.

 

[greendwarf]

I've been happily charging overnight for more than 3 years on a standard indoor socket attached to the ring main.

 

[NightPHEVer]

I've been happily charging overnight for more than 3 years on a standard indoor socket attached to the ring main.

Well as I've mentioned before on 'home charging PHEV' post I think it does depend how well the electrical installation was done in the first place, the quality of the components and possibly how old it all is. Sounds like you've been lucky, probably does help to have a ring main rather than a radial circuit or spur. I've only ever charged my PHEV once using the Mitsubishi 3-pin charger without the 3-pin plug getting rather hot. That was on a three year old ring main to a shed, with what looked like a fairly hefty armoured cable to a conventional plastic socket. The plug didn't get any more than slightly warm. Every other time I've tried this in various other locations the plug has got slightly worryingly hot. Maybe I'm easily frightened!