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2019 prius prime blew circuit breaker in our home

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by Geets, Jun 22, 2019.

  1. Geets

    Geets New Member

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    Our circuit breaker blew after charging the 2019 Prius prime . Had to take the car back and went back to the dealer and received a 2019 Prius xle!!
    Thank goodness.

    Had we known it was going to blow our circuit would have never bought it!! Watch out consumer! Do your research before buying one!!
     
  2. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    This has to be the stoopidest post I've ever read on this forum...

    Let me really sum things up:

    The Sky Is Falling, The Sky Is Falling, I just plugged my wife's "hairdryer" into our outlet & it blew the circuit breaker. Had we known it was going to blow our circuit would have never bought it!! Watch out consumer! Do your research before buying one!!


    Rob43
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't believe the dealer gave you another car (n) i t would have cost them less to hire you an electrician :rolleyes:
     
  4. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    It is Palmdale though:oops:.

    Anything is possible there(y).
     
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  5. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    Indeed. Any prospective buyer of a Prius Prime, or any other plug-in car, who plans to charge it at home, should consider whether the building electrical system is up to the task. Old or undersized equipment may not be able to supply an additional continuous load safely or reliably. See the “Charging operation” section of the Quick Guide (PDF), including the warnings and notices on pages 5, 9–10, 15–17, and 24.
    It’s not clear to me whether the incident kindly reported here was caused by a problem with the car or its charging cable, or instead by the condition or use of the electrical system to which they were connected.

    While I imagine @Geets may just want to move on—and I wish him or her many miles of pleasant driving in the new Prius XLE—it would be interesting to learn some further details:
    • Was it a branch circuit, feeder, or main breaker that tripped?
    (An aside on terminology: an overload or short circuit causes fuses to blow, but circuit breakers generally trip, unless you’re having a really bad day.)
    • How long after charging began did this happen?
    • How old was the circuit breaker? Had it ever been used to supply a continuous load of similar size (12 or 16 amperes), and if so, how recently?
    • What other loads were connected to the same circuit or system? Might an overload have occurred because of the combination of the car’s charging current and other loads?
    • Did the dealer find anything wrong with the car or charging cable, or did they simply agree to exchange it under a money-back guarantee or similar policy?
     
  6. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Wow... That's a news. I have never heard of a dealer taking back a car once sold and exchanging it with another when the car is not a lemon.

    As for charging PRIME, even on a small 15A circuit with other loads on it, you probably would have been fine if you reduced the charge amp to 8A, I would think.
     
  7. NSXT

    NSXT Active Member

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    :ROFLMAO::LOL::D:p
     
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  8. noonm

    noonm Senior Member

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    Sounds like a problem with your house's wiring, not the car.

    Also, you know you can not plug in the Prime and it will drive perfectly fine.....
     
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  9. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    It is true that a great many older homes have inadequate electrical systems.
    Ideally you would have a dedicated GFCI protected 120 volt circuit to use the charging cable. Many people try to charge with non-ideal circuits, with varying degrees of success.

    We cannot, from the provided information, judge the wisdom of returning the Prime, perhaps the electrician advised you that your home simply could not provide another 15 Amp circuit without thousands in upgrades. Usually a dedicated circuit is under $500, but if you do not own your home, making changes may not be permitted.

    I wish you all the best with your current Prius.


    .
     
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  10. noonm

    noonm Senior Member

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    I rent, but I got permission from my landlord to install an exterior outlet on a dedicated circuit for $300. I've found that if you're a good tenant and offer to pay for something, landlords will happily accommodate you.
     
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  11. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I TRIPPED the breaker once charging my PiP. My wife was running the vacuum cleaner in the bedroom and that's when I found out that outlet was on the same breaker as the one in the garage. (@Elektroingenieur, the only time I've had breakers "BLOW" was the day the power company hit my house with enough voltage to destroy my main breaker, three other breakers, and blow the MOVs to bits in my surge suppressors. Bit of a bad day, but no other damage, so I got off easy.)

    But in response to the surprise at the dealer taking back the car, I think most (all?) states have a three-day cooling off period where you can return or exchange large purchases.

    I hope @Geets loves his XLE as much as I love my Prime. Both great cars.
     
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  12. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I had to search the web, but I got this information.

    How Many Days Do You Have to Return a New Car? | LoveToKnow
    No Federal or State Right to Rescind Laws
    There is no federal law dictating that buyers may return a new vehicle. A car purchase is final as soon as the buyer signs the contract and takes possession of the car. Additionally, you have no state-mandated right to rescind your contract or return a car to the seller due to buyer's remorse.

    There seems to be no federal or state cooling off period applicable to a new car purchase. Used car maybe? It is totally up to an individual dealer, I think.
     
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  13. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Thanks for checking on that. (y)
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    must be a great dealer. buyer gets the tax credit and a new xle?
     
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  15. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    WOW, you are right! But, would that be legal?
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no idea. if the government thinks you're supposed to keep it for a certain amount of time, i'm not sure how they would track that.
    i think they only care that each car gets only one credit.
     
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  17. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I remember reading somewhere that you can not apply for a credit if the car is purchased for resale purpose. But this does not seem to apply for a person who buy the car and drive for a year and sells it or trade-in. You are right, I don't know how they would track that sale of the car year later, or in this case 1 day?
     
  18. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Ease up fellas! Remember, some houses still only have 30 amp service for the whole property. Too many unknowns.

    Also keep in mind people in Palmdale use a lot of daytime air conditioning. Whatever Geets' system was rated for, it was probably already heavily loaded.
     
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  19. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    I agree with Leadfoot. Too many unknowns in this situation, although slightly humorous.
     
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    disagree. op could have diffused the description instead of setting off the bomb
     
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