Code 110 Charging Stopped

[privateer703]

I went to charge my bike just now and it started charging for about 10 minutes before I heard a click and the bike was reading Code (or Error, I don't remember which) 110, charging stopped. I unplugged everything, turned the bike off, then started the bike back up and when I went to plug in my standard charger, the GFCI trip won't stay green. I've tried different outlets to no avail. It seems like this is an issue with the charger, not the bike. Just really weird this happens the first time I charge to charge the bike with the new battery module in it. In ideas on trouble shooting the issue, or is there a cheap easy replacement for this GFCI switch somewhere. I searched the forum but could not find a code/error 110.

 

[privateer703]

Since I only use 120V I'm thinking something like this would be a solution:

It's not the best solution, requires me taking off the old GFCI and converting bare wires directly into 3-prong plug. It get's me charging today... if it works.
@snydes I saw your post about the blown GFCI, mine still tries to show a green light before clicking off, so I don't think it's as bad as yours, and the mcmaster part ships in 1-2 weeks!! I can't wait that long.

 

[snydes]

Off the top of my head I think the 110 code is the one you get any time the charger trips, so hopefully it’s just in the GFCI. Man, you are having a rash of aggregation lately with everything, that’s a bummer. I would think any 15amp 120v GFCI would probably get you by in a pinch. I’m not sure what the potential risks are of skipping the GFCI just to try it, I think I’d still want to be plugged into a circuit that was GFCI protected at the very least.

 

[privateer703]

When it rains it pours. Hopefully I'll have it charging by tonight.

 

[privateer703]

So I noticed I had a GFCI outlet on the other side of my basement, so I tried that.. without removing the GFCI that's on the charge cord. Now its working fine. Now I'm not sure what's up with that outlet.

 

[C5tor]

Maybe it is trying to tell you that you have a bad ground on the circuit, and the GFCI is working as it should.

Do you have a circuit tester, like one of these?

 

[Bloak]

I've had a charge issue which was intermittent....ended up being a wire was loose within outlet

 

[privateer703]

It has something to do with the outlet. I don't have a tester like that, but I've got a multimeter. I had some other low amperage devices on that outlet which worked fine (which weren't three prong). It's also a brand new house. Probably does have a bad ground.

 

[Philip]

I just read that Neutral should be connected to Ground at the breaker box. So, you should be able to check this connection by sticking a multimeter into the power outlet.

Neutral Vs Ground Wire: What That White Wire Is Actually For

I have always had the most difficult time understanding why I need both a neutral and ground wire when they ultimately both connect to the same bar in a breaker box. And I’m not alone. A lot of people struggle with this distinction. I’m hopeful that this guide, courtesy of research, will help to...

homeefficiencyguide.com

Which makes me think.... No generator has real Ground. I've had to make a fake plug with a "Bonded Neutral" so that I could charge my Tesla from a generator, if I ever "run out of gas".

The Tesla won't charge if there is no Ground. But now I wonder why do our chargers sometimes require Ground, but most of the times do not???

 

[rayivers]

.... No generator has real Ground.

My 30kW house generator does - a long stake driven deep into the earth, with a short thick cable to the generator enclosure chassis.

 

[E-Bro]

It has something to do with the outlet. I don't have a tester like that, but I've got a multimeter. I had some other low amperage devices on that outlet which worked fine (which weren't three prong). It's also a brand new house. Probably does have a bad ground.

If you have not figured out the issue with the none gfci receptacles that were tripping out your charger. Feel free to PM me, electrician for 21 years. I will help you sort it out. Since you already have a meter & understand wiring enough to get you by, we can troubleshoot together on Whatsapp video or similar Video Apps.

 

[privateer703]

I am not sure what is going on with the outlet, after installing the GFCI outlet, it would not work at all. So far I have no issues with other outlets in the basement so I can charge the bike fine. What really stumps me is this outlet is in-line with other outlets, which are working fine. As an electrician, if you are wiring an outlet inline, would you use the outlet itself as the junction, or use wire nuts and a short piece of wire to connect the outlet?

 

[Mark911]

What I've found is that there's a sneak path somewhere to the safety ground. Try disconnecting the safety ground. Kinda defeats the purpose somewhat, but it's a clue.

 

[privateer703]

What happens with a GFCI outlet if you don't have the safety ground connected? Will it operate at all? I know a non-GFCI outlet will work.

 

[E-Bro]

I am not sure what is going on with the outlet, after installing the GFCI outlet, it would not work at all. So far I have no issues with other outlets in the basement so I can charge the bike fine. What really stumps me is this outlet is in-line with other outlets, which are working fine. As an electrician, if you are wiring an outlet inline, would you use the outlet itself as the junction, or use wire nuts and a short piece of wire to connect the outlet?

To answer your question. Most electricians use wire nuts with a short piece of wire to wire the receptacle. It is called pig tail, using the receptacle as a junction is frowned upon, but it still would do the job. Having a issue with a GFCi receptacle, means 1 of 2 things. GFCi is faulty, which happens even straight out of the packaging, 2nd more common Problem with the wiring. There could be a few things wrong. Bad ground or no ground. Or a bigger culprit, it could be that there is already a GFCi installed on the circuit before the device you are trying to install a gfci on. So with that being said having 2 gfci on 1 circuit usually causes tripping/resetting issues. I will be more than happy to help you dissect this over a free video call. You would need a multi meter & i would probably have you remove the main electrical panel cover off, to access the grounding & neutral wiring in the panel. Some panels are main panel others are Sub panel. The difference is. One panel will share the ground and neutral thru the bonding process, the other panel will have the ground & neutrals seperated and isolated. Let me know if you want my whatsapp # or any video chat app is fine. I do not mind helping you address the pesky trouble.
E-Bro

 

[E-Bro]

What happens with a GFCI outlet if you don't have the safety ground connected? Will it operate at all? I know a non-GFCI outlet will work.

A GFCI will trip if tested with it's built-in test button, even if it is ungrounded. It will not trip using a plug-in tester if it is ungrounded, since those testers need a real ground for the test button to function. An ungrounded GFCI does not provide a ground.

 

[privateer703]

Ok well there is a GFCI outlet on the same circuit before this outlet, so that may be the reason the additional GFCI outlet won't work. I'm going to reinstall the standard outlet and see if I can get it to work. Maybe it was just a bad connection in the pigtail.

 

[E-Bro]

Ok well there is a GFCI outlet on the same circuit before this outlet, so that may be the reason the additional GFCI outlet won't work. I'm going to reinstall the standard outlet and see if I can get it to work. Maybe it was just a bad connection in the pigtail.

Ok. Sometimes. After wiring the gfci. If it is not electrical taped around the screw terminals. When screwing in the receptacle to the wall, some aires may touch each other. Probably not the case. But it is worth noting and looking into. Also. Make sure the gfci are working properly. Or else there function is mute.

 

[E-Bro]

There is line = which is incoming power. Then load, which is outgoing power. They have to be correct. And if the gfci does not need to protect other additional receptacles, then both wires can be on the line side. So it will not effect other receptacles down the line.

Ok well there is a GFCI outlet on the same circuit before this outlet, so that may be the reason the additional GFCI outlet won't work. I'm going to reinstall the standard outlet and see if I can get it to work. Maybe it was just a bad connection in the pigtail.

 

[privateer703]

So this weekend I went to charge the bike up and it charged with no issues. Came back and went to charge it up to go back out, but the inline GFCI would immediately trip no matter what outlet I put it on. Since all the outlets in my basement are on one circuit and that there is a GFCI outlet as the first outlet in the series, I pulled the inline GFCI off the charger cord, everything worked fine then. So for now I'm just running without the GFCI on it, either it's gone bad, or doesn't like the fact that there is a GFCI already in the circuit, but either way the charger should still be protected by the GFCI outlet in the circuit. Is there a way to test the inline GFCI?