When you schedule a service for your EV charging station, the technician is not going to just come to your house, wipe things, quickly look at the lights, and hand you a bill. Since your charging station consumes more electricity than almost anything else in your home, it’s essential that you maintain it with the help of a professional. Because of this, technicians will spend a significant amount of time thoroughly servicing your unit. Knowing exactly what they are poking and prodding will help you see why this service call is so important for your home’s safety.
Testing the Electrical Strength of Your Circuit
The first thing a technician will do is open up your main electrical panel and the charger itself to check for loose connections. Because your charger runs for hours at a time, the wires get hot and then cool down. This can slowly cause the screws holding those wires to back out. A pro will use a torque wrench to ensure every single wire is tightened to the exact manufacturer specifications to prevent a dangerous arc. They might also use a thermal imaging camera to see if any parts are glowing bright red on the screen while the car is plugged in. If they see a hot spot, it usually means a wire is struggling or a breaker is starting to fail.
Checking the Safety Sensors and Grounding
Service technicians prioritize safety. Because of this, they will spend considerable time making sure the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter and the grounding wire work as designed. They test these components by using a special tool that simulates an electrical short to see if the charger shuts off in a fraction of a second. If there’s a malfunction, they will test and see what caused it, such as wires being chewed by a mouse.
Inspecting the Handle and Cable Integrity
Moving to the outside of the unit, the professional will look at the charging handle and the cable to ensure the physical parts are still waterproof and durable. They check the pins inside the plug for any signs of “pitting” or black marks. These are signals that electricity has been jumping across the connection. If the pins are dirty or bent, the technician will clean them with a specialized electronic contact cleaner to ensure power flows smoothly without creating extra heat. They also look at the “strain relief” where the cord enters the box to make sure the wires inside are not being pulled or pinched. This part of the service ensures that the most-used part of your equipment doesn’t snap or fail while you’re trying to plug in after a long day.
Updating the Internal Brain and Logs
Finally, the technician will plug in a laptop and update the system firmware. They will also analyze the logs to see if any abnormalities are present.
Experts recommend that you schedule annual service to keep your charging station in top shape. This keeps disaster at bay. To schedule maintenance for your EV charger, call The Electric Company in Modesto, CA today.
