Yikes, that is not good to hear! I'd have expected better from that brand.

Also, 120 volt charging is reaaaaaally slow.

Hah, very definitely!

 

Bummer. Mine has been very reliable, although admittedly I charge mostly at work.

 

Before blaming the brand i would investigate Voltage under load sag......phase between two legs.....how well was connecting done on terminals using heat imaging camera......Diode failure is usually related to voltage spikes and phase frequency. I would love to see pictures of EVSE board and terminals inside of the EVSE box.

 

Great, you can buy the unit off of Grizzl-E and let us know what you find out.

 

I have had the Grizzl-E Classic and now two setups with the Grizzl-E Duo (ability/option to charge both ID4s at the same time) and they have all worked flawlessly for over a year. Great product based on my usage and experience (and there’s been a whole lot of charging going on - 27K on the FE and 13K on the Pro/S). 😎

 

sounds great, want to swap?

 

I just posted about how well built my brand new one feels. Now I’m worried.

 

Don’t be, This doesn’t appear to be widespread.

 

I'm curious where the fire started inside the EVSE.

 

One of the lugs on the charge cord power bus was cross threaded, so the terminal was not making full contact. That got very hot and melted the PCB.

 

My ChargePoint had problems (and eventually had to be replaced) that seemed to coincide with power outages. I had a whole house surge protector installed and have had no problems.

 

No issues so far here…

 

Jeez man what the f... that's 2 for 2, same failure? An just that ripped jacket on the blue even though it doesn't amount to much should have never made it out the door.

I looked over the pics from my Clipper Creek installation just to double check, and yeah, their design just passes the voltage through a contactor and never "handles it" at a board level. That's unbelievable you've seen this twice now.

 

Which model ClipperCreek do you have? I’m thinking I’m going to have Grizzl-E buy this one back, and spend the extra money on a ClipperCreek.

 

I called Grizzl-E and requested a refund, we’ll see how that goes.

 

I would ordinarily say that this is likely a vendor component limited run issue, but given your 2nd faulty unit ...

Perhaps use the refund to procure another brand (my ChargePoint Flex has been flawless in over a year's use; a number of other brands also well member-reviewed)?

I called Grizzl-E and requested a refund, we’ll see how that goes.

 

Almost the same thing happened to my Grizzl-e Avalanche Edition over the weekend. Glad that the fire was contained and did not spread to the rest of my garage but you can see that there was a flare up. I have opened a service ticket and am waiting to hear from them. Posting the picture below:

 

I’m sorry that happened to you.

 

Clearly Grizzl-E have process, tooling, and quality control issues.

 

I bought mine in late Jan 2022 and it was installed in Mar 2022. Its been used fairly infrequently as I rely on public charging for the most part.

 

My first one failed after a few weeks. The second one was several ( six ? ) months old.

If I had one, I would power it off, take the lid off, visually inspect all of the power terminals, and proactively tighten them, or have an electrician perform the work. When mine caught fire, they put out quite a bit of acrid smoke from the melting PC board, which is likely toxic.

 

FWIW, six weeks after returning my unit to United Chargers for a refund, I’m still waiting for my money.

 

Still trying to get my money from United Chargers. They promise to call back, they don't. The person I need to speak with isn't there, they'll call when they come back, they don't. They lose my account information.

This is not good customer service. They have my money, I don't have a charger, I have zero leverage.

 

This is terrible customer service! Good luck getting your money back. Let them know you are posting your experience on a forum with thousands of members. Hopefully, you can gain some leverage.

 

It looks like manufacturers defects....terminals not tight enough. If going with this brand i would advise . Open cover and tight terminals and after couple sessions inspect again and tight if needed. Make sure you have no power applied to EVSE when doing this.
This can happen on any EVSE if terminals are not tight enough.

 

This units come with a warranty seal, if you open them, warranty void

 

I’ve had mine for a year and have not had an issue with it. Just opened it up after reading this thread. Wiring looks good with no signs of melting anywhere in the box. Checked all of the screws and they did turn about 1/4 turn, so I’m glad I checked. I will make it part of my maintenance checklist to open and check the box every 6 months, but otherwise this seems like a great unit. United Chargers may just need to improve on their inspection process and look at using screws that lock in place a little better.

 

I find it a bit concerning that I now feel like I need to do this as well or else I might have a fire hazard a few months from now. Should have paid extra and bought a tried and true Clippercreek. I don’t want to be at risk of a screw loosening over time and potentially causes a fire because I didn’t check it every few months.

 

One should also make sure they do a visual inspection of everything inside the box to your satisfaction. You don't have to know much about electronics to be able to detect some things that could lead to major issues. Ask your electrician (if using one) to do it, but don't be afraid to double check THIER work as well. It's your house and nobody will take as much care to maintain it as you after all.

Looking at the first picture posted I highlighted an area for instance that even a casual visual inspection would see, even to the layman. It's possible these were because the adjoining wire got hot, but seeing as there are no other visible deformations in the housing, etc. these to me look like they were damaged at installation and should have never been shipped from the company. But whether or not that's true, as I said it's something even someone who knows little to nothing about electrical components can do for themselves (along with making sure all the screws are tight).

Another thing you can do for yourself after making sure all the screws are tight is to do what a lot of professionals due and that is mark your bolts. You can use anything from fingernail paint to an actual marking marker. Mark a line across the bolt to the plate underneith it so you can use it as a quick visual reference going forward.

(580) Permatex Bolt Mark - Tamper Proof Indicator - YouTube

 

The JuiceBox units have a seal on them, warranty void if opened.

 

My first Grizzl-E rather unceremoniously caught fire not long after it was installed. The second unit has been working well for a number of months, but it too has failed, this appears to be a diode failure.


Got about a year out of mine. They say a new one is on the way.

Capture.JPG

• bruceacox
• Sep 26, 2022
• grizzle-e avalanche

Grizzle-E Avalanche GR1-14-24-AB

 

Reviving this thread. I was a very happy Grizzl-E owner until last night when it melted my NEMA 14-50 socket. The socket was installed by an electrician and has worked fine for many years.

The Grizzl- E is set to 32A because it is on a 40A circuit, but it has worked with the ID.4 since May of 2021. Not sure why it decided to fail today.

Anyways, contacted Grizzl-E, we'll see what they say. In the meantime, I'm looking for a replacement charger.

 

Reviving this thread. I was a very happy Grizzl-E owner until last night when it melted my NEMA 14-50 socket. The socket was installed by an electrician and has worked fine for many years.

The Grizzl- E is set to 32A because it is on a 40A circuit, but it has worked with the ID.4 since May of 2021. Not sure why it decided to fail today.

View attachment 19491

Anyways, contacted Grizzl-E, we'll see what they say. In the meantime, I'm looking for a replacement charger.

I can guarantee that isn't the Grizzl-E's fault.

 

The problem is the quality of the 14-50 receptacle. I don't see any CSA/UL approval. As mentioned in previous posts, if you are going with a connector, only use the Hubbell 9450A or Bryant equivalent. They grip the conductors very solidly, and the set screw uses and Allen key so you can torque it down to the max. Your connection wasn't tight enough and that led to overheating.

 

High quality EVSE should have temperature sensor integrated into NEMA 14-50 Plug....if it did have this it would not let outlet getting melted. This is what should be checked more often whenever you charging for more than 20 minutes....put your hand over plug and feel if there is any heat building inside plug or outlet. Loose connection under high continuous current draw will cause any weak connections to overheat or melt. Thermal imaging camera would be great peace of tool to have for checking every once in while for solid connections. Tesla portable charger has temperature sensors in plug for additional peace of safety in this cases. I'm not paid by Tesla....I'm only providing benefits of using Tesla EVSE vs competition.

 

Now that you mention the safety feature of the the Tesla EVSE, i might consider that after reading issues of GrizzlE's poor quality control. Grizzle is one of the brands I am considering buying aside from Wallbox Pulsar because of its small foot print.

 

Hi all, registered to add my name to the growing list of unlucky Grizzl-E customers. Like the OP, I've also had 2 units fail on me. My first failed within a month of purchase in February 2020. I didn't examine it too closely to determine the cause, and Grizzl-E replaced it promptly. The replacement failed about a month ago in the same manner as OPs. Being out of warranty, Grizzl-E suggested sending it in for repair at a cost of $250, but I'm not inclined to invest any more money in this product, and would much prefer to take the loss than have this sit in my garage, under my kids' bedrooms. I've included a photo of my unit, as well as the 9 others I've compiled researching this issue (some of which already appear in this thread) in the hopes that people who own this product have it inspected, or even better, the company decides to do something about it.