Will installing my own EV charger not be covered under insurance?

bbhaag

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2011
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I know I should call my State Farm rep and ask him but before I do I wanted to ask here first and get some opinions.

So a couple of weeks ago my father and I installed a Emporia EV charger in the garage for my new Mach-E. Both of us have been doing electrical work like this for years but are by no means licensed electricians. We installed everything to code and followed the installation guide that came with the charger.

So my question is because I did it DIY instead of hiring it out if something did go terribly wrong and say half my garage or house burned down will my home owners insurance still cover the damages?
 

Dulanic

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2000
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I know I should call my State Farm rep and ask him but before I do I wanted to ask here first and get some opinions.

So a couple of weeks ago my father and I installed a Emporia EV charger in the garage for my new Mach-E. Both of us have been doing electrical work like this for years but are by no means licensed electricians. We installed everything to code and followed the installation guide that came with the charger.

So my question is because I did it DIY instead of hiring it out if something did go terribly wrong and say half my garage or house burned down will my home owners insurance still cover the damages?

That's open for interpretation :) If you did shoddy work, sure! FYI, I installed my own also. The odds it comes to that are low, but you never know with insurance.
 
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Hans Gruber

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Dec 23, 2006
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I believe it only applies to your garage or house burning down in the 1st year since the install. Others will argue if your house burns down because of your charging system. They will want to trace back to the original installer and ask for receipts or who installed your charging system.

The easiest way around it would be pulling a permit and having the inspector sign off on it. This is assuming it's up to current code standards.

If you got the Rodgers rate or the Patrick Price. That should be underwritten by either Aaron Rodger or Patrick Mahomes.
 
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bbhaag

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So yeah that is a couple of things I didn't mention in my OP. I didn't get a permit or have the local inspector come out. Not sure if that makes a difference but want to give as much info as possible. If anyone has any questions please let me know!

I appreciate the respectful and informational posts from everyone.
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
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Emporia recommends that installation be performed by a licensed electrician or other qualified professional in accordance with the regional electrical code
where it is being installed to ensure the Emporia EV Charger is properly grounded. Do not modify the provided plug – if it will not fit the outlet, have a
proper outlet installed by a licensed electrician or other qualified professional.


Have it checked and validated by an electrical inspector. ;)

 
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bbhaag

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I do have the installation guide and I did read were Emporia recommends but does not require that the installation be done by a licensed electrician or other qualified professional. What if I consider myself a qualified professional? I have been doing electrical work like this for over 20 years and my dad has done it for twice as long.

I did not modify the plug in any way. Instead I removed the plug that came with the charger and hardwired the charger so it could pull 48 amps.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have an electrician come out and look over my work though. Definitely going to consider doing this.
 
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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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I know I should call my State Farm rep and ask him but before I do I wanted to ask here first and get some opinions.

So a couple of weeks ago my father and I installed a Emporia EV charger in the garage for my new Mach-E. Both of us have been doing electrical work like this for years but are by no means licensed electricians. We installed everything to code and followed the installation guide that came with the charger.

So my question is because I did it DIY instead of hiring it out if something did go terribly wrong and say half my garage or house burned down will my home owners insurance still cover the damages?


Pay an electrician to inspect your work and issue a compliance certificate. I don't know about the post installation permit situation though.
 
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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Regulations vary, and so do insurance companies, so I'll talk about what regs we have where I am. I think this is typical of many jurisdictions in North America.

First, there is a distinction between what a equipment supplier requires to back a Warranty claim for defective materials, and what an insurer requires to validate policy coverage for claims. Your interest is insurance coverage.

In investigating a claim an insurance company will be VERY reluctant to honour a claim if there is ANY possibility that incorrect electrical equipment is involved in the cause. So YOU need to be able to PROVE that the stuff was correct from the beginning. The insurer's investigators will NOT look at that stuff and decide whether or not is was OK. In our jurisdiction, an insurer will accept as proof of good electrical equipment ONLY a Certificate of Approval from a recognized regulatory agency. I'm in Ontario, Canada, and there is only one such agency in this province operated by the provincial government. Normally you go to them BEFORE starting the work (but many do it right after completion) and buy a combination Permit to do the work AND have it Inspected when done. Hopefully the Inspector finds it all good and issues the Certificate. If not, you get a list of deficiencies and must correct those and have it re-inspected until it is approved. That Certificate is the only thing most insurers will accept as proof that the electrical equipment was proper AND installed correctly. Technically you are NOT allowed to apply power to any of that newly-installed equipment until it has been approved.

This last detail may not be the same elsewhere. In Ontario, licensed electrical CONTRACTORS have an option. They may become their own Inspection agency for their own work and Certify the job they have done themselves, on behalf of that provincial authority. Or, they may not do that and simply apply to that authority agency for a Permit and subsequent final Inspection, just the same as any private citizen doing their own job.

I had some work done this past year that included building a detached garage at the back of our property and fed by a buried electrical cable. I had a licensed contractor do two parts of this - upgrading the house main supply cable and panel, and installing the buried cable to the garage. Each of those was covered by a separate Permit and Inspection (they were done at quite different times). Separately I installed the breaker panel and all branch circuit wiring inside the garage under a third Permit and Inspection. So now I have three Certificates of Approval covering all of those new electrical installations.

We do not have any EV's. However, planning that that will happen in future, I designed the system in the garage to be capable of supporting at least one heavy EV charger unit fed from a breaker (to be added) in the garage sub-panel. The main cable feeding the garage from the house panel is rated for 100 A, 120 / 240 VAC. When such a charger is installed, a new Permit and Inspection will be required.
 
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Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
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So yeah that is a couple of things I didn't mention in my OP. I didn't get a permit or have the local inspector come out. Not sure if that makes a difference but want to give as much info as possible. If anyone has any questions please let me know!

I'm no "expert" but I do know this much .... the above-bolded ALMOST CERTAINLY does matter a whole lot and the insurance company is highly likely to seize any chance to NOT pay you if the worst happens.

Don't give them one! :oops:

Look into making the charger install "legit" with a proper inspection after the fact stat.

;)
 
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NutBucket

Lifer
Aug 30, 2000
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I rewired my parents' garage as a teenager. Hasn't burned down yet.

I actually did a bunch of electrical work on their house. The only thing a professional did was install a new service panel.

Looking back I am surprised my dad was OK with it :D
 
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Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
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I'm not sure how closely they look at this stuff during an incident but my thinking is if the work looks standard they might not even bat an eye at it but if it looks shoddy and the fire actually came from it then maybe they won't cover it. My parents had a house fire a few years ago that got covered by insurance despite lot of their electrical is work I did, some of it when I was like 12. I don't think they even questioned it, they focused more towards the root cause of the fire which was related to a garbage bin outside. Maybe things would be different if fire is a direct result of DIY work though. But if you DIY just do it right in first place and it won't go on fire. ;)
 

bbhaag

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2011
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Does your town/county have a permit requirement to install a charger?
Honestly I don't know the answer to this question. I'll call City Hall on Monday and ask who I need to speak to and see what they have to say.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone. I was kinda nervous before posting this thread because I did the work myself and well......we all know how ATOT can be sometimes. I really appreciate all the info and advice given in a respectful way.
 
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skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
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You are absolutely qualified to install your own electrical. Don't sweat the inspection, just go get the permit, fill it out, and call for the inspection.
Nobody knows or cares that you installed it two weeks or two months ago. Since you are concerned, just do it and you will be in compliance.
I will pull permits on my whole house build and wire it, plumb it. I don't have a license for either of these things but as the homeowner, I don't have to.
 

sportage

Lifer
Feb 1, 2008
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I'd do the permit and inspection. Do you need a permit for something like this? But an inspection by an expert wouldn't hurt and would give you peace of mind. I know insurance can be shady. They may tell you up front OH IT'S OK TO DIY, but should something happen then they will say OH SORRY, NOT COVERED. Or.... you could just use the 110v included charger plugged into the wall outlet, and take Uber for three days until you ev fully charges. ;)

I have yet to install a fast charger because #1 I don't drive that much, and #2 I don't mind waiting 2 to 3 days until a full charge. But my case is not typical for the owner of an ev.
 

Paperdoc

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Aug 17, 2006
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Just to clarify how things go where I live. Technically you need to get a PERMIT BEFORE starting the work, and the fee includes the eventual inspection and issuing the Certificate of Approval. However, as far as I know the inspection authority normally does NOT insist on the BEFORE thing, and they WILL issue a Permit etc. AFTER you have done the installation - they simply do NOT ask when the work was done. BUT you should be careful NOT to have power applied to the new work when an inspector arrives - don't make it obvious that you have been using the new stuff live! (Remove strung-out extension cords showing appliances and tools in common use.)

An inspection and blessing from a competent electrical professional may well give you a sense of peace and safety, but the INSURANCE company probably will NOT accept anything like that, especially when settling a claim. Normally they will ONLY accept a Certificate of Approval (or whatever it's called where you are) from the proper inspection and approval authority agency where you live. In my case there is only one for the entire Province of Ontario. Local laws where you live will dictate which agency has the authority to approve electrical installations. As others have said, DO THAT now.