Range dropped after switching to a NEMA 6-20 — is something wrong with my battery?

If my charger says IP66, does that mean I can leave everything plugged in even if it's snowing or raining for days? What if the cord gets stiff or the plug feels warm — shouldn't IP66 cover that too? I'm worried now.

Is there an actual temperature where it stops being "just cold weather being cold" and becomes "call an electrician"? I don't have a good baseline for this since I've never had to check for it before.

The holster can crack if it sits in sun and ice for a few years—mine did after the third winter, nothing broke off inside the car or plug though. Now I just check for hairline splits each spring before things thaw out.

Colder temps can matter if the outlet or breaker is installed somewhere exposed—wiring resistance can increase a bit in extreme cold, but usually not enough to trip a breaker unless there’s already a marginal connection or old hardware. Did your neighbor’s breaker feel warm after tripping, or was the plug itself hot to the touch?

Central NY, outdoor 6-20 here—breaker’s never tripped, even at -5°F. Maybe their wiring or breaker was borderline?

Cord warmth after a rainy night rings a bell. Saw one setup where condensation crept inside the exterior box, got the plug sweaty, and made everything warmer during charging. Dried it out, added a weather boot, fixed it. Anyone else notice higher temps after heavy weather or just coincidence?

Warm plug is common but shouldn’t feel hot. Every winter in NH my charging cable gets a little stiff too. If I ever notice the plug is more than just warm, I unplug and check for signs of wear or loose prongs. Worth being a little paranoid.

does anyone else get super stressed when the plug gets warm? i literally touch it three times a night in case it’s too hot. is that too much or is everyone checking all the time??

Warm cord is super common on a 6-20, especially after a rainy or cold night—mine does that too. If it’s only warm and not hot or soft, you’re fine. I just check with a touch after long charges. Haven’t seen issues unless the outlet or plug starts to discolor or feel loose.

Blinking indicator light on the mobile connector during charging after rain usually points to ground fault detection or moisture ingress. If it blinks consistently while plugged in, check the connector head and outlet for water exposure or corrosion. I’ve seen this twice on NEMA 6-20 setups—one resolved after drying, one needed a new outlet. Don’t ignore it if the blinking persists or the plug feels hotter than usual.

Rain plus warmth can be a red flag if your cover isn’t tight—outlet box indoor or outdoor, and is it fully weather-sealed? Also, which light blinks—on the car, wall, or connector?

Yeah, I'd second this. If the plug is just a little warm that's usually fine, but the couple times mine felt really hot it was because the outlet screws were a bit loose—tightened them up (with the breaker off!) and haven’t had that issue since.

Is 'uncomfortable' like Texas-summer hot, where you don't want to touch it? Or more just warm? I never know if I'm overreacting, but mine never gets actually hot, just somewhat warm. Want to make sure I'm reading this right.

Pulled my NEMA 6-20 out once because the prongs were a weird shade of brown—turned out the tiny screws inside the outlet were loose. Had to sheepishly replace the whole thing after melting it a little. The blinking was a grounding fault that time.

So the cord only being warm and not hot is normal? I always thought if it was even a little warm, something was wrong. Back in Texas I never noticed it, but maybe that's because my garage is cold here.

Yeah, my 6-20 setup hovers around 4 mph too—good enough for overnight top-ups. I also noticed the cord feels pretty warm, but it’s never been an issue so far. Did you ever try checking the outlet face with a temp gun? Wondering what temp you consider ‘normal’ for peace of mind.

Same here. Cord’s always warm to the touch but never hot. I check the plug every now and then for tightness, just in case. If you ever feel real heat or see discoloration, swap it. Cheap insurance.

Heavier wire helps with voltage drop over a long run, but it won't do much for that warmth you're feeling at the plug and cord end — those are two different heat sources. A 6-20 circuit only needs 12 AWG copper per NEC 310.16/210.19 for 20A, and going up to 10 AWG mostly matters if your run from the panel is long (50+ ft) or you're chasing lower resistance losses over distance. The warmth right at the receptacle is almost entirely about contact quality — spring tension in the outlet, how snug the plug fits, whether the terminal screws are torqued down — not the gauge of wire feeding it. Also worth knowing: on a dedicated 20A circuit, EV charging counts as a continuous load, so code caps it at 16A (80% of 20A) under 210.19(A)(1)/625.44. If your unit's actually pulling closer to the full 20A, that's the bigger factor in how warm things run, not the wiring behind the wall.

Yeah, after a freeze the cord always feels stiffer for a bit, and I’ve noticed a little more warmth once it thaws, especially if there’s still some dampness around the plug area. I’ve found waiting until the cord is fully dried off before charging helps a bit—do you keep your outlet fully covered outdoors or is it just under an eave?

Is there a specific rating to look for on a plug cover, or does "weatherproof" from the charger maker already account for driving rain?

Weather boots for plugs are just flexible rubber or silicone hoods you can put over the junction, not EV-specific, and you’ll find plenty at Home Depot in the outdoor electrical aisle. But the generic ones usually don’t seal tight to EV charge cords—they’re made for extension cords and might not fit the plug head on a Tesla mobile connector. I ended up buying a third-party boot online that was sized for the UMC plug, and it worked better for keeping rain out. The marketing will say ‘weatherproof,’ but unless it fits snug to the cable, water can still wick in during heavy rain or snow. Don’t trust the packaging claims unless you can see how it fits on your actual cord.