air conditoning

[Mikepier]

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I don't know what he is accomplishing by just changing the outlet.

[HeyBub]

Probably easier than cutting off the grounding plug.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I was thinking the same thing, but with a new outlet, hopefully it is going to have a good contact and ground perhaps alleviating any poor condition problems that did exist.

[CJT]

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He's probably putting in one that will accommodate a high amp plug. You've probably seen them -- the ones with one prong turned 90 degrees. The problem arises if the wiring isn't appropriate to such a socket.

[karsan2007]

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What is the standard size of the socket?

[CJT]

compare:

[mm]

In most cases in this world, even a person who is wrong has some decent reason for saying what he does. The most common problem is that people tend to exaggerate, to think their own experience and what they learned from it, valid in their case, applies everywhere.

The important thing is that you don't use fuses or circuit breakers that are too big for the wiring.

Then, if you are able to use an AC without exceeding the receptacle's wiring, and you don't trip the breaker too often, you're probably ok.

I don't remember how big 8000 btu is or how many amps it takes, but I doubt the small AC that I used for a while was that big. It was a real portable, which I could carry pretty easily with one arm, from its handle, and I only tried to AC a room that was 7 x 12 feet.

But it was big enough to cool that on a 15 amp circuit, in an apartment that had two 15-amp Fusestats (sp?), and a limit of 20 amps total, with a 20 amp Fustat in the basement. Of course the only other high use item I had was a refrigerator. Other than the computer and the clothes dryer and the sad electric stove, that's the only big thing I have now.

[mm]

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I've seen the receptacles (or outlets. Sockets are really for lightbulbs, but at least they are female, so it's a better term than "plugs" that some people call them, believe it or not!)

But I don't think I've ever seen a room AC, or a portable AC with that kind of plug. Would he change the outlet to one with one T shaped slot when he could just tell the OP to buy one that is 15 amps or less?

So OP, let us know if the outlet he puts in has one straight slot and one T-shaped one, on its side.

[mm]

Better than that are table fans or maybe window fans. Where do you live?

[mm]

When I recommended a fan, above, I had in mind to keep some of the windows open, but it depends so much on the details, the floor plan, the available windows, the prevailing wind, how much the normal wind or breeze is, how often it is still out, how much the windows are shaded by trees or other buildings, the sources of heat including poorly insulated attics and how much cooking is done indoors during the summer. Even keeping the refrigerator door open a lot adds heat to the kitchen and thus the apartment, because the fridge has to run to cool off the inside again, and that puts out heat, more heat than the cool tthat the air from the fridge puts into the kitchen.

Sometimes the room is cooler just by keeping the windows shut, but sometimes either I can't take the closed in feeling (present with AC too, unless it's really hot otherwise) and sometimes I know tehre would be a breeze if I opened the window, especially after 4 or 8 pm.

[Mikepier]

If it's a 20A circuit, then technically that is the outlet that should be used, but in all honesty for an 8,000 BTU a/c a regular 15A outlet would work fine ( providing no other heavy loads on that circuit). Once you get into the 10,000+ BTU range, thats when you should be concerned about current draw.

[karsan2007]

I just intsalled the ac but I got an adapter for the ac the ac is plugged in to the adpater and all of my other products are plugged in to the surge protector.