Recommend a Low Amperage Draw Window AC Unit for old Building?

I have an AC question if someone would mind to take a stab at it.

I live in Brooklyn, NY. I¹ve lived in the current apartment for many years: the building is old, World War II era and is wired with solid copper wire insulated by a hard black insulator (looks like a totally oxidized black rubber) and the outside is enclosed by a cloth sheath. As you can imagine due to its age, much of the wiring¹s insulator is hard and when handled cracks and crumbles. The apartment (a VERY large place, 3 bathrooms) is wired for what I assume was a minimal electrical/appliance usage for the era and as such the rooms only have 2 electrical outlets each.

It¹s my apartment and four of us live here. I do not use an AC unit because of the amperage draw. One of my roommates got an AC unit last summer and did not heed my warning to research start/run amperage draw for various AC units. She just went to PC Richards and bought one, I assume on looks and price. Her room is connected to one of the kitchen circuits and other room circuits. When the AC runs and someone uses the kitchen toaster or coffee maker, the breaker (15amp) pops off.

An inconvenience, but if she can live with continual interrupted electricity (and if one other roommate can endure it as well as he shares a circuit with her) than so be it. If push comes to shove I¹ll demand she either get rid of the AC unit altogether or replace it with one that has a lower amperage draw. A big pain in the butt at best.

However, today I come home to a bombshell: another roommate informs me that she has ALSO bought an AC unit. I had casually mentioned to her in the past about amperage ratings etc., but she apparently chose to ignore or disregard the info. Her room looks also connected to this circuit and when I came home she informed me that the breaker with 2 AC units was popping off every ten minutes.

At this point I¹m going to tell her that she will have to return her unit and live with a fan like I do.

However, I was wondering if someone who knows the products currently manufactured can recommend an AC unit that has amongst the lowest start up/run amperage of the models available (what would be responsible for the circuit breaker going off, the run voltage??). The rooms are approximately

1400 cubic feet in size. I¹m looking for a unit that will modestly cool the rooms (it does NOT have to do an arctic freeze as my roommates will have to settle for what can function in the apartment). The apartment is wired for 110V. Price is not an object as I will not be dishing out the money (though lower prices units are more desirable).

Any ideas?

Reply to
purplefringe
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Yeah, shoot yourself you cheap ass f*ck before they do. Ever heard of an electrician?

Reply to
Al Moran

On Sat, 29 Jul 2006 01:23:37 -0400, Al Moran wrote (in article ):

I have heard of them and maybe one who has been around can suggest low amperage load AC units....that's all I'm looking for. OTOH, yes my landlord is not only cheap, he's a certified slumlord and the one time he hired an electrician ...to do an electrical upgrade in the building ... he ripped the guy off and never paid him. He will upgrade and/or approve an upgrade only with a gun to his head and then with great reluctance.

Thanks for the kind words...

Reply to
purplefringe

Breakers trip because the appliances use too much amperage. That's what they are designed to do.

An AC with either smaller BTU rating, or a rotary compressor should draw less amperage. The amperage should be listed in the literature some where with the unit. Or on a sticker on the unit.

The answer appears to be twofold. First, you need a time sharing schedule for the power. AC may only be run while the person is home, and they trade off every half hour. Person one gets the power from 00 to 30 minutes, and person two gets from 30 to 60.

Second, the toaster and coffee maker simply must go. Either that, or they need their own designated hour.

As an alternative, folks with AC can be kind, and leave the door open while AC running, and fan in the doorway. Or the AC can be put in a common area to benefit everyone.

Have you considered asking the landlord permission to hire your own electrician, and pay him yourself? A couple new circuits sound like a good idea.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Call a electrician out to check your wiring and let them giver you a price on adding a circuit for each A/C unit before you burn down the building.

Reply to
Moe Jones

Fuck off. According to you "It's my apartment..."

Reply to
Al Moran

Find a new apartment or else get your landlord to repair the current apartment to bring all of its systems up to code conformance.

Reply to
Oscar_Lives

Well my friend you have used word "she" maybe if she stop using vibrator and you help her out she perhaps would be able to sleep much cooler Don't be a drag help poor thing out mother nature compel us to be nice to each other from DIDO

Reply to
Dido

replying to purplefringe, Actually-Interested-in-the-Subject wrote: Great question! I'm also looking for low amperage air conditioner for a vintage camper. There is one at Walmart for $164.

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Reply to
Actually-Interested-in-the-Sub

My Dear Sir it looks like that you are like "call girl" like to get paid but don't like to get f*ck Sorry but I am unable to put it any other way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

replying to purplefringe, Actually-Interested-in-the-Subject wrote: Great question! I'm also looking for low amperage air conditioner for a vintage camper. There is one at Walmart for $164.

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Reply to
Tony944

replying to purplefringe, redsky wrote: By any chance does your land lord go by the name of TRUMP ? aka the orange dotard.

Reply to
redsky

Seems Trump is occupying a large part of your brain, hope he gets another four years of residency there.

Mikek

Reply to
amdx

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