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I've always had central air, the place i'm residing now don't have central air. So I buy air conditioner, put it in the window, after i'm done, I notice in the instructions, it says "Power supply cord must be plug into a wall receptacle."
"Do not use an extension cord or an adapter plug." Well, I put the AC in a window far from a wall outlet, so I end up having to use a extension cord & adapter plug.
Now I've got to go thru all the trouble of removing the AC & putting it in a window near a wall outlet!
Wish I had known this prior.
Last edited by PacificWest; 06-25-2012 at 10:50 PM..
Check your AMP reading for your unit. Extension cords come in various amp ratings and in your case a heavy duty 15 or 16 amp cord may be necessary. Too light of a amp rated cord would heat up and may cause a fire. That is probably why the instructions say not to use an extension cord since most are low amp rated and the mfg could be held liable as most consumers do not know the difference.
And yes it is safe to use the proper rated extension cord.
Also check to see if your outlet can handle the amperage of the air unit. Some older homes may have fuses or weak circuit breakers. You may need a dedicated outlet of 15 or 20 amp to use your new unit. If you plug it in and it kicks off a circuit breaker that means you have an overload, that would be dangerous too.
According to instructions, "Avoid fire hazard or electric shock. Do not use an extension cord or an adaptor plug."
Standard warning to prevent lawsuits, too many people hooking them up to little extension cords that might be OK for a single light. You need a heavy duty extension cord.
You should use at least a 14 gauge cord on any window type A/C regardless of size. A 12 gauge cord would be best. Keep it short as possible ...buy shortest length that will reach as needed. 14 gauge is generally good for up to about 10k BTU units. (14 gauge will handle approx. 15 amps). (12 gauge approx. 20 amps) longer runs will reduce those #'s. This assuming we're talking about 110-125 volt units. If you don't have grounded receptacles and need to use ground adapters, do so. But, keep an eye on these as they later can break down from overheating and cause a fire. 220/230 volt units can get into much higher amperage and require special cords/connectors etc.
Big hefty heavy duty extension cords, but extension cords nonetheless.
This is the easier explanation of #6. Problem is most people don't use heavyduty extension cords. Which in turn cause the extension cord to heat up then melt and most likely start a fire even before the breaker finally pops.
Ours fit into the wall outlets, fortunately we have wall outlets near our windows. If using an extension cord I'd just be sure to use the proper kind able to handle an AC unit. If in doubt, if I were you I'd just move the AC unit near a wall outlet.
Have you actually ever had your AC power supply cord connected to an extension cord? If so, ever had any problems?
Yes, the extension cord I use is about 2 feet long and about a half inch in diameter, made expressly for window AC units; I don't know the gauge. I've never had any problems. My other window units are plugged into the wall.
At some point soon, though, I'll be having an outlet installed directly under the window for the AC. The "temporary" fix is now seven years old, and I imagine previous owners did the same.
Around here, they sell extension cords specifically marked for air conditioners (for dumb people like me who don't know about gauges). I imagine you could find one in Walmart.
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