Ac unit

[Pippi123]

Help. I got a ac AC unit for my new apartment and its a 220v and my outlet is a 110v. I got it Cheap since the new ones are pricey. What do i do??. Will it cause a fire or blow the breaker??

 

[Red Squirrel]

A 240v unit will not operate on 120v, and I would not recommend trying it, as it might damage it. Chances are it would not start at all.

You'll want to run a 240v outlet for it. If the unit only uses two wires and ground, you could convert an existing outlet to 240 by replacing the breaker with a double pole. The neutral would just become another hot. Basically 240v is the power between two hots of a split phase system, and 120 is the power between neutral and any of the hots. In the panel the breakers alternate between the two hots (some people call them phases, but they're not really phases) so a double pole will put out 240. The neutral wire normally goes to neutral bus bar but instead it would just go to the second terminal of the breaker.

Also you'll want to respect wire gauge so if the unit takes up more than 15 amps you want to use thicker wire. 12 gauge for 20amps, 10 gauge for 30, 8 gauge for 40. If it's a window unit I don't imagine it uses more than 15 amps though. 15 amps at 240 would probably be able to put out like 2 tons.

 

[Mike64]

First of all, this belongs in "Home and Garden", not "Power Supplies".

But that aside...

you could convert an existing outlet to 240 by replacing the breaker with a double pole.

Not in 99.9% of rental apartments, he couldn't, at least not legally and/or without breaching his lease...

What do i do??

Return it and buy, or exchange it for, a 110V unit.

A) You won't even be able to plug it in to a 110V outlet;

B) even if you could plug it into a 110V outlet, it wouldn't work; and

C) no landlord in his, her, or its (corporate) right mind will let you screw around with the wiring yourself (with excellent reason, frankly, since you're asking this question in the first place), if it would even be legal with LL approval in your jurisdiction. (And fwiw, in many, or maybe even most, places, it wouldn't be legal at all, though of course you'd most likely "get away with it", if the LL okayed it.) And hiring an electrician to do the work, if the LL allowed even that, would obviously cost more than the difference between the A/C you bought and one you should've bought.

And since you made a poor decision to buy this unit just because it was "cheap", ignoring the fact that it was also completely useless to you, you'll have to pardon my reminding you to check the amperage of the circuit you'll be plugging an A/C into, as well as noting what else is already plugged into that circuit, to make sure it can handle the power requirement of whatever unit you do end up buying. You should of course also make sure the unit you buy is sized appropriately (in terms of BTUs) for the space you want to cool. Beyond a relatively small margin of "extra" capacity, bigger is not better "just because more BTUs..." And these days, 220V A/Cs are typically only made in very large-capacity units which leads me to wonder if the one you bought might not have also been too big on top of the problem of being incompatible with your available wall outlet(s). An A/C with significantly larger cooling capacity than your space requires is not a good choice.

 

[Raizinman]

Put an ad on Craigslist and swap or trade your 220 for a 110.

 

[Red Squirrel]

First of all, this belongs in "Home and Garden", not "Power Supplies".

But that aside...

Not in 99.9% of rental apartments, he couldn't, at least not legally and/or without breaching his lease...

Ideally, you'd get the landlord's permission first. I've helped friends with electrical before in apartments but I always ask to talk to the landlord first. If it goes beyond a few wire connections then I advise they get an electrician as I don't want to be responsible for drywall repairs or anything else of that nature.

But in OP's case it may very well be easier to just cut his losses and look for a proper 120 unit. If there are any slide windows in that place in a decent location, then practically any window unit will work and those are cheap.

 

[Mike64]

Ideally, you'd get the landlord's permission first. I've helped friends with electrical before in apartments but I always ask to talk to the landlord first. If it goes beyond a few wire connections then I advise they get an electrician as I don't want to be responsible for drywall repairs or anything else of that nature.

But in OP's case it may very well be easier to just cut his losses and look for a proper 120 unit. If there are any slide windows in that place in a decent location, then practically any window unit will work and those are cheap.

As far as the electrical work itself goes, it's simple enough, but at least in many jurisdictions here in the US, laws governing electrical work in rental apartments, especially in multiple-dwelling units (i.e., apartment buildings) are not the same as the ones applicable to privately owned residences, or even rented houses, and are stricter. And as far as getting the LL's permission, it would be wise to do it much more than merely "ideally" unless you're willing to risk the wrath of a pissed-off LL and/or being charged to have an electrician come in to undo whatever work has been done...

 

[Jaepheth]

Hire an electrician to run 220 to the AC's location and be done with it.