| Author |
Message |
    
Maura
Citizen
Username: Movingin
Post Number: 5
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 9:24 am: | 
|
How do you know what size (BTU) air conditioner unit your electricity can support? We do have an updated fuse box. Thanks! |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 1974
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 11:14 am: |
|
Its not BTUs that matters -- its the AMPs that it draws.
BTUs has to do with cooling capacity -- e.g., for a certain size room or rooms, how much cooling is needed? Use this interactive calculator to figure that out:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/air-conditioners/reports/sizing-wo rksheet/index.htm
Then, look for an air conditioner that has that much capacity -- and you'll get a sense of electric requirements.
Appliances are rated for volts (usually 110 volts or 220/240 volts) and amps (varies widely).
So the specific electric circuit you want to plug the A/C into needs to have enough capacity for the AMPs of the A/C you get.
Not easy to tell by looking. If you have a lot of outlets and/or ceiling fixtures on the same circuit breaker or fuse, it probably does not have enough capacity for an A/C.
Where is the A/C going? One room or more?
Pete
|
Jgberkeley
Citizen
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 4575
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 11:30 am: |
|
This is a case where what you pay buy matters.
Here is how it works.
You can buy several 30,000 BTU window A/C units. Each will remove 30,000 BTU of heat in an hour.
You buy a cheap one it will draw more Amps of power than if you purchased a more expensive unit. The SEER rating will be different.
Keeping that in mind, in almost any home here in the area, as long as you buy a unit that does not draw more than 5 to 6 Amps on a 115 Volt outlet you will be fine. Unless. Unless, that same electrical outlet feeds a refrigerator, another A/C or something like a Microwave; then you will have breaker problems.
In your post you indicated that you have an updated fuse box. Well, if it is updated then you likely have circuit breakers and not fuses, and likely anything added at the time was put on a separate circuit. (A good thing), and with any luck, over loaded wires were split to reduce the chance of wire fires. (That would be a good thing)
So, use the site above, and size the unit to fit the room. Go shopping and buy a good SEER rating unit, and get ready to cool off. If you find that a breaker pops, then deal with it at the time.
Later,
George
|
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14515
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 10:19 pm: |
|
I don't think you need to calculate this stuff. Any house should be able to handle window air conditioners. The trick is not to put more than one unit on a single circuit.
There's a chance you'll blow a circult if you put a unit on a 15 amp circuit. That's generally the smallest size circuit. Plug a loud vacuum cleaner or a radio into the circuit in question. Hit all the circuits in your box one by one. When your noise making device shuts off, you know you have found the breaker for that circuit. The rating of the circuit will be right on the breaker, 15 amps, 20 amps, whatever.
|
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page