freefallnyc
first timer
Reged: 01/25/10
Posts: 1
Loc: Brooklyn, NYC
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I have a 220V old air conditioner in the house that I'm renting. The unit is old and loud and doesn't cool all that well. I just was given a 14,000BTU Friedrich A/C from a friend that is moving but it is a unit with a 110V plug.
So... My question is....
Is it easier for me to buy a step-down transformer to plug into the 220V outlet and then plug the new A/C into the transformer, --- or----
Is it easier to have an electrician go thru the process to convert the outlet back to a 110V outlet.
Supporting Information:
- The current 220V breaker is separate in the electrical panel, meaning there are no other appliances on that circuit and it appears that the breaker and wiring was installed specifically for the 220V A/C that came with the house.
- The new A/C that I want to use is rated 15Amp & 125V (which came from the service tag).
I've never used a transformer before and it looks like a transformer would cost about $100 to support the 1850 watts (15Amp x 125V) of the unit.
Am I doing the math correctly in my head?????
dwb
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MCA
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/09/06
Posts: 2554
Loc: Illinois
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What is the exact amp draw, is the 15 amp the exact amp draw or is it the circuit size requirement?
To change to 120 volts, remove the white wire that was re-coded as a hot wire from the double pole breaker and connect it to the neutral bus bar. Replace the 15 amp 240 volt receptacle with a 15 amp 120 volt receptacle. This is very easy to do. You can repalce the double pole breaker with two single pole breakers and use the other one for a new circuit in the future, the sizes must be the appropriate amperage of course.
120 volt loads draw twice the amps as 240 volt loads to provide the same power, which is why I was wondering if the 15 amps was the actual nameplate rating or the circuit size requirement. What is the wire size?
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3phase
Electrician
Reged: 09/09/02
Posts: 6641
Loc: Licensed Electrical Contractor...
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Quote:
I have a 220V old air conditioner in the house that I'm renting
That right there means you cannot do anything. It is the landlord's responsibility and even he cannot do the work himself. In most locals he has tohave a qualified electrician do it. There is also a sticky note about the fact that it is normally a bad idea to change a 240V recpt to a 120V recpt. And is not recommended to do.
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Rule of thumb,Keep your thumb from under the hammer!
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jdevlin
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/09/02
Posts: 6147
Loc: Welland Ont. Canada
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Quote:
Is it easier to have an electrician go thru the process to convert the outlet back to a 110V outlet.
This is the route I would go. Actually quite simple. Change the breaker and the plug. The cable can stay as is.
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Please do not Private Message with questions that can be answered in a Forum. I will not respond.
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