Chris- Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The background is that I live in a very old rental unit (100+ years old) with no A/C, so three years ago I bought a stand-alone A/C unit for my living room. It was plugged into a grounded outlet on a 15A circuit with my entertainment console (more on that later), and for the first summer I didn’t have any issues. The second summer, one day the breaker tripped when the compressor came on. I called out an LG (manufacturer) tech and he took a look, and he said everything should be OK; in his opinion the circuit was large enough for the A/C, and the power draw of the entertainment center shouldn’t be enough to cause any issues. Probably just a one-time thing. This summer, the third, some things have alluded to a much bigger issue. A few weeks ago I heard a loud crack/snap noise, but didn’t think much of it because I couldn’t tell where it came from. Then, this past Friday, I heard it again distinctly from the outlet. A cursory Google search indicated that it was likely an arc and/or a sign that the insulation was compromised, and that it posed an immediate fire risk. So I unplugged everything, turned off the circuit, and opened up the outlet. Nothing seemed to be wrong, however I’m not an electrician, so obviously I could have missed something. So I put the outlet plate back on, decided to get a 14 gauge extension cord to plug the entertainment center into another outlet, and I plugged the A/C back in. For the rest the weekend I didn’t hear the noise again, however this morning I heard it again when the A/C wasn’t even running. So I unplugged it, turned off the circuit, and called my landlord to report the issue. However after that I discovered something I had no clue about...The refrigerator is hooked up to the same circuit, even though the outlets are on opposite walls. I’m kind of at a loss as to what to do here or what to ask. Any general advice or suggestions would be welcome, but some off the top of my head... Am I correct to assume that the A/C and fridge can’t or shouldn’t share the same circuit? If my landlord claims everything looks good, can I trust them or does the noise (and its potential causes) warrant escalating the issue? If they tell me I simply can’t have the A/C on that outlet because of the refrigerator, can I use the extension cord instead? It’s 14 gauge and explicitly marketed for large appliances, but I’ve also read a lot about how it’s not a good idea to use an extension cord for air conditioners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Best Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 No. Also, tl;dr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickey Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 If the compressors for both the fridge and AC went on at the same time, I'd imagine that would cause issues. Extension cord should be fine, just make sure you have the right gauge and it's not super long. I am not an electrician Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 My lack of electrical knowledge is shocking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The def star Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Have your landlord call an electrician. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggie Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 1 hour ago, The def star said: Have your landlord call an electrician. This. Never fuck around with electricity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nokra Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Is your insurance all paid up? Like others have said, I wouldn't mess around with electricity and potential fire hazards. Without someone actually looking at things in person I would be somewhat skeptical of any advice you might get from here. It seems best to let an electrician take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimpleG Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 On 6/25/2018 at 10:40 AM, Chris- said: Am I correct to assume that the A/C and fridge can’t or shouldn’t share the same circuit? If my landlord claims everything looks good, can I trust them or does the noise (and its potential causes) warrant escalating the issue? If they tell me I simply can’t have the A/C on that outlet because of the refrigerator, can I use the extension cord instead? It’s 14 gauge and explicitly marketed for large appliances, but I’ve also read a lot about how it’s not a good idea to use an extension cord for air conditioners. All fixed appliance are required to have a dedicated circuit but given the age of your house its not surprising that it isnt. At a minimum your LL should have had the other outlet removed and blanked off. Your LL should get an EC out to look at it but if he wont I would recommend you do get one your self, depending on where you live a 1-2 hour service call will run you about $150-$300. Your AC really should be on its own circuit but not much you can do, if I had to use an extension cord I would use one thats atleast 12 or 10. I also recommend you buy an outlet tester and verifiy that all the outlets are wired correctly or If you have an EC come out they can do that fairly quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris- Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 They sent someone out yesterday to replace the outlet (he's on the maintenance crew; no clue if he has traditional electrical training), so I'm going to wait to see if I hear the noise again before escalating. And I decided I'll use the extension cord for the air conditioner; it was explicitly marketed for large appliances (including air conditioners), so I'll just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't overheat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 @ohioguy24 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaynay1 Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Sounds like they pulled too many amps when they were both running. Can you not just plug the AC into another line that has nothing else drawing a lot of amps through it? The 14 guage wire is rated for 15 amps. I would think that an AC would need a bit heavier line going to it. But I don't know what the ac you have will draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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