Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions

I recently moved into a second floor apartment without a window air
conditioner. The only suitable windows for air conditioner placement
are over walkways which makes me very uneasy about putting an A/C in
there. I think my best bet is putting in a portable A/C. I do have a
few questions though. I've been looking at the Sunpentown 1010E units
which are 10000 BTU units. ( http://www.sunpentown.com/ )

1. All the info I see says that these have a LCDI plug. Does this
require a special electrical socket?

2. One website says that the 14000 BTU version requires a 20 AMP
socket. It specifically says

(This unit is designed to operate on a 120-volt/20-amp circuit,
using a specific electrical plug and outlet. If you do not have this
type of outlet or if not enough amperage, contact an electrician who
can install a proper outlet designed to carry the necessary amperage.)

I can't find any info on what the 10000 BTU unit need. I checked my
sockets and they say that they're 15 AMP. Is this enough?

I'm a definite newb when it comes to this stuff. I didn't realize that
there was so much to research. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Tony

  #2   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Edwin Pawlowski
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions


wrote in message
oups.com...
I recently moved into a second floor apartment without a window air
conditioner. The only suitable windows for air conditioner placement
are over walkways which makes me very uneasy about putting an A/C in
there.


Why? Properly installed, they are secure and do not drip. Easier to get
over your fears than have a second rate unit.


  #3   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
z
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions


wrote:
I recently moved into a second floor apartment without a window air
conditioner. The only suitable windows for air conditioner placement
are over walkways which makes me very uneasy about putting an A/C in
there. I think my best bet is putting in a portable A/C. I do have a
few questions though. I've been looking at the Sunpentown 1010E units
which are 10000 BTU units. (
http://www.sunpentown.com/ )

1. All the info I see says that these have a LCDI plug. Does this
require a special electrical socket?

2. One website says that the 14000 BTU version requires a 20 AMP
socket. It specifically says

(This unit is designed to operate on a 120-volt/20-amp circuit,
using a specific electrical plug and outlet. If you do not have this
type of outlet or if not enough amperage, contact an electrician who
can install a proper outlet designed to carry the necessary amperage.)

I can't find any info on what the 10000 BTU unit need. I checked my
sockets and they say that they're 15 AMP. Is this enough?

I'm a definite newb when it comes to this stuff. I didn't realize that
there was so much to research. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Tony


Haven't tried one of these, but a priori I would think that
1) they will be noisy
and
2) there is a loss of efficiency, in that you are using the indoor air
which you have cooled with the evaporator to cool the condenser then
blowing it out the window, and replacing it with outdoor air.
Both due to having the whole unit inside the room, instead of hanging
the business end outside.
In practice, of course, i may be totally wrong, as usual.

  #4   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions

Thanks for the help everyone. The support people at Sunpentown said a
regular 15 amp outlet will work fine. Also, I am worried about the
window A/C dropping on someone's head.

  #7   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Barry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions

Just FYI... they are not noisy.. but they do burn the electricity.

  #8   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Edwin Pawlowski
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions


wrote in message

Also, I am worried about the
window A/C dropping on someone's head.


Then stay cooped up in your house. Crossing the street is more of a danger
than walking near air conditioners. Installed correctly, it is perfectly
safe.


  #10   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
mm
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions

On 25 May 2006 07:57:20 -0700, "z" wrote:


PipeDown wrote:
"z" wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
Thanks for the help everyone. The support people at Sunpentown said a
regular 15 amp outlet will work fine. Also, I am worried about the
window A/C dropping on someone's head.

Happens less often than you might think. Of course, when it does....


It has to randomly fall when someone is randomly benieth it. You can get
brackets to secure it more firmly or you can buiold a small platform outside
the window.


I did the latter. And even though there was no walkway underneath.
Actually, first I put in a shelf in the kitchen, to hold plants
outside the kitchen window. Then I put a charcoal grill on that shelf
and had many nice grilled meals from my fifth floor apartement.
(window couldn't be seen except by recovering drug addicts next door,
although one time one of them told someone there was a fire in my
apartment. That's when the charcoal lighter was still burning, and it
certainly looked like a fire from 4 flights down. Also, on rare
occasiosn the smoke blew into the kitchen enough to bother me, and I
closed the window several times. Once during the flaming part, I broke
the window. But only once out of about 50 times.)

Then I put the AC in my bedroom, and the first thing I did was build a
shelf, just a piece of plywood with 2 wood blocks nailed to it. The
blocks sat on the cement window sill, and the plywood was nailed to
the wooden, outdoor window frame. I removed the AC when I left, but
the shelf was still good.

I was thinking the pretty much only chance of it falling, without major
structural failure of the wall, is during installation if you manage to
drop it before closing the sash.


That's enough.

And you forgot when it is removed for any reason.

for a 20A plug, the blades have one horizontal and one vertical, it should
not fit in a 15A receptacle unless the cord had been replaced. Usually a
receptacle with a single plug is installed but they also have 20A duplex
receptacles too.

In any case, the circuit should be dedicated to that appliance or at least
don't use anything else with lots of watts on the same branch or you will
trip the breaker. A/Cs draw the most current right when they start up, then
it immediately drops to a more reasonable level.




  #11   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
mm
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions

On Thu, 25 May 2006 03:20:45 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:


wrote in message

Also, I am worried about the
window A/C dropping on someone's head.


Then stay cooped up in your house. Crossing the street is more of a danger
than walking near air conditioners. Installed correctly, it is perfectly
safe.


The difference is that crossing the street is a danger to oneself.
Dropping an AC is a danger to someone else. Higher standards apply.

  #12   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
z
 
Posts: n/a
Default Portable Air Conditioner Questions


wrote:
I recently moved into a second floor apartment without a window air
conditioner. The only suitable windows for air conditioner placement
are over walkways which makes me very uneasy about putting an A/C in
there. I think my best bet is putting in a portable A/C. I do have a
few questions though. I've been looking at the Sunpentown 1010E units
which are 10000 BTU units. (
http://www.sunpentown.com/ )

1. All the info I see says that these have a LCDI plug. Does this
require a special electrical socket?

2. One website says that the 14000 BTU version requires a 20 AMP
socket. It specifically says

(This unit is designed to operate on a 120-volt/20-amp circuit,
using a specific electrical plug and outlet. If you do not have this
type of outlet or if not enough amperage, contact an electrician who
can install a proper outlet designed to carry the necessary amperage.)

I can't find any info on what the 10000 BTU unit need. I checked my
sockets and they say that they're 15 AMP. Is this enough?

I'm a definite newb when it comes to this stuff. I didn't realize that
there was so much to research. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Tony


Consumer Reports just had a mention of these kind of ACs in the new
issue (not a full review). They looked at 3 10,000 btu models and found
that they delivered less than half of that. They recommend that instead
of a one hose model that sucks in room air to cool the condensor and
blows it out the window, you look for a two hose model that sucks in
outside air to cool the condensor and blows it back out. That makes
great sense, I didn't know they made such things.

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
I have some questions about carillons [email protected] Electronics Repair 0 May 20th 06 10:08 PM
Black Walnut Question tdstr Woodworking 19 April 12th 06 09:42 PM
Questions, questions... Sailaway Woodworking 7 March 14th 06 11:03 PM
FAQ: Answering questions emailed direct to 'editor' Phil Addison UK diy 21 January 29th 06 11:38 PM
Footings, frost-heave , and related questions ??? news.individual.net Home Repair 5 June 13th 04 06:16 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:36 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 DIYbanter.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about DIY & home improvement"