According to Atari26004Fun :
I have a Friederich 10k and 24k A/C but wall unit air conditioners.
These are only a few years old, but are not the newer models where the
plugs now come with the built in surge protector. I live in the North
East and like many other places is susceptible to many surges and
brownouts so I would also like the added protection of the surge
protectors of the newer units. My question is it is okay to use a
good off the shelf single outlet surge protector on these large units
and if so, is it worth it or do they really not do anything. Below is
a link to the one I was considering from Radio Shack. Regards and
thanks to all for your help.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search

It'd help to see the specifications for the newer units with the
"surge protection", because I'm having a hard time understanding
why they'd bother, and am wondering whether it's GFCI or something
else other than "surge protection" that they have.

Motors are generally immune to surges/spikes. High load motors
like A/Cs won't like deep brownouts, but a surge protector can't
protect against that. To protect a device against brownouts, you
have to turn _off_ the power (or the motor) when the voltage drops
too far. That's not what surge suppressors do, and turning off
the motor has to be deeply integrated into the A/C.

Tho, I suppose, if your A/Cs have lots of semi-conductor electronics
in them (timers, clocks, etc), it might help. Most A/Cs have very
little electronics in them - just a thermostat controlling a switch,
set point stuff (mostly mechanical), and the compressor motor itself.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.