T.B. wrote:
i have a window ac that i want to turn on at a certain time to cool
my
apartment before I get home from work, but can't get it to work with
the
digital time I bought from home depot. it doesn't turn on the unit
when the
timer turns on.

how can i accomplish this?

thanks in advance,
TB

Do an experiment: set the timer aside and simply plug in the a/c to the
wall. Does it come on? If not, either the controls aren't set
correctly, or the unit is one that requires a button to be pushed
*after* power is applied. If it's the latter, I think you're out of
luck.

If the unit comes on when you plug it in, but *not* with the timer,
then I'd guess the timer is insufficient to the load of the a/c. Check
the amps or watts ratings of the timer. A/C units draw a lot of power;
if there isn't a watts or amps rating marked on it, assume it's 15 Amps
or at least 1200 Watts, which is the most you can draw from a normal
household circuit. Your timer should be rated for that.

However, you may find that setting the unit to run all day, but at a
low setting (ie, not very cold, and low fan speed) keeps the room comfy
and uses less power than having it come on full blast just before you
get home. At least that's the advice that came with my a/c unit a
couple of years ago. It's an "efficient" model that simply doesn't have
a "full blast" mode.

Many new a/c units have digital timers built in, but I'm sure you'd
prefer to use the one that's already paid for.

Chip C
Toronto (where it's way too early to worry about a/c)