Thread: 20 amp power chord

The instructions should have a recommended circuit breaker size, either 16A or 20A. This should be on its own circuit and plugged in near the A/C without an extension lead. This will need a sparky to organise. You are looking at $150-$350 for this. If it is a 20A plug you need a 20A socket. These coast about $20 each.

I'd speak to the place where you bought it. They gave you misleading adivice since getting wiring done is not ideal for a rental place. Why not get a smaller 1hp unit and plug into a regular power point? Or ask the landlord to install a split system and pay $10 more rent per week.

Cheers Pulse

from the details you've given, assuming they are correct the plug top on there is dangerously small. you should be thinking of putting a 32 amp plug top on rather than a 10.

using the power forumula [p=v*i] it transposes to give p/v=i

throw your numbers in there and you get 6100/240=25.4Amps.

plug that into a 16 amp circuit and you'll still trip the breaker.

i'd be far easier to take it back to the sales guy as he has sold you a product based on misinformation he's given you, so you're fully entitled to a refund.

a 32 amp circuit will be expensive for a single run, as copper has gone up and 32 amps uses larger cable. which means more $/m

I think the 6100W is cooling power of the AC, not current draw from the compressor. The current draw is 12A, but the start current may be higher. Some ACs like the current mistral units in Bunnies have soft start to limit this. The manual should have a recommendation in it.

Cheers
Pulse

Originally Posted by thatirwinfella

using the power forumula [p=v*i] it transposes to give p/v=i

throw your numbers in there and you get 6100/240=25.4Amps.

Pulse is correct, the 6.1kW is the cooling power.

Regardless of that, HAVE A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN INSTALL THE REQUIRED CIRCUIT".

Cheers, Jack

still, a 12 amp current draw shouldn't be placed on a 10 amp plug top.


PenPan, you may be able to get an electrician to have a look at the exisiting circuits and create a dedicated 16 amp circuit for the a/c. if they were to put a 15 amp socket outlet on this circuit, and a 15 amp plug top on your a/c you'd be laughing. it might just be a fair bit of juggling to get the house balanced on only two circuits though.

Originally Posted by thatirwinfella

still, a 12 amp current draw shouldn't be placed on a 10 amp plug top.

Correct, that is why I said "HAVE A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN INSTALL THE REQUIRED CIRCUIT".

Cheers, Jack

Recently we had two aircons installed recently, one was a 5200W unit and the other is 7200W. The company we bought the aircons from agreed in writing to wire these to dedicated circuit breakers and also arranged the installation sparkies. Next morning I let the sparkies in and then left them to it. When I came back they had gone, and had wired the big one to a new 32A circuit and the other to an existing 20A breaker. I rang the aircon company to complain, the manager was clearly upset, not at me, but at the sparkies and said things like, "this is the last straw". Next day they sent around another sparky who wired the 5200W unit to its own breaker. I later heard he had give the first lot of sparkies the flick,

It's a big problem in WA at the moment getting anyone to do this sort of job properly.

I know a 15A GPO uses the same power cable as a twin 10A, as this is the type of points I had installed in my garage. Correct about the circuit breakers. I had to have 4 breakers for the 4 15A points.

Originally Posted by BobL

It's a big problem in WA at the moment getting anyone to do this sort of job properly.

Is that because all the 1/2 decent sparkies are off earning big bucks in the mines?

Redgy