Is it okay to plug an air conditioner into a power strip? I have one plug under my desk that uses a power strip which my computer runs off of. Is it okay for me to add an air conditioner to this strip? I’ve heard that air conditioners aren’t supposed to be in power strips but I have no other choice.
Andrew
Thanks for the help everyone. Looks like it’s not going on the power strip.
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It’s a very bad idea. Power strips are not usually hearty enough to handle the large power loads of an a/c unit. The outlet behind the desk should however be a duplex outlet. Couldn’t you plug the a/c into one outlet and the power strip into the other? If you really do have just one outlet there (this is not common) then maybe see if you could upgrade to a duplex. This should be very inexpensive and leave you with enough outlets to plug everything in. That being said though, it’s hard to say if you do have enough capacity in the circuit to run the a/c and any desk accessories like a computer on that circuit. If you hook it all up and find the breaker trips often, look into having an additional dedicated (for the a/c unit only) branch circuit added to handle the load. Hope you find this helpful!! Steve
I would not leave it running if you are not home.
It could overload the circuit and cause a fire.
Really you need a plug installed.
It should be ok. Look at the air conditioner and see how much power it draws. If it draws more than 1500 watts or very close to 15 amps then you may have a problem because you may blow a breaker. Also look at the power strip and see how many amps/watts it can service. Make sure that it can service as much power at the AC draws. If it cannot, then you can not use the power strip because it may over heat and cause a fire.
No. The motor in the a/c unit naturally creates a surge. You should never run a/c off of a strip or extension cord for two reasons.
1) A plug is naturally a loose connection and can create heat. The extension laying loosely could possibly create enough heat to be a fire hazard due to the amperage an a/c draws at start up.
2) Most extension cords are thin wire (18 guage) and not rated for the amperage an a/c would draw. A 12 gauge extension cord would handle the amperage, but then there the above problem listed as #1.
You could add an outlet or run an extension cord for your computer temporarily. (I suggest a 12 gauge extension from a hardware store)
Air conditioners should ONLY be plugged directly into an unshared wall outlet. Never plug one into a power strip nor even an extension cord. Damage to the air conditioner compressor motor can occur as well as fire in your home.
I am answering you with 35 years experience as an industrial electrician.
No it won’t handle the wattage.
NO..NO..NO.. It could over
load and cause a fire. They do make extension cords for air conditioners. They are a heaver gage of wire .I’ve had one for 5 years now and it doesn’t even get warm.
No, it should be plugged into a grounded wall plug, it pulls too much power and causes surges whenever it ‘kicks on" for all but the highest end professional power strips. Good luck
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