Portable Air Conditioners (Concerns and Remedies)

During oppressive summer heat, one's first thought is often to get to an air-conditioned area.

Portable plug-in air conditioners often seem to be a great option for homes without *central air conditioning. However, there are some dangers associated with portable air conditioners that one should be aware of.

Just because you can plug your portable air conditioner into the closest electrical outlet in your home, this doesn't mean that you should.

Portable air conditioners draw a relatively huge amount of electricity (12 amps, 1440 watts) when they are running. By comparison, an entire circuit in your home, which could have up to 12 electrical outlets on it, is very likely only rated for 15 amps (1800 watts). This means that just one portable air conditioner uses 80% of that circuit’s capacity by itself! The circuit likely already has other loads on it as well, such a TVs, lights, etc.

Some specific concerns regarding portable air conditioners:

1) Oftentimes, home builders will connect plugs in the quickest possible way, which is called "backstabbing" or putting the wires into little holes in the back of the receptacles. This type of connection is weak and fails with time. When you plug in a larger load, like an air conditioner, it will put stress on these weak connections, and likely be a catalyst for failure.

2) Components of most general home electrical circuits are only rated for 15 amps. This means that if you exceed this, it can lead to plugs and wire insulation melting.

3) You cannot plug more than one portable air conditioner into one circuit at a time. One air conditioner is already using 80% of the circuit's capacity by itself. This means that if one attempts to use more than one portable air conditioner on the same circuit, this will far exceed the 15 amps and this will trip the circuit breaker quickly. If your circuit breaker trips, it happened for a reason. This is to protect the electrical system in your home.

4) If your home has **aluminum branch circuit wiring, which was mainly used from 1969 - 1975, it is very important to reduce the load on the circuit as much as possible. Due to the physical properties of aluminum, aluminum wire will be more likely to fail (expand and contract) when you apply a large amount of current to it, such as with a portable air conditioner. This can lead to a loose connection, which can easily lead to arcing, and a fire.

Some remedies for these concerns:

1) Dedicated circuit: The best option for a plug-in air conditioner is to have a new breaker, cable, and receptacle installed. This means that a new cable will be run from the electrical panel in your home to a new outlet, intended only for the air conditioner. This is the safest option for portable air conditioners.

2) Pigtailed connections: I can ensure that the connections on your home’s electrical circuit are strong. I will verify that the outlets are connected to each other with pigtail connections, which furnish a very strong connection. This pigtailed connection within the electrical circuit will be able to handle the full 15 amps, thus greatly reducing the chance of failure.

If you’d like a free estimate / walkthrough, please let me know.

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*Central air conditioning, if possible, is a great option that will not require the above remedies, which I suggest for plug-in air conditioners.

**If you have aluminum branch circuit wiring, to prevent a fire, I recommend that you never plug in a larger load such as a portable air conditioner.