AC Wiring Troubleshooting

JPM

I have a tenant who is having problems with their AC window unit. Their apartment is all 15 AMP fuses (4 circuits total).

Their AC window unit is rated at 12 AMP but is about 12+ years old. It will cycle on and off for a bit then pop a fuse. They tried putting a power strip in but that would pop also.

My opinion is that the load being pulled on start-up to get the unit going goes over 15 amps .... they have tried plugging in to a few of the circuits ... one which had literally nothing else on it.

Is my opinion correct? Could this be pointing to something in my wiring (some lines are older (figure mid-late 50s).

Thanks

AllanJ

The air conditioner filter and possibly the finned cooling panel could be clogged with dust and dirt.

The air conditioner could have insufficient Freon or Freon line contamination (or excess Freon from an imperfect servicing/recharge).

These conditions can cause the compressor to strain and draw excessive amperage.

You could use an ammeter to measure the current draw. They make convenient actual reading (not clamp on) ammeters too, you plug the appliance into the meter and plug the meter into the receptacle. These cost about $25. at stores like Home Depot.

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stickboy1375

12 year old AC unit? Yeah, time to upgrade. 12 amps is 80% of a 15 amp circuit and falls within the scope of cord and plug equipment not fastened in place, so the issue is with the appliance itself.

qbert

As stated before clean condenser coil,then try