I live in an apartment that has just one wall unit A/C which has a regular 15amp ground plug that plugs into a regular 110 volt outlet. The problem is that whenever it gets to be over 100 degrees the circuit breaker pops if I have both the A/C and my tv on, which is powered by on the same outlet. However, near the A/C is an old 230 volt 15 amp dedicated outlet, which was probably for an older A/C some time ago. I would like to use the old dedicated outlet to prevent this. Are there reasonably priced converters to plug the A/C into the dedicated 230v 15a outlet? Does this seem like a realistic solution?
Electrical Outlet Conversion 230/110
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I know it sounds like a drag, but you could get a 220 AC unit. Barring that, you might want to talk to your landlord about getting the outlet changed to a 120 volt circuit. It's a relatively easy thing to do, but I don't know your landlord.
I'm not aware of any converters other than transformers.
I'm not aware of any converters other than transformers.
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Or if you feel safe enough you can go into the panel find out what breaker the 230v is and remove the breaker. Tie the white onto the bus bar along with the other neutrals and get a single pole breaker and tie the black from that wire onto the single pole breaker. Than just change the plug over to a 110v outlet :thumbsup:
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Leave the double pole breaker to control a 120v outlet? Wow you must do some interesting work to say the least:whistling2:
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Nothing wrong with that. It still leaves the option of later changing back to a 240 circuit.
Being this is an aprtment, I would not touch anything, but let the landlord do it.
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Perfectly legal, too! :whistling2:
You don't have to use both poles on a double breaker. Simply use one of `em and leave the other terminal unused. Works just fine on a 120 Volt outlet.
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*cough cough HACK*
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Whatever!:laughing:
You have issues dude :laughing:. A bit obsessive/compulsive?
If the breaker is in good shape, you would take it out, install a single pole and a blank?
Yeah....that makes sense.
If the breaker needed replacing I would install a couple new single poles because I refuse to install blanks in dead fronts. The freaking thing are always falling out and getting in my way. It's worth a few extra bucks to put a spare breaker in.
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I hate those blank cover plates! It is certaintly better to install some "spare" breakers in the open spaces and just properly label them as spares.
I see no reason a 2 pole breaker can't be used to feed a 120 volt circuit; so long as its properly wired there would be no issues. A double pole breaker is reaquired in the 2008 NEC on all MWBC (Multi-Wire Branch Circuits). You only need half the breaker to supply the 120 volts, and it will still operate the same as a single pole breaker would.
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