I live in an old apartment building, and there is only a single outlet anywhere near the only window in my living room. My Air Conditioner works great with it, but now I can't use the desk lamp and digital piano that were plugged into that outlet (with a splitter) while the A/C is running without running an extension cord across the floor. I realize that you're never supposed to use power strips or extension cords with air conditioners, but there are ones that are apparently meant for this. However, I can't find any that are splitters (i.e. they all are just one male to one female). I don't need an extension cord per se - just a splitter, like this. This is rated for 15 amps, and the A/C says it's only 6.3 amps, so I'm assuming it's ok (not sure what the piano is, but it uses a thin cord without a ground so I assume it's not much). Would that be ok? Side question - even the cheapest power strips I can find are rated for 15 amps - and from what I can tell, the household outlets are usually 15 amps.

So why can't I just use any power strip or extension cord, if the A/C only pulls 6.3 amps? Your AC only draws 6.3amps when its running. But when it turns on, for a moment as the motors start, it draws significantly more. Many window air conditioners say in the manual that they need a dedicated circuit because of this. These startup surges may melt cheap powerbars and splitters, eventually causing enough damage to be a fire hazard. Additionally, those surges cause the voltage to drop which can wreak havoc on delicate electronics like an electric piano. Usually not destructive, but enough to make it malfunction. Assuming you cant get permission to have more outlets installed, run an extension cord, preferably for the other electronics near the window. Make sure that extension runs to an outlet on another circuit, and that no other large loads or sensitive electronics are on that circuit. I'm in Australia so I'm not sure if my answer would be completely applicable in your circumstance.

We have 240V here so 10A max... Anyway I'll let you be the judge of whether what I say will be relevant to you or not...cost of 5 ton ac system Personally I would buy a good quality powerboard (you guys seem to call them a powerstrip) and test it out myself. buy portable ac unitHere in Australia the good quality ones have built in surge protection and load protection. central air conditioner repair pricesLike Grant said your AC will draw more than the 6.3A when it kicks in, but with a decent quality powerboard the load protection will switch it off if it draws too much power. It won't do your wiring any damage and you'll know that it won't work! Power strips, formally called Relocatable Power Taps (RPT), are universally discouraged by fire protection authorities for long term use.

Where they are tolerated, daisy chaining them is "bad" as explained here and by IFC 605.4.2 (2009) : Relocatable power taps shall be directly connected to permanently installed receptacles. Even when using an extension cord or power strip without protective components, the fact of adding more connections (plug + socket) provides greater voltage loss and heating, with potential for a runaway thermal meltdown: as a connection heats up, its resistance increases causing it to heat up more. Your air conditioner nominally uses 6.3 amps, which is a cakewalk for a 15 amp circuit. However, it is normal for the a/c to use more power during startup when first turned on and each time the thermostat makes a fresh call for cooling. Elevated current also occurs at exceptional events like restarting after a power interruption while the high pressure side is still fully pressurized. During these times the current can easily reach 15 amps for a second or two and may maintain 12+ amps for almost a minute.

Instead of messing around with the air conditioner, I would plug it in directly at the window. Then install a long extension cord to snake around the room to provide power for the electrically tame lamp and piano from another outlet.Browse other questions tagged electrical air-conditioning power or ask your own question.Look at all the potential fire hazards! It is wholly unpleasant to suffer through a super-humid, sweaty, sleepless night sans air-conditioning—this is especially true if you live in a small room with a small window, with no cross-ventilation or ceiling fan to properly circulate the air. Still, while a hot night is bad, an apartment fire is worse, and it's important to adhere to some safety rules so you don't reduce your home to a pile of ashes. First and foremost: do not connect your air-conditioner window unit to an extension cord. The FDNY specifically warns against using extension cords or power strips for large electrical appliances like air-conditioners, along with televisions, clothes dryers, refrigerators, and freezers, warning that extension cords are "only for temporary use," and cannot handle as much current as permanent wiring.

Air-conditioner cords are purposefully thick and short because A/Cs use so much electricity—if you hook up your unit to a typical extension cord you pick up at a hardware or drug store, the plug, socket, or entire length of the cord can overheat, causing fires that can occasionally be fatal. Of course, in rentals we're often at the mercy of cost-cutting landlords, and it's not that uncommon to find your only room's outlet is located too far from your room's only window. This is an unfortunate discovery, particularly if it happens at 3 a.m. on an 80-degree night and your A/C is drilled into your window so you end up sleeping with your door wide open and confusing your roommates when they wake up to use the bathroom. There are heavy-duty extension cords that are specifically designed for major appliances like air-conditioners. These should be shorter cords with lower gauges (12 or 14 gauge) and higher amp ratings. If you are in need of one of these, take a photo of the sticker attached to your A/C plug that should list the electricity units the air-conditioner uses, then bring it to a knowledgeable employee at a hardware store and see if there's something they can recommend.

For the sake of yourself and your neighbors, do not try to figure this out yourself, assuming you are not specifically trained in electrical wiring. That is potentially how my apartment building caught fire last year, and I can promise you it is not fun. Another option is to petition your landlord to install another outlet, if you are in a rental. You must go through the landlord to ensure you're not overloading the wiring, which can cause an electrical fire. He or she might say no, but you can bring up the safety issue and offer to split or front the cost to pay for the sockets. There are also a number of ways to stay cool without an air-conditioner. You can use a properly-rated extension cord for a window fan, or purchase a few standing fans and place them around your room strategically so you can circulate the air. Make sure you're sleeping on all-cotton sheets, keep your blinds closed, and buy this weird cooling pillow if you must. Sweat out the booze. Remember that if you do have an air-conditioner (that's plugged properly into a wall), it is imperative that you install it in your window correctly, lest you kill an unsuspecting person on the sidewalk below.