on April 13, 2012 at 8:18 AM As temperatures begin to rise in the New Orleans area, air conditioner window units run longer. And some catch fire, warns the New Orleans Fire Department. A fire Wednesday in Algiers, for example, sparked on a spring day when the high at 1:49 p.m. was 86 degrees -- one degree shy of the record set in 1999. The New Orleans Fire Department received a call at 1:47 p.m. about a fire on the second floor of a townhouse at 3502 Vespasian Blvd. It started in a window unit and spread to the curtains and window frame, said Jonathan Pajeaud, a department spokesman. Firefighters put it out before flames charred other parts of the structure. Firefighters arrived at 1:52 p.m.; the blaze was under control at 2:40 p.m., Pajeaud said. A "middle-aged" woman in the townhouse was helped from the second floor by a neighbor and she was not burned, he said. She was taken to Touro Hospital to make sure she was not injured by smoke inhalation. Once she arrived at the hospital, however, "she got out of the ambulance and left," he said.

Fires sparked by window units "are not uncommon," said Pajeaud, who speculated dozens occur each year and warned that area residents with window units may want to take precautions as summer approaches. The exact count last year for such fires in New Orleans was not available immediately, he said. The nation's Fire Administration shares NOFD's concerns about window-unit mishaps. "Although window and wall air conditioning units account for 35 percent of the air-conditioning equipment in residences, they cause 55 percent of air-conditioning equipment fires," according to the U.S. Fire Administration. "This may be due to smaller, undersized wiring that was not designed to carry the power load required by air-conditioning equipment. Homes with central air conditioners generally have dedicated circuits appropriately sized for this equipment." In many cases, air conditioner units run at full capacity during the hottest summer months and are not always routinely inspected or maintained, often causing the mechanical failures or malfunctions that result in fire, according to the agency that provides national leadership in fire prevention and preparedness.

Pajeaud recommends anyone using a window unit take the following precautions: * Make sure a unit is installed so that it leans slightly outside, preventing water from dripping onto electrical parts. * Make sure the circuit breaker conforms with the amperage of the window unit so the breaker will work if a malfunction occurs. * Do not use extension cords or a power strip "because they may overload and catch fire." * Do not run the window unit's power cord under a carpet or rug because someone walking on the cord might crack its insulation, starting a fire. * Keep the unit's air filter clean. * And make sure your smoke detector is working properly. The central AC in our apartment is not working effectively in the summer; we are running the AC continuously for 14 hours a day to keep the temperature below 80 degrees. As you can imagine, our electric bill has become a huge problem. (Edit: Please note the maintenance staff are incompetent and management doesn't care about our problem at all -"getting the central AC fixed" is not an option, if it's even fixable)

I bought a used portable AC unit (around 11,000 BTU, rated at 12 amps) and plugged it into an arbitrary outlet near a window, because I was always able to do so with a similar AC at my parent's house. The portable unit worked great for a couple of minutes and then tripped the circuit breaker, which also shut off my computer.how to install an ac unit After a lot of testing I have determined that all of the outlets in the two bedrooms and in the living room run off a single 15-amp circuit (which was 'helpfully' labeled "lighting" in the circuit box). ac power supply high currentThis rules out every outlet that is within reach of a window. is my ac unit too small for my houseThere are two circuits labeled "plugs" in the circuit breaker, but AFAICT they aren't connected to anything (unless they're for the outlets in the kitchen).

Obviously because it's an apartment I can't do anything with the wiring, and I can't use an extension cord on an 11,000 BTU AC... Am I screwed here? Is this typical for an apartment with central AC? The full set of circuits is (as they are labeled): Lights: 1x15A (again, this actually covers outlet in 3 rooms, there is no overhead lighting) Garbage Disposal: 15A (nowhere near a window) Dishwasher: 15A (nowhere near a window) Electic Range: 2 x 40A (oven/stove) We resolved the problem with the portable AC by purchasing a heavy-duty, 15-amp, 12-gauge extension cord and running it from the bathroom to the AC by the window. Since the bathroom is on its own circuit, the AC does not trip the breaker. A big thank you to those who suggested this in the comments. Ironically, management has decided to replace our central air conditioner after I discovered mold in the unit, and their subsequent inspection also revealed it to have a serious Freon leak. If you test each outlet, and find a drop in voltage on any of them, you might be able to claim that the wiring does not meet code, and force the landlord to make some changes that way.

(NEC 210-19 FPN No. 4) in the National Electrical Code states that a voltage drop of 5% at the furthest receptacle in a branch wiring circuit is acceptable for normal efficiency. In a 120 volt 15 ampere circuit, this means that there should be no more than a 6 volt drop (114 volts) at the furthest outlet when the circuit is fully loaded. It also means that the circuit has a resistance that does not exceed 0.4 ohms. This answer was not applicable since the OP had an older 15 amp circuit in the bathroom and not a 20 amp circuit as is required in modern residential wiring. I have therefore withdrawn it.Copyright © 2016 AC State Air - This site Powered by MediagisticSitemap | Cooling a room with a Portable Window Air Conditioner Portable air conditioners are simple and energy-efficient alternatives to central air. Portable units take care of specific areas you need cooled and are great for small or temporary spaces. Installing a window unit is an easy DIY project. Make sure you measure the inside window dimensions before you shop.