I recently bought an Air Conditioner for my room. My room has 6A (my guess) electric outlets. But the AC can draw up to 16 amps of current.


So if I change the wall outlet and the switch will that be enough? Or do I also need to change the connecting wires for this purpose?

 

I'm not familiar with US code, but I think if you want all four outlets to be 16A then you will need to upgrade the outlets, the wiring that feeds the outlets, and any circuit breakers/fuses that protect the wiring. If you wnat to replace the four outlets with a single outlet then the wiring/breakers should already be rated to cope with that, unless each outlet is separately wired from the distribution box and has its own breaker.

 

Or do I also need to change the connecting wires for this purpose?

Yes, as well as the supplying circuit breaker.

I'm not familiar with US code, but I think if you want all four outlets to be 16A then you will need to upgrade the outlets, the wiring that feeds the outlets, and any circuit breakers/fuses that protect the wiring.

Yes and what I see pictured is not US, beats me but it isn't US or anything I have seen in N. America.

Ron

 

I'm not familiar with US code, but I think if you want all four outlets to be 16A then you will need to upgrade the outlets, the wiring that feeds the outlets, and any circuit breakers/fuses that protect the wiring. If you wnat to replace the four outlets with a single outlet then the wiring/breakers should already be rated to cope with that, unless each outlet is separately wired from the distribution box and has its own breaker.

This obviously isn't the US for two reasons.

1. That is not a US receptacle.

2. I don''t know anywhere in the US where someone has a 6A service. I am pretty sure minimum is 20A.


And shouldn't the "electron_prince" know the answer to this question?

 

This obviously isn't the US for two reasons.

1. That is not a US receptacle.

2. I don''t know anywhere in the US where someone has a 6A service. I am pretty sure minimum is 20A.


And shouldn't the "electron_prince" know the answer to this question?

US outlets are typically 15A (14 AWG) or 20A (12AWG) supply. Outlets for 20A usually have the extra 90° tab option.

 

Looks like India or South Africa crossed with something else?

 

GopherT beat me to the punch.

An additional note: It's permissible to have a 15 amp outlet on a 12 gauge wire system (20 amp source). It's NOT permissible to put a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp source because someone may plug something into a 20 amp outlet expecting to find 20 amps available (within reason). The circuit could be pushed to its limits without tripping the breaker. Prolonged use will degrade the wiring and could eventually lead to a failure of the circuit or a fire.

 

How do you know your outlets are rated for 6A?

You cannot simply change the outlet to one with a higher current rating. You have to ensure that the entire line - outlet, wiring, breaker - are rated for 15A or higher.

https://www.indiaquickfacts.com/con...converters-electric-sockets-electric-adapters

 

Looks like India or South Africa crossed with something else?

6amps is the limit per house hold.!
Max.

 

6amps is the limit per house hold.!
Max.

Max, next time you are in my neighborhood taking pictures please stop and we can have a beer or two.

On a side note when I lived in Italy I had a beach villa. Outside was a circuit breaker for the villa which I think was something like 10 Amps with 220 volt service but in reality line voltage bounced around between 200 and about 215. Inside the villa was a breaker panel with 4 15 Amp breakers. The idea was the entire villa could never exceed 10 Amps total draw. It wasn't an issue of wire gauge, it was an issue of limiting power use. During winters there were only a handful of mostly Americans living in my area, during summers there was a population explosion and during August it was like metropolitan NYC. September 1st you could hear a pin drop.

Ron

 

US outlets are typically 15A (14 AWG) or 20A (12AWG) supply. Outlets for 20A usually have the extra 90° tab option.
View attachment 148033

Oh thast is right 15A. It was too early in the morning.

 

Max, next time you are in my neighborhood taking pictures please stop and we can have a beer or two.



Ron

Is that you wiring up another service to your house? I knew things were bad in Cleveland but I had no idea.

 

Is that you wiring up another service to your house? I knew things were bad in Cleveland but I had no idea.

Whatever it takes for mo power, I needs mo power.

Ron

 

Is that you wiring up another service to your house? I knew things were bad in Cleveland but I had no idea.

Things may improve a little in September. I heard they will add another tierod to the grid.

 

I have seen photos of a non-civilized village with almost everybody stealing electricity from the poles using their own wires. There are so many wires that you cannot see the sky. Of course the electricity is severely overloaded and frequently stops.

 

Back to the original question:

If your outlet is not rated at a high enough current you probably need to get help from a licensed electrician.

 

This obviously isn't the US for two reasons.

Yes, this is not of US but Indian.

How do you know your outlets are rated for 6A?

Because these outlets were meant for phone charging, using a small vacuum cleaner and other such stuffs. And for such purpose in India, we usually have 6A outlets only. There are other outlets that are meant for ACs and they are rated 25 amps but since I have installed the AC in a different location I need to use these outlets with 6A rating.

6amps is the limit per house hold.!
Max.

Not per household. I think it's the rating of that socket. If we draw more current then that from that particular socket then it probably will burn out or something might happen. The overall limit should be high because we have other 25A outlets in bathrooms and in all rooms. They come paired with MCBs. So if they have provided that arrangement then I am sure that the total current to the house should be definitely more than that.

Back to the original question:

If your outlet is not rated at a high enough current you probably need to get help from a licensed electrician.

Yes, I think that's what I need to do. I thought I might save some money by doing it myself as it appeared like a simple task initially.

 

If each of them outlets are 6 amps each I bet the wiring is not a problem.
breaker probably to small.

Only way to no is to see the wire size and check the breaker.

 

If each of them outlets are 6 amps each I bet the wiring is not a problem.
breaker probably to small.

Only way to no is to see the wire size and check the breaker.

If you need 15 or 20 amp service for the air conditioner, not only the outlet but also the supply wiring and circuit breaker must be suitable for that current rating. I don't know what wire gauge is used for 6 amp service, but since wire size has been set by heating and temperature rise, it will not be safe if you are running 16 amps through it. And I am thinking that it is 200, or perhaps 230 volts, as found in the UK, which is where I have seen that style of outlets. So you have a fair sized project ahead in order to have safe and reliable power.

 

Not per household. I think it's the rating of that socket. If we draw more current then that from that particular socket then it probably will burn out or something might happen.
.

It was tongue-in-cheek!
Max.