Hi.
Am exploring to install/add a heating element mounted and with the size/shape of the outlet blowing grille of a plain 5000BTU window air conditioner that will disconnect its compressor to disable cooling.
It would be nice to have a single outlet receptacle that switches-off an auxiliary mechanical contact when a plug is inserted.
Anyone knows how to find one, or perhaps ideas to make one ? AC manufacturers want zillions for a $5 addition of a heating feature.

 

Adding an microwave-oven-duty interlock microswitch to one of these would be nice. When a plug is inserted, to act a microswitch behind it...

 

If you can't find that, how about using a current sensing relay to shut off the AC when the heater is energized (example below)?



Three cheers for the deciBel!!

 

I was also going to suggest something similar, but Crutschow replied much faster.

Nowadays the state of electronics is that, whatever gadgets one can think of, there will be something already available, fully assembled and tested and in a nice plastic enclosure, for sale at Amazon, Aliexpress, EBay or any other e-commerce website, at a price lower than the cost (to you) of the raw components themselves.

 

What I have seen is an OUTLET COVER that operates a switch when it is opened to allow a plug to be inserted. The immediate benefit is that it does not handle the power and so many rules do not apply. So that could be an alternative solution. AND it could be much safer.

 

Hi.
Am exploring to install/add a heating element mounted and with the size/shape of the outlet blowing grille of a plain 5000BTU window air conditioner that will disconnect its compressor to disable cooling.
It would be nice to have a single outlet receptacle that switches-off an auxiliary mechanical contact when a plug is inserted.
Anyone knows how to find one, or perhaps ideas to make one ? AC manufacturers want zillions for a $5 addition of a heating feature.

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Adding a heated function to a typical "window size" air conditioner could be done by "simply" exchanging the condenser and evaporator connections. EXCEPT that it would not be at all simple!!!
Adding electric resistance heat to an AC unit has already been done and is in a commercial product that is not commonly available.
NOTE!!!! There is NO WAY any heating function could be added to a window-sized AC unit for even $5! Maybe for $250 that would not be safe to use !!

 

Hi.
Am exploring to install/add a heating element mounted and with the size/shape of the outlet blowing grille of a plain 5000BTU window air conditioner that will disconnect its compressor to disable cooling.
It would be nice to have a single outlet receptacle that switches-off an auxiliary mechanical contact when a plug is inserted.
Anyone knows how to find one, or perhaps ideas to make one ? AC manufacturers want zillions for a $5 addition of a heating feature.

If it is already cold enough, and cold enough to require a heater, then the thermostat will disable the compressor.

 

What compressor do you need to lock-out?? And why are you not simply able to switch it off ?? If heating is required then the cooling thermostat will stay OFF, won't it?? I think that I sawan interlocked outlet in a hardware store back in about 1956. Things have changed a whole lot since then.