A/C plug gets too hot

It is much safer to replace it than not to! If the plug itself does not have corrosion that you could clean off, then there's probably a near-break in the wires inside it. YOUR HOUSE WILL BURN DOWN IF YOU KEEP USING IT. DO NOT USE IT UNTIL IT'S FIXED.

Thank you! Yes, I HAVE unplugged it for now. I do not see any corrosion on the plug, but there are tell tale signs on the plug itself, like burn marks near the metallic part (the correct term escapes me!), and the wire closer to the plug gets hot and soft as well. Can replacing the plug be a SAFE solution, or will it still carry some danger with it? How do I fix it if there is a near break in the wires inside?

If it's a plug you can open up, then when you open it it'll be ovbiou where the problem is from the most burnt places. I expect one of the conductors inside is corroded or loose. You might be able to just tighten up the little screws if a conductor is loose, or if it's corroded cut a few cm off the wire and put the plug back on. If the plug is damaged in any way other than being discoloured, then take it off and fit a new plug - remember to put the same rated fuse in (If you're in a country with fuses in the plug like the UK). If in doubt if the conductors in the wire themself is broken the safe thing to do is to cut a few cm off the end, and re strip the wires. If you don't know how to fit a plug, try a step-by-step guide from google.

Thanks

If the plug is damaged, you need to have the outlet replaced as well. It may have been what caused the damage to the existing plug. I ran into an air conditioner where it was used with an approved A/C extension cord. There was excess plastic in the socket that only let one side make contact. This made the connection run warm and melted the plastic, which corroded the connection and fused the two connectors together. If I hadn't found it and made proper repairs, there would have been another electrical fire. I've lost two different breaker boxes in the last eight years. One had the ground buss bar burn, and the other box had the main breaker burn free of one of the two 120 VAC line buss bars. Both were installed by licensed electricians and inspected by the county, and a home inspection service before I bought the property.

A properly replaced plug is safe. (Make sure you know which wire goes to which prong; you can use an ohmmeter on the old plug and the cut-off wire to verify this.) Simply cut off the wire far enough away from the original plug to get past the break. Can you identify the exact spot that the heat is coming from?

Michael A. Terrell ha escrito:

What brand were the burnt breaker boxes? Were they "Federal Pacific" by chance?

It could be the plug / socket or any other NODE where it ties into down the line.....including the fuse / breaker itself which may be ready to give out but not quite yet. If the breaker of fuse is hot too, thats a good sign.

Copper wire does corrode after time , and I have seen the oxidization turn black under right conditions and work itself around each part of the wire that is twisted onto each other. It will actually insulate the 2 wires from each other if left unnoticed, and it will get hot the more current is drawn from the faulty node. This seems to happen more often in older homes where they used the old cloth electrical tape, but I expect if a repair is done by a layman who dont follow codes, anythings possible. It may work fine for years, then burn down the home as others have warned.

Hi!

Absolutely! I'd heartily recommend doing so.

Buy a plug of sufficient size for the unit. Any hardware store should have what you need. Assuming it's a 120 volt model, a 120 volt plug rated for 15 amps is usually sufficient. Having just recently put a new plug on my 120 volt 1991-era Kenmore 12,000 BTU unit, I think you'll be fine with a 15A plug. That's what my unit calls for on the informational plate inside...

Clip off the old plug and destroy it. (You don't want someone coming along and plugging it in to a live outlet. They could hurt themselves badly.) Strip the wires back and separate them to give yourself enough room to work, and then install them in the plug (pay attention to wire color).

I would also recommend plugging your air conditioner directly into the wall. Surges shouldn't bother it that much. If they are, I suspect you're having more trouble with your wiring or the outlet being able to provide sufficient power for the air conditioner.

William

They were both Square "D", but the two different electricians didn't use any contact lube to prevent corrosion. One box was pole mounted outside, and the other was 10 inches from the floor in an un-insulated outside wall, so both got a fair amount of condensation. The house was owned by midgets, and everything was mounted well below code height.

Almost the entire wire gets hot within minutes and the circuit breaker in the surge protector trips. (the cheaper ones can be reset and used again, but the more expensive ones were copletely lost!). By the way, I am in the US so I guess the "fuse in the plug" part does not apply to me. How do I select the right plug to replace the old one. The socket seems to be fine because other things are working fine with it.

Thanks to ALL of you for your help.

"William R. Walsh" wrote in news:v2xzg.868615$084.482961@attbi_s22:

Wouldn't an air conditioner more likely be the SOURCE of a surge rather than the recipient?

Puckdropper

The plugs are current rated, by NEMA type. You have to select the same NEMA type plug for a replacement, but it is foolish to not replace the outlet if the plug is damaged. On the other hand, it is your life to lose in a house fire because you wouldn't spend a couple dollars to replcae a defective outlet. If the insurance compnay finds out, they won't have to pay for any fire damage, after the fact.

This is a job for an appliance repairman.

Or rather an electrician, since the wall outlet is also suspect.

Quit using a "surge protector". I very much doubt you have one rated to carry the current of the airconditioning unit. Also, the AC unit has no fragile electronics and the surge protector will introduce resistance.

If the plug still heats up, replace it. Keep in mind that you might have a AC unit that is dying and that is pulling too much current for the wiring.

Replace the plug with a heavy duty commercial grade plug, also don't plug it into a surge protector, plug it straight into an outlet and if it doesn't fit firmly replace the outlet with a commercial grade one as a lot of houses are built with cheap contractor grade crap.

Good advice. A 10,000 BTU, 120-volt air conditioner will pull 10 to 15 amps, which is near the maximum that a well-built wall outlet and plug are designed to handle. (Maximum is 15 or 20 amps depending on type of outlet and wiring behind it.) The surge protector is designed for things that draw much less current, such as a computer drawing 2 amps, and should not be involved; it's just another place for things to go wrong.

Check the current/wattage rating on your "surge protector". I suspect the reason you're blowing them up is they are not rated for the current. A 10,000 BTU unit will pull a fair amount of current, particularly if it's an older unit, not an "Energy Star" type. That also could be why the plug is getting hot if the receptacle in the surge protector is not rated for that kind of load. If it is a bad plug, replacing it with the proper type, 20A, from the hardware store is OK, if you know what you're doing. But if you're not electrically savvy, like plugging a BIG AC unit into a surge protector meant for a 300W computer, seek some help!

Are you talking about a power strip surge protector? These are usually rated for less than 10 amps and I'm farily confident that your AC uses at least that much current. That is probably your problem if you are using a power strip.

- Mike