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First, I debated whether to put this on stack exchange or here, but it seems like it is a tech question that suits this site fine.
Background
I have a room with a 115 V, 6000 BTU window AC unit plugged into one outlet. Then a bunch of electronics (~800 W measured) plugged into a 1500 VA, 900 W UPS plugged in to a second outlet across the room. Finally, I have two 50 W strands of Christmas lights in series (100 W total) I tried to plug into various outlets around the room.
Problem
The first problem is that whenever the room gets too hot, the compressor for the AC unit turns on and the Christmas lights will all flicker. This is not just an annoyance, because the first strand of lights I had in the room actually got burned out one by one, starting at the light closest to the wall outlet.
So I got another strand and was surprised to see the flickering happens even if they are plugged into the UPS (which does have an internal automatic voltage regulator). This made me concerned for the electronics plugged into the UPS, which includes a PC and monitors. However, I do not notice any flicker on the monitor when the compressor turns on. On the other hand, I have been getting some strange pc crashes lately (which would make some sense because only recently did it cool enough for the AC to not be running constantly) that may be related. This could also be due to installing a second gpu recently, etc though.
Questions
I have two main questions:
1) What is the best way to stop the flickering?
2) If the lights are flickering even when plugged into the UPS, should I also be concerned about the other electronics that are obviously also experiencing a momentary power reduction?
Some secondary questions:
3) Does it make sense to put another AVR between the UPS and the wall, eg something like this?
4) Is there something I can put between the AC unit and the wall to help?
5) This is a rental so I would prefer not to do any maintenance on the AC unit, but is this an issue you would report to the landlord?
Any ideas?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 10 2019, @10:47PM (5 children)
Don't use an extension cord!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 10 2019, @11:04PM (4 children)
What is "extension cord"?
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Monday November 11 2019, @12:38AM (3 children)
Umm, a cord with a pug on one end and one or more outlets on the other? Says "Extension Cord" in large letters on the packaging when you see it in the store?
And there's nothing wrong with using one for heavy loads - you just need to make sure they're rated for whatever amperage your AC is pulling. I'd lean towards being rated for at least twice the amperage the AC is pulling, just to be on the safe side - extension cords will often get quite warm, even hot, when run at their rated power for long periods of time - the wires just aren't thick enough to transmit that much power without line losses, even on some cords that look tike they should be able to handle it - often times the (cheap) insulation is made much thicker than needed to make it look like the cord uses (expensive) thick wire. The extension cord rating will be listed on the purchase package, quite possibly on a laminated card zip-tied to one end, and just possibly embossed on the molded plug or socket at one end.
If the AC doesn't specify an amperage on the power spec sticker (e.g. 10.5A) then look for a wattage (e.g. 1,260W or 1.26kW) and divide by your line voltage (120V in the U.S.)
Just make sure you secure the extension cord someplace it won't be tripped or walked on, won't get pinched in doors, or otherwise be pulled, pinched or flexed frequently. Any of those can break many of the thin internal wires , leaving you with a cord that still seems to work fine, but has a section that now has a much thinner bundle of unbroken wire, which will get much hotter - very possibly hot enough to burn through the inusulation and start a fire. Also, it's a good idea to occasionally inspect any cord that regularly carries a heavy load - run your hand along it when it's been on for a while, and if you feel any hot spots stop using that cord for heavy loads.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday November 11 2019, @02:19AM
Pretty good buying guide here https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/best-extension-cords-for-any-situation/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90559d97e0 [homedepot.com]
No worries, you can read HD's guide, and buy somewhere else, using the information as a guide. But, good extension cords are exensive!
Most people would think that a ten guage extension cord is overkill, of course. But, if that power is being carried 100 feet or more, that capacity may be needed to prevent overheating.
In AC's case, he probably doesn't need to run the cord 100 feet or more, so 12 or even 14 guage may be sufficient. He will have to know how many amps he is drawing, before he can determine that.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday November 11 2019, @03:27AM (1 child)
(Score: 1, Troll) by Immerman on Tuesday November 12 2019, @02:15AM
Good advice in general. For example, a tightly wound prude can't stay cool either.