#Recommendations on smart power outlets for A/C loads

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

lilac tapir
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Hello all! I'm looking to the hive mind here for a recommendation. It's getting to the warmer months in my area and time to break out the portable/window air-conditioner units.

Problem that I run into is this: whoever built the townhouse unit that we have must've been high on something they weren't sharing because the circuit design is all wacky and nonsensical... and so it means that we have struggles with overloading circuits when the A/Cs are all fired up along with whatever the family has plugged in to the walls.

(Important detail: We're located in the Pacific Northwest in the United States - so 120V@60Hz)

Two of the air conditioner units we have are Wi-Fi enabled, so I've got them plumbed up to Home Assistant and have automations all dialed in that if the breaker gets to a certain consumption (provided by an Emporia Vue 2 with espHome), it'll tell the A/C units to power themselves off so we don't blow a breaker.

I've got one A/C unit tho that isn't WiFi or "smart", so my only option there is to kill the power to the unit if that circuit starts to flirt with the redline. Any recommendations on a Zigbee or WiFi power switch that'd be rated to sustain an A/C compressor load? Don't want to venture into the space and make things worse by melting down something not rated for the load.

Thanks and appreciation in advance of any recommendations!

stable silo
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at least check the switching load capacity, go for 16A because there are a lot of switches that look the same, but have a switching load capacity of 2A.. running a couple of ali's tuya smart plugs 16A with no problems.

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but go for zigbee, not wifi

livid lagoon
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I agree, one of the 20A Tuya zigbee switches would be good. I run an oil-filled heater through one of those in the winter months and it works perfectly, no detectable heat at the outlet (once I replaced the heater cable anyway).

vestal acorn
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when the AC is running at steady state, I would expect that a properly built 16A capable smart switch should be able to shut it off without issue. the high current draw on an AC tends to be just at compressor startup.

vestal acorn
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I recommend setting up your automations so the AC unit stays off for some minimum amount of time, to avoid a high current hard start that can happen if the high pressure side is still pressurized. There's usually some protection against that in the unit itself, but it might not always work after a hard power cut. 5 minutes or so should be more than enough.