Is my AC Heater bad or the outlet?

[Questions1]

i have a fridgedier brand wall air condition that also has feature for heat. It has been working fine and today I tried to turn it on and it would never turn on heat or AC. I unplugged pressed reset and plugged in back and same thing. The unit wouldn't start or turn on. The outlet shape for the unit and the unit plug is shaped differently so I couldn't try the plug in cord on another outlets I have. I have attached pictures below. I am totally newbie to any of this and I am afraid I will have to spend money to get someone to come look and check what went wrong the unit I the plug in outlet.

 

[Jadnashua]

That outlet is a 20A, 120vac outlet. That T-shape allows both 'normal' less than 20A devices (say a lamp) or higher powered devices like your a/c-heater to be plugged in that require more current than 15A...it prevents you from overloading a 'normal' 15A circuit with it since you can't plug it into a 'normal', 15A receptacle.

You can plug a lamp in there and see if it works...that will tell you if there is power there. You MIGHT have tripped the circuit breaker. If a lamp won't light, see if resetting the circuit breaker will restore things. Note, to reset a circuit breaker, you must turn it fully off, then back on...you can't just push it back towards on from its tripped position. Depending on the brand, it might not move very far from the on position, but it will be a bit springy, verses being solidly in the on position if it is tripped. It will take a bit of force to reset it, and if it won't stay on, you have a wiring or device problem. The test/rest buttons on the cord of the a/c unit have no effect on the power coming out of the wall, only to the unit itself.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Questions1]

To undrestand you, you said:

"You can plug a lamp in there and see if it works...that will tell you if there is power there. You MIGHT have tripped the circuit breaker. If a lamp won't light, see if resetting the circuit breaker will restore things. Note, to reset a circuit breaker, you must turn it fully off, then back on"


I have lamp but the plug in cord for the lamp or all other devices don't work on the outlet for the AC due to its design or shape. So there is no way for me to check to see if the outlet for the AC is dead.
You are saying i should check circuit breaker? CB is the one that is in my bedroom closet right?

 

[JRC3]

Go buy a cheap tester and test it. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-110-220-VAC-Voltage-Tester-MS8900H/202520892

A regular multi-meter will also work.

You can plug a lamp in there and see if it works...

Take another look at the outlet, are the slots not parallel or am I seeing things. *rubs eyes*

 

[Questions1]

Go buy a cheap tester and test it. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-110-220-VAC-Voltage-Tester-MS8900H/202520892

A regular multi-meter will also work.


Take another look at the outlet, are the slots not parallel or am I seeing things. *rubs eyes*

This outlet for the AC is different from all the other outlets in my 2 bedroom condo. I tried plugging in other cords to this but won't go in due to its separate design and shape.

I found the circut breaker in my bedroom closet, i checked and there are few switches, amond those only 1 is bit loose, i tried pushing it off and onn but it stays same. i have no other issues.

don't know what to do. I will go buy the cheap tester if i am unable to get my ac with heater working.

 

[JRC3]

This outlet for the AC is different from all the other outlets in my 2 bedroom condo. I tried plugging in other cords to this but won't go in due to its separate design and shape.

Yeah, that was my point to jadnashua.


Can you take a pic of your breaker panel?

 

[Questions1]

This is one I found in my bedroom. I am able to watch tv the lamp is on and all the lights working fine

i touched those switches,. Each of the switches comes in 2. The 2 switches on the 2nd looks and feel loose so i tried to push it back and forth but they are just like that.

 

[Reach4]

That is a 24o volt outlet. Get that multimeter, and check the voltage. Or maybe try turning the breaker for that circuit off and then back on in the breaker box. It will occupy two slots.

I presume you already pressed the "Reset" button on the plug.

 

[Reach4]

This is one I found in my bedroom. I am unable to watch tv the lamp is on and all the lights working fine

Did you mean able or unable?

Try flipping breakers 3 and 4 off and then back on. Then try flipping breakers 1 and 2 off and then back on.

 

[Questions1]

correction above;

I am ABLE to watch tv, the lights are on , my lamp is working fine. The only thing that is not working is my wall AC and trying to find out and fix the outlet or whatever the problem is.

 

[Questions1]

Did you mean able or unable?

Try flipping breakers 3 and 4 off and then back on. Then try flipping breakers 1 and 2 off and then back on.

Each of the button on the breaker comes in two attached. So that means there are total of 4.
The 2nd one is loose, I tried flipping it but it just stays like that.

 

[Reach4]

Each of the button on the breaker comes in two attached. So that means there are total of 4.
The 2nd one is loose, I tried flipping it but it just stays like that.

I suspect the "loose" breaker is bad, or that it keeps tripping due to a problem when you turn it off and then back on.

I am not familiar with those breakers. You may have a problem finding a replacement. Maybe not. I would look for brand and/or model info.

Here is how I was numbering the breakers:

 

[JRC3]

Try flipping #3 and #4 off at the same time. Then try flipping them back on at the same time. Those handle tie clips may be limiting #3 from resetting unless #4 is flipped off or reset with it. No matter what try turning #4 off and play with the two a bit.

 

[Questions1]

I flipped the breakers on and off multiple times and it is th same thing. The AC unit wouldn't turn on. I will try to go out to buy the tester from HD. Now if the outlet is bad, where can I get someone to replace it for me ? Hope the cost of outlet and the labor is not much . I am unhandy man and I suck at these unfortunately

 

[JRC3]

That #3 breaker looks faulty or tripped. Will it reset and better align with the other breakers when the unit is not plugged in?

 

[Reach4]

How unhandy? What you have there is called a subpanel. That whole panel is going to be powered by a 2-pole breaker in your main panel. I would pull the cover off while the subpanel is powered, but if you are more cautious, you can open (turn off) the breaker in the main box. Expect your bedroom lights to go off, and your TV not to work. Have 2 flashlights.

Then you want to find how the breakers inside are labeled and/or how the box is labeled. That way the electrician that you get could maybe get a replacement breaker in advance. Otherwise he will be looking to put in a new subpanel, or at least make a second trip.. Still might.

To locate an electrician, I suggest you ask your neighbors who have owned houses nearby for a good while for a recommendation.

We are not sure the breaker is bad, but I feel that is probable.

 

[Jadnashua]

Sorry, when I looked at the thumbnail photo, it looked like a 20A 120vac receptacle...with the two both straight, it is wired as a 240vac as stated. But, generally, a 240vac circuit breaker has two actual switches that are ganged together. If you cannot fully press that one that is not on fully to off (it may take a bit more force than just flipping one from on to off - you're resetting the spring in the thing), you cannot reset the thing. It must go all of the way off before it can be turned back on to reset it. The unit will not work unless both legs of its circuit are 'on'. If the one that is part of the a/c's supply, that's why it won't come on. FWIW, a 240vac circuit is required to have both legs (120+120) tied together so that if one leg sees an overload, it also trips the other half of its circuit breaker. If that one that is tripped is part of that circuit, the unit is not wired properly. Doesn't mean it could not have worked, just that it is not how it is supposed to be.

 

[DonL]

That #3 breaker looks faulty or tripped. Will it reset and better align with the other breakers when the unit is not plugged in?

It looks like #3 is tripped to me too.

 

[WorthFlorida]

I hope by now you have your problem fixed. When you have a tripped breaker, #3 in your picture, always unplug the appliance, then reset it. If it goes back to the tripped position it indicates there is a short somewhere or a defective breaker. An electrician would first open the outlet looking for shorts or burn marks, etc. Removing the wires from the outlet and with a meter to measure for a short or open. You want an open. Next would be the breaker. If the breaker did reset and after plugging the appliance and it tripped then the problem is in the appliance.

The plug to the AC unit has a built in ground fault circuit interrupter. It can easily trip and of course it does read RESET for when it doesn't run.

For those who recommended plugging in a lamp to test for voltage???
When an outlet is a single plug it means it is a dedicated circuit and when there is the 'T" shape slot it is almost always 220 volt. Below are two examples of 220v (250 v rated) plugs and the outlet will work with either one. You cannot plug in a 120 volt plug, obviously.

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, when I looked at the thumbnail picture, it looked like a 20A 120vac receptacle, and a lamp would have plugged in! Obviously, I was wrong after looking at the full-sized picture, it was not the receptacle I thought. But, if it WAS a 20A 120vac circuit, a lamp would have been an easy test to see if it had voltage available. A 20A 120vac device will have that one blade rotated so you can't plug it into a 15A receptacle, preventing you from overloading the circuit. These 20A ones allow either a 15A or a 20A plug to fit.