Question

Is it okay to plug a window air conditioner into a power strip?

Answer 1

You should check the amperage rating of the power strip and the amperage drawn by the window ac before plugging it into a power strip.

If your window ac is a 5,000 BTU window ac then it's most likely safe to plug it into the power strip assuming you have no other large amperage drawing things on the power strip.

I run a window ac that is 5,000 BTU in my home office where I'm sitting at the computer right now and it has been fine for going on 3 years now.

All I have plugged into it besides the window ac is the desktop computer.

If the window ac is larger than 5,000 BTU then I would not recommend plugging it into a power strip.

If possible it's best to have the window ac "especially if it's larger than 5,000 BTU" on it's own dedicated outlet and circuit.

Answer 2

It's recommended that you replace power strips and surge protectors every 2 to 3 years.

However you can keep a power strip or surge protector as long as it's in good condition and the outlets are tight and not loose and you have no frayed wires on it.

Power strips can cause fires if the power strip is overloaded or if the power strip is bad.

If you overload the power strip then the power strip can start a fire.

Although if the power strip has a breaker on it then the breaker should trip when you pull too much power from the power strip.

Also never plug high wattage things into the power strip such as a space heater that runs longer than a few minutes or so.

Plugging a hair dryer into the power strip is generally safe as long as you don't run the hair dryer longer than 5 minutes or so at a time.

A space heater on the other hand would be a constant load which can heat up a power strip.

Space heaters should be plugged directly into an outlet.

If the power strip also has a frayed cord on it then it should be discarded and replaced.

A power strip gives you the ability to plug multiple devices into a single wall outlet.

A surge protector is a type of power strip which is specifically designed to withstand a power surge and keep your electronics safe.

As long as you don't overload the power strip or surge protector they should not cause any fire.

Also make sure the outlets are fitting tight and not loose and also make sure the outlet that you plug the power strip or surge protector into is tight fitting.

The loose connection of the outlet can cause the plug and outlet to heat up which can start a fire.