Connecting an air conditioner: electrical diagram and instructions - Setafi

Connecting an air conditioner is a rather complicated process that is best left to specially trained people. But cases are different. Sometimes situations are so hopeless that you have to take everything into your own hands.

It's no secret that air conditioning is one of the most popular devices in the summer, which is used everywhere:

• in the offices
• in apartments
• in private houses
• at enterprises.

In this regard, there is a difference in connection, because air conditioners for private use are usually are connected to a single-phase network, and industrial and semi-industrial air conditioners are often connected to a three-phase networks. Today we will not analyze the connection of industrial and semi-industrial air conditioners, as this the topic of a separate article, but we will consider how a private air conditioner is connected.

Connecting an air conditioner

Connecting an air conditioner to a private household network is a process that does not forgive mistakes. If you decide to do it yourself, then be prepared for unhurried, attentive, prudent work. The bottom line is that if you do something wrong, then there is a risk of losing an expensive device or more worse - extinguish the burning wiring.

The first thing to remember: air conditioners are different, so the connection of your air conditioner should be strictly according to his scheme connections. Usually, the documentation for devices always has a connection diagram, plus manufacturers additionally put it on the covers of the internal and external modules. Carefully study the existing scheme and only then proceed to action.

Preparing to connect the air conditioner

We have already found out that the first step is to study the existing connection diagram in the documentation or on the air conditioner itself. Next, you need to make sure that you have all the necessary tools available. Usually this:

• impact drill or hammer drill, in order to drill walls for dowels;
• screwdrivers of different sizes;
• pliers;
• frame for fixing the air conditioner;
• consumables: dowels, electrical tape, screws, ties, clamps, etc.

The list of tools may vary. It depends on the model of the air conditioner and on the type of its connection. You choose the type of connection yourself, it can be as follows:

1. Connecting to an electrical outlete. This is the easiest option. In this case, you need to bring the outlet to the installation site of the air conditioner.
2. Connection to the electrical network, bypassing the outlet. This option is more difficult, as it requires a lot of preparatory work. Its essence is that a separate electrical line from the switchboard is led to the air conditioner. In the shield for the air conditioner, a separate knife switch is determined.

Both connection methods are good if they are organized correctly. No matter how you connect, you need to remember one important thing: you need to bring your own electrical line to the air conditioner. The fact is that air conditioners are powerful devices. Therefore, if you connect the air conditioner to a power line to which something is already connected, then there is a risk that the electrical wiring will not withstand and a fire will result. Of course, this is a conditional recommendation, because if you laid the wiring yourself, you could lay an electrical cable with a high load potential and then it is not afraid of overloads.

In general, in the preparatory part, you should think over and prepare the wiring and check the availability of the right tool.

Air conditioner connection: indoor and outdoor unit

To connect the air conditioner, you will need two pieces of wire:

• one for connecting the outdoor and indoor unit;
• one for connecting the indoor unit to the mains.

The connection of the indoor and outdoor unit of air conditioners is carried out according to the schemes indicated in documents. There you will also find recommendations for the cross section of the wire. The wire itself is laid along with the tubes of the freon line. We will talk about how to properly lay a freon line in the following articles.

A fairly common scheme for connecting air conditioner units looks like this:

We think you not difficult guess that to connect two blocks, the electrical wire must not be damaged, so it's better to buy a new one. Also, both sides of the wire will need to be stripped of insulation. When connecting the wires, try not to mix up the terminals and colors of the wires. Recall that:

• N - he is "zero", this is a wire in a blue braid;
• L - it is also a “phase”, this wire can be brown, black, red, etc .;
• "ground" is always a two-color yellow-green wire.

It is important to understand that even if you mixed up the colors of the wires and, for example, connected the blue wire to L (phase), then this rule of yours must be observed on the external and internal unit. That is, regardless of wire color, L must connect to L, N to N, and ground to ground. If you mix it up, then there is a risk that your air conditioner will “burn out” and will definitely not work.

Connecting the air conditioner to the network

Typically, most air conditioners plug into a regular household outlet.e, so you shouldn't have any problems with that. If your home has already been renovated, then you can connect the air conditioner to the nearest outlet, but it is better to give it a separate one. But even here it is not so simple. It's important to read the manufacturer's recommendations because chances are you've purchased a powerful air conditioner because you have a large home. Such air conditioners strictly need a separate line. Then it does not matter whether you have a repair or not a repair - you need to pull a separate line.

Remember that a separate line for the air conditioner and a separate machine is a guarantee of your own safety. Therefore, it is better to do everything right once, so as not to “bite your elbows” later. Hoping for "maybe" is not worth it, as this is fraught with great consequences. The minimum that can happen is the breakdown of the air conditioner, but in general the risk of a fire in your home increases.

Conclusion

Connecting an air conditioner is not an easy task, but if the “hands are in place”, then there will be no problems with this. It is important to understand that the best connection diagram for your particular air conditioner is in its own documentation, so before studying Internet resources, study it first.