STC 1000 + Window Air Conditioner

[DanH]

Would an eBay aquarium temp controller work with a window air conditioner, or would it just not come back on without me there to press buttons when the power comes on?

 

[JayUnt]

I would say it depends on the kind of ac unit you are going to use. I have a couple of them that are just switches. Which if in the on state, will turn on as soon as they are plugged in. I also have ones with electrical buttons that you need to pushed after plugged in. The switches should work, but the button ones probably won't.

 

[DanH]

Sweet; thanks. That's what I suspected but I wasn't sure if any of them would turn on as soon as they are plugged in. I was gonna get something cheap for a germ chamber/closet.

 

[packet]

Make sure you get one of the analog A/C units if you're looking for that. Thankfully they're also the cheapest ones out there.

If you open up the unit there should be a wiring diagram and you can rewire it to always be on when it's plugged in.

 

[limulus]

Make sure you get one of the analog A/C units if you're looking for that. Thankfully they're also the cheapest ones out there.

If you open up the unit there should be a wiring diagram and you can rewire it to always be on when it's plugged in.

That was going to be my suggestion too. I bought a brand new 5,050 BTU GE AC unit for $99 a couple of months ago. I just took it out of the box and I'm going to use it in a 4x4x4 cooler that I'm making. I have a couple of extra STC 1000s and a Johnson Controls analog controller that I could use to control it.

 

[Gregthespy]

I was thinking about adding a controller to my window unit A/C cooled ferm chamber and don't have a concern about the issue the OP posted (since my A/C is analog) but my concern was the amperage load that the aquarium controller can handle is 10 amps and most 5000 btu units are 15 amps. Just something to consider. I'm not sure of a workaround for this, maybe the controller triggering another relay rated at a higher rating???? Don't mean to hijack the thread, just a concern that the OP may not have thought of. I'd be curious of a solution as well...

 

[limulus]

I was thinking about adding a controller to my window unit A/C cooled ferm chamber and don't have a concern about the issue the OP posted (since my A/C is analog) but my concern was the amperage load that the aquarium controller can handle is 10 amps and most 5000 btu units are 15 amps. Just something to consider. I'm not sure of a workaround for this, maybe the controller triggering another relay rated at a higher rating???? Don't mean to hijack the thread, just a concern that the OP may not have thought of. I'd be curious of a solution as well...

You know, I forgot about the amperage rating on the STC1000. It looks like I'll be using the analog Johnson Controls controller.

 

[mrklueber]

The STC-1000 is rated at 15 amps for 110 volts.

 

[packet]

I was thinking about adding a controller to my window unit A/C cooled ferm chamber and don't have a concern about the issue the OP posted (since my A/C is analog) but my concern was the amperage load that the aquarium controller can handle is 10 amps and most 5000 btu units are 15 amps. Just something to consider. I'm not sure of a workaround for this, maybe the controller triggering another relay rated at a higher rating???? Don't mean to hijack the thread, just a concern that the OP may not have thought of. I'd be curious of a solution as well...

5,000 BTU A/Cs are around 5 Amps actually (page 2):

http://manuals.frigidaire.com/prodinfo_pdf/Edison/FRA052XT7_0513_EN.pdf

 

[mattd2]

5,000 BTU A/Cs are around 5 Amps actually (page 2):

http://manuals.frigidaire.com/prodinfo_pdf/Edison/FRA052XT7_0513_EN.pdf

What about inrush current?

 

[packet]

What about inrush current?

Should be under 10, but you'd have to check on the specific model.