Window mount AC tripping circuit breaker
Hi All,
I have a new air conditioner that is on it's own circuit.
The breaker is new and rated at 15 amps.
The air conditioner is supposed to use 15 amps at peak.
I believe the wire to the outlet is rated at 15 amp.
The air conditioner has it's own circuit breaker on the plug which has not tripped though it will if you use the test button.
The unit works fine, often for long periods, until it gets the room cool enough that it cycles to fan only and sometimes (not always) when it tries to kick the compressor back in it seems to pull so much current that it seems to suffer from a brown out for several seconds and if we do not kill the power on it the circuit breaker will trip downstairs.
I know these things can pull a much heavier load when starting up but thought that the peak draw of 15 amps meant it actually used less and only spiked to that amount on startup.
What is the best fix? Is there a slow trip circuit breaker that can handle a couple seconds of high draw when the compressor engages?
Do I need to replace the wiring and circuit breaker with 20 or 30 amp ratings and rely on the AC unit's own circuit breaker to handle problems?
Would you not set the dedicated breaker to the rating of the device using it?
Thanks.