Quote:
Originally Posted by Tfryman
There is a lot of "in-between" between the motors in the AC running normally and the unit drawing less than 20 amps; and one of the motors stalling and drawing a large surge of current to trip a 30 amp breaker. If either the compressor or the fan motors load up due to failing bearings, high head pressure, or any other reason or you have a high resistance connection, the unit could pull 25 to 30 amps long enough to heat up the supply cable and connections and cause a major issue.
This is akin to replacing a fuse with a penny. I'm certainly not a card carrying member of the Internet Safety Patrol, but I would never advocate replacing a 20 amp circuit breaker with a 30 amp breaker without upgrading the circuit.
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The scenario you describe, is not a highly probable event, but it certainly could happen, so as you say, the safest way to go would be to stay with the 20 amp breaker, which would meet any code requirements. The other consideration is, if there was a fire, and the ignition point was traced to a modified electrical system, there could and probably would be a problem getting insurance to pay damages. Just something else to consider.
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