How can I beat the heat without causing a fire?
I live in an historic house (over 100 years old) and as such it has far and few power outlets. On top of that most of the outlets are 2 prong instead of 3. I have to use window units to keep the place cool. The two rooms with 3 prong outlets are the least used rooms, the kitchen and my craft room, leaving my bedroom and living room too toasty. How can I cool these rooms down? The living room has an outlet on the side wall which means running a short extension cord BUT an adapter would be needed because the outlet is 2 prong and air conditioners are 3 pronged. I absolutely do not want to cause an electrical fire but being hot makes me physically ill. Is there a solution or do I need to get some floor fans and suck it up?
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You can change the outlets to 3 prong plugs with a screw driver, ground them to the box if you want they are cheap to buy You turn the power off and you can change them all.
You can have an electrician install some new outlets in your bedroom and living room, right where you need them. If they're on new, separate circuits they won't tax your existing wiring; and of course, they'll be new 3-prong grounded outlets. Alternatively, you could look at some sort of whole-house air conditioning which will be fed from the main panel and also won't interfere with your existing wiring.
You need to get an electrical contractor (actually three or more of them, separately) to come and tell you what is needed and how much it will cost. Here is the best place to start: http://www.homeadvisor.com/
The service is free and they will suggest contractors that have been checked out and are legitimate.
Install a few mini-split systems, and run new circuits from the main panel to power them.
This will require an electrician. But it will also avoid tying up your existing outlets.
Mini splits are far more energy efficient than typical window units, and also don't tie up windows - you run the refrigerant and condensate drain lines through a small (about 3") hole in the wall, which is easily closed up and sealed for minimal appearance. Some units can be ordered that will operate more than one interior evaporator, and the ability to turn down the outdoor unit's power as necessary for any/all of the indoor units is a large part of what makes them so energy efficient.
Good luck with it.
You can change the outlets to 3 prong plugs with a screw driver, ground them to the box if you want they are cheap to buy You turn the power off and you can change them all.