With one ground wire, 2 hot wires on the 230/208v ac window unit, can u plug the existing wires onto the new electrical box
AC window unit 230/208 v 7.9/8.6 amps. I was told that it plugged into a 120 volt plug. They told me to wrap the wires that are already in the wall around the new 3 pronged plug that is horizontal on top and lateral on the bottom. They said it would FOR SURE work on a 120 volt and that I wouldnt have to call an electrician to install a 220 voltage system. Is this true?
120 volt outlet will not power a 230 volt ac unit. Houses have around 230 volts coming in to the service panel. This is two hot wires and a ground wire, which is a return path. One hot wire on the right we can refer to as line A and another on the left we can call line B. So now from the service panel you typically only have one hot (A or B) and a return wire going to each receptacle because most appliances only use about 120 volts. To get 230 volts, two hots (A and B) are required. This is usually only seen for all electric dryers or electric ranges. To sum it up a typical receptacle only has one hot wire and you need two to get the 230 volts required for your AC unit.