From: nobody@nowhere.com   
      
   On 7/13/2020 11:25 PM, default wrote:   
   > On Mon, 13 Jul 2020 08:47:27 -0700 (PDT), George Herold   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Monday, July 13, 2020 at 11:31:34 AM UTC-4, default wrote:   
   >>> I have an older window air conditioner that I'd like to hang on to for   
   >>> a few more years.  The name plate says it is 220 VAC and since the   
   >>> power company went through and upgraded the distribution network and   
   >>> replaced HT and transformers my service which had been running 210-220   
   >>> volts is now a steady 250 volts and my bill is up ~15%.   
   >>>   
   >>> The increased consumption is tied to how much I run the AC and since   
   >>> the upgrade I've already had to replace both the compressor and fan   
   >>> motor run caps.  The compressor one died a quiet death, and the fan   
   >>> cap melted and smoked. The compressor cap went out the week they   
   >>> changed the transformer and the fan cap about a month later. I put in   
   >>> higher voltage ones and the AC is back on line.   
   >>>   
   >>> I was wondering if putting in 240 VAC to 24VAC center tapped, 10 amp   
   >>> power transformer, wired to buck the voltage makes any sense?   
   >>   
   >> How about a variac to lower the voltage.  (kinda spendy...   
   >> might be better to invest in new AC unit.)   
   >>   
   >> George H.   
   >   
   > That would be ideal, but at a cost of ~$140 versus a transformer   
   > costing ~$35.   
   >   
   I agree about the cost advantage of the variac/transformer. I was   
   about suggest a variac too but refreshed my newsreader before   
   hitting the Send button and saw that George had beaten me to it.   
      
   This reminds me of the time some 35 years ago when the power   
   supply in a friend's TV kept breaking down. It turned out that   
   the mains voltage in their house was persistently high. I   
   improvised a step-down autotransformer with a 12-0-12V 1A   
   transformer and fitted that inside the TV. It never broke down again.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)