The air conditioner is considered one of the most essential household electronic appliances, that is run by most people during the summer. In today’s article, we will discuss what size Breaker is required for two and two and a half ton AC.
Breaker size for two and 2.5 ton AC
Having a right-sized breaker for the air conditioner unit is important because a wrong AC breaker will damage the electric circuits. People prefer to choose breaker sizes for 220/240V breakers. The ideal breaker size for a two-ton AC is a 15 amp breaker, and for a 2.5-ton AC is a 20 amp breaker.
Air conditioners have become a necessary home appliance for every people who are living in a tropical area. It will provide you relief from the scorching heat of summer and maintain the temperature of your house.
It has become normal for every homeowner to have an air conditioning unit in their house. However, this is considered a part of large appliances in the house and requires much power to run.
That is why calculating the wiring and amperage for the air conditioner is important. You should be very careful when choosing the breaker for your air conditioning unit.
The wrong air conditioning breaker may cause significant damage to the electric circuits and burn them.
Most people feel the necessity of using a properly sized breaker for their air conditioning unit but do not know how to adequately choose the right size breaker for their AC.
Choosing the wrong size breaker can even cause to start a fire in the electric connections. That is why you need to be careful and calculate the amperage before installing an AC breaker.
Every air conditioning unit runs under a specific breaker ampacity. That’s why you need to choose the right size breaker for a specific type of AC, otherwise, it will cause significant damage to the electric lines and even start a fire.
Below is a brief discussion on what size breaker is required to use for 2- and 2.5-ton AC:
2 ton:
When calculating the breaker size for a two-ton AC you need to calculate the maximum wattage the air conditioning unit consumes.
You need to have a proper idea of the amp draw at 220 Volt and minimum breaker ampacity.
Generally, a 2-ton AC uses 2400 watts at 10 EER. The minimum ampacity for 2-ton AC is 13.64 amps so you will need a 15-amp breaker for the AC.
2.5 ton:
In the case of a 2.5-ton AC, the size of the breaker will increase. As a large appliance, it is supposed to consume more power. Generally, the wattage consumption of a 2.5-ton AC is about 3000 watts at 10 EER.
The amp draws of a 2.5-ton AC at 220V are 13.64amps. So, the minimum ampacity of the breaker is 17.05 amps. As a result, you will need a 20-amp breaker to run a 2.5-ton air conditioning unit.
Does 2 and 2.5-ton ac use same size breaker?
Air conditioners are considered one of the most necessary household appliances that most people need to have in their house. Depending on the size of the room, you need to have different size air conditioners.
Generally, a standard-sized air conditioner for a house should be two or 2.5 tons. In that case, you need to choose a different type of AC breaker for your air conditioning unit.
Choosing the right sized AC breaker is important because if you use the wrong size air conditioning breaker it will cause significant damage to the electric circuit and even catch fire.
Generally, the AC breaker sizes depend on the wattage, amp draw at 220 Volt, and minimum breaker ampacity of the air conditioners. In that case, 2- and 2.5-ton air conditioners require 15- and 20-amps breakers.
So, they do not use the same size breakers. Using the same size breakers for larger AC can cause damage to the electric circuit and burn the breaker. That is why it is important to choose the breakers carefully.
How many amps does a 2 and 2.5-ton air conditioner use?
Air conditioners are considered large-sized household appliances that require much electricity to run. It is an essential household appliance that you need to have if you’re living in a tropical area.
Generally, air conditioners are chosen based on the room size. Air conditioners are available in different sizes. However, the standard tonnage for the air conditioner suitable for household applications is 2 and 2.5 tons.
Many people are concerned about using the AC Breakers for air conditioning units but do not know the right size breaker for specific air conditioners. Generally, to figure out the breaker size for your air conditioning unit.
You need to know the ampacity or amperage consumption of the air conditioning unit. Generally, a 2-ton air conditioning unit uses 13.64 amps.
On the other hand, a 2.5-ton air conditioning unit uses 17.05 amps. This is how you can easily figure out what size breaker is required to run such sizes of air conditioning units.
3 things that affect breaker size for ac
Choosing the right size air conditioner breaker is important because it will provide proper power consumption and electricity to run the air conditioning unit.
In addition to that, if you choose the wrong size breaker, it may burn the electric circuit and can cause significant damage to the air conditioner as well.
In some cases, a wrong AC breaker can start to catch fire in the electric connection. That is why you need to be very careful when choosing the right sized AC breaker for your air conditioning unit.
Generally, the air conditioner is considered a necessary household appliance that most people tend to use during summer.
It provides you with relief and maintains the room temperature of your house. Some things affect the breaker size for an air conditioning unit. Below is a brief discussion on a few things that affect the breaker size:
AC tonnage:
The first thing that affects the breaker size for an air conditioning unit is the tonnage of your air conditioner.
Different sizes of air conditioning units require different sizes of Breakers. For example, a 2-tonnage AC requires 15 amps, what is a 2.5 tonnage requires 20 amps.
Maximum wattage:
Maximum wattage consumption of an air conditioning unit at 10 EER rating and 220 Volt circuit is important and it affects the size of a breaker for an air conditioning unit.
Energy efficiency:
Nowadays, modern air conditioning units are made using energy-efficient technology, which enables them to run on lower breakers as well. In that case, it is also a fact that affects the breaker size for the air conditioning unit.
How to calculate breaker size for 2 and 2.5 ton ac?
It is very important to calculate the breaker size for your air conditioning unit so that the air conditioning unit can run properly. Determining the breaker size is very important because it is one of the essential components of the AC.
Generally, every air conditioning unit requires specific sized Breakers. If you use the wrong sized breaker for your air conditioning units, it can cause significant damage to the electrical circuits as well as the connection and can cause a fire.
That is why it is very important to calculate the breaker size for desired air conditioning unit. Generally, the standard air conditioning unit for most households ranges between 2 and 2.5 tons. In addition to that and AC can run using a 220/240 Volt circuit easily.
That is why you do not need to worry about the circuit when installing an air conditioning unit in your house.
The best way to figure out the breaker size for your air conditioning unit is to check the AC label or user manual. In case you need to calculate the size of the breaker for two and 2.5-ton AC, you can simply follow the steps below:
Figure out the Max wattage:
The first thing you need to do to calculate the size of the AC breaker is to figure out the Max wattage of your air conditioning unit. Generally, it should be mentioned on the AC label.
Calculate AC amps draw:
Once you figure out the Max wattage for running your air conditioning unit, you need to calculate how many amps an air conditioning unit will draw when running at 100% output.
Apply NEC rule:
Finally, you need to apply the NEC rule or the National Electric code rule to figure out the breaker size. The NEC rule mentions that the calculated amp draw should represent at most 80% of the AC breaker size amps.
Final Thoughts
Air conditioners are considered one of the most essential household appliances that people use to maintain the temperature of their house. Generally, the standard size for a two-ton AC breaker should be 15 amps and the breaker size for a 2.5-ton AC should be 20 amps.