[I.M.O.G.]

So my window AC unit took a fall the other day, coincidentally at the same time as I was trying to move it to a different window. In the crash, it became unattached to its power cord which remained firmly plugged into the wall.

It's been about a week since that happened and I got around to fixing it today. I've never repaired anything electronic other than a computer, so I just started taking things apart so I could get to the electrical parts. Now what I had to work with was a power cord with a white and a black wire, both with handy metal connectors attached, and a green wire freyed at the end like it had been ripped out of something - the other end that connected to the wall socket was undamaged.

The green was easy, I found the connector it belonged to still firmly screwed into some metal on the case - so it was the ground obviously. The black and white I wasn't sure where to start - there were about a half dozen places where their connectors would fit. However, there was one connector that was badly bent which was separate from the rest of the available connectors - one wire clearly belonged to this.

So naturally, I started guessing. The grouping of available connectors already had a black wire attached there, so I put the black wire on the seperate lonesome bentup connector. This left me with one white wire, and about 5 receptor connections to choose from. So I plugged it into one, put the electrical plug in the wall socket, pressed power, and she was alive!?

My question to those who have a clue what they're doing with this - did I get lucky and pick the one correct connector for the white wire, or could I have connected it to anything and it would work? Could I have left it unconnected and it would still work? And finally, how likely is it that this is wired incorrectly and will fail and/or burn my place down? With it being hot and humid in Cleveland today, I wasn't interested in testing to see what worked and what didn't, or risk killing it now that it was actually working.

[Komitet]

would depend on the circuitry, would have to see a picture to know how lucky you really are.

[Ben333]

Well basically, the power comes in and the green is grounded to the case as you said. The hot and 1st ground go on into a PCB or one hooks directly to the fan and compressor, the other goes to a thermostat then to the compressor. (with switches along the way) I'm guessing yours is digital (if it has a control board and LCD vs a simple analog thermostat), and when you say there were many wire connections, I think I know what you mean. Many tabs to slip on a female connector? but they all go to the same lead? If its running, and the digital controls are working then it should be totally fine. Just make sure to let it sit flat after a fall before using it, so crap settles back to the bottom of the compressor and doesn't pass through the lines and clog something . I think that's probably not too likely, but they advise letting any refrigeration device sit for a few hours or over night after having it tipped over. I've worked with dehumidifiers, ACs and refrigerated water dispensers so I can tell you just about what works and what will give you some smoke

[Audioaficionado]

Since that cord was stressed, I'd just go out an buy a new cord to be safe. Those A/C units draw a lot of amperage and any stretched wires might overheat or the insulation might be compromised.