Old NEMA 6-20 outlet options

NickLA said:

Hi, new to the forums. I live in a 1920s apartment, and we have an old outlet near our mantle that I believe is a NEMA 6-20 (photo attached). In the past, we used a 240v heater on it (though it cost a ton of money to run). Now, I'd like to either run a 230v window AC unit there, or convert the outlet to a standard 120v outlet. I've also attached a photo of the breaker that I think serves that outlet. My understanding is it's a ganged breaker (meaning two 120v circuits?). So two questions:

1) Would it be relatively straightforward to "downgrade" this outlet to a 120v outlet? What would that entail? I've done basic electrical work before (swapping standard outlets, installing fixtures), and wonder if I could do it myself.

2) If we keep it as is, would most modern 230v window AC units be compatible, or would I need to check wiring/amperage, or anything else?

Thanks so much for the help!View attachment 57792
View attachment 57793

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Megawatt said:

NickLA welcome to the forum and the receptacle shown is just a standard 20 amp plug which is designed for 120vac not 240vac. What you need to do is have a new receptacle rated for 240vac and probably a 20 amp double pole breaker with new wire considering the age of the old wiring plus running that heater had to do some damage. You could actually convert that old receptacle to 120vac but you need an electrician to do this for you.

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NickLA said:

Thanks so much for reply. So to be clear-

A) I shouldn’t ever have used a 240v appliance on this?
B) If converting to 120v, I would only need an electrician to swap in a new receptacle, and likely not run new wiring from the breaker?

And just for my edification, the ganged breaker - would it have to “unganged” once the receptacle is converted to 120v? Or a new type of breaker installed? Thanks so much.

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