Soft start

[jjradtech]

Has anyone installed a softstart on their ac unit. Trying to decide if I need this or not.

[BB&LAB]

It depends. If you stay in RV Parks, in other words plugged in, probably not. On the other hand if you boondock, have sufficient solar to operate an air conditioner then soft start is a definite need. Having said that soft start can be advantage when plugged in or using a generator as it will enable air conditioner to operate with less draw, which translates into the ability to use an additional appliance while operating the air conditioner.

[Mjlebsa]

Yes, on two. Tested the LRA, locking rotor amps, after the Easystart install, on the main AC & it was 14.9 LRA & the bedroom AC was 10.5 LRA. Can run both A/C on my two Honda gens.

The one thing I forgot to do was test the LRA prior to the easystart install.

FYI…locking rotor amps relates to the expected inrush current during startup. Real world conditions could be higher or lower than this value depending on various factors such as age of the product. Full Load Amps (FLA) is the current used by the motor or compressor when providing the rated output.

[Riverbug]

Definitely helpful if you plug into a 20A or 15A outlet at your house or someone else's, or use a small 2200W generator. They make a big difference. I also just like that when it starts up plugged into 30A, it has a softer cycle start up that isn't as noticeable when sleeping.

[livinthelife]

Has anyone installed a softstart on their ac unit. Trying to decide if I need this or not.

We, also, have the soft start on both AC units. We boondock about 40% of the time.

[attaboy]

Has anyone installed a softstart on their ac unit. Trying to decide if I need this or not.

Like you we have a 30 amp trailer. It is easily overloaded on a hot day with the a/c running a lot.
We had a problem using the microwave (big energy user) while running a/c and the compressor came on.
The soft start eliminated overload and since you are in South Georgia you will be using a lot of a/c.
Hope this helps:
Bob A.

[masterdrago]

Is this device anything more than a start capacitor and a Mars (start relay) sized correctly for the compressor that is connected into the common, start, run connections? Simply like the hard start kits we see in residential condensers similar to https://www.supplyhouse.com/5-2-1-Co...-Ton-A-C-Units

[MoonShadow_1911]

Is this device anything more than a start capacitor and a Mars (start relay) sized correctly for the compressor that is connected into the common, start, run connections? Simply like the hard start kits we see in residential condensers similar to https://www.supplyhouse.com/5-2-1-Co...-Ton-A-C-Units

No, the EasyStart is an electronic controller that digitally ramps up the current then the AC unit controller says it is kicking on the compressor.

The hard start capacitor and relay you are talking about still kicks the compressor with an in rush of current when the capacitor is released. It is true that the hard start capacitor and relay reduces the amperage that is used by the compressor on starting each cycle, but the EasyStart really reduces the total amount required by the compressor when it starts at the beginning of each cycle.

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[masterdrago]

No, the EasyStart is an electronic controller that digitally ramps up the current then the AC unit controller says it is kicking on the compressor.

The hard start capacitor and relay you are talking about still kicks the compressor with an in rush of current when the capacitor is released. It is true that the hard start capacitor and relay reduces the amperage that is used by the compressor on starting each cycle, but the EasyStart really reduces the total amount required by the compressor when it starts at the beginning of each cycle.

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Hence the giant disparity in price, correct? I do know that a hard start kit on my very old, inefficient home central A/C makes a massive difference in start current during that 1/2 second start up.

[MoonShadow_1911]

Hence the giant disparity in price, correct? I do know that a hard start kit on my very old, inefficient home central A/C makes a massive difference in start current during that 1/2 second start up.

That is correct. A hard start capacitor and relay will bring down the required starting amps by a theoretical 25% where the EasyStart will reduce the required starting amps by a theoretical 50% or more, depending on several environmental factors. Please keep in mind these percentages are theoretical averages. Overall, a 25% reduction in amperage did not equate to a 25% reduction in electric cost over time. Nor does it equate to a 25% longer life expectancy for the AC unit; the same goes for the EasyStart. Overall, the EasyStart does give you the most ROI over time though, if boondocking with solar or running a 50 amp trailer on a 30, 20 or 15 amp service.

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