Posted on 06/27/2024 10:59:46 AM PDT by George from New England
Has anyone hear ever heard about an air conditioner soft start module ? A sure-start made by hyper engineering in Australia. It takes sort of an electrician mind to install this. Module is used to stop electrical surges that flicker lights when a big a/c starts up. Can also be used if you are a prepper and want to run stuff off-grid with an inverter.
Mine is only 4 years old and not working right anymore. But one can't tell when there is a good utility power source. It fails when one is off-grid for a power failure.
Sort of a sneaky failure. You won't know until you must have it work.
No LEDs show anything wrong. It just has 66 amp surges. And it refuses to let a/c run when utility fails.
I have 2-ton units and they work fine on inverter. Just this 3-ton with sneaky sure start module that won't run.
Utility comes back and all is fine again.
Factory won't support.
Higher capacitance run caps in parallel. Solved my A/C compressor stalling, buzzing, probably burning itself out and not starting using a 10kW genset. Was having to “kick start” the motor on by flipping the breaker on and off until it started. Started even faster with the new caps when on grid power. No dimming lights anymore either.
Did that about 20 years ago with cheap Chinese caps and that Trane compressor is now 30 years old and still starts and runs great on grid. But probably just jinxed it...
Sorry, replace “run caps” with “start caps”. That is all.
If it worked before on battery, then it’s the capacitor INSIDE the AC system. It has one already to help smooth inrush flow during startup.
It was.
It was one reason I installed a variable speed heat pump for my home. That basically has a built-in "soft start" capability anyway. Plus it saves a ton of money even if I didn't have solar.
I have. It’s a cap for one of the motors - compressor I believe. They all have starter caps, but the soft start is a variation.
From AI -
A soft start AC capacitor is a type of capacitor that helps to reduce the rush of current during start up to protect the motor of your air conditioning system. It also helps reduce the amount of wear and tear on the other parts of the system, allowing for better and more consistent performance for your air conditioning unit.
I’m sort of afraid of too much high tech in hvac. Too much to fail.
I still have the start cap and relay if I need to go back.
In my case the failure was the sure start. I’d have been better off with the original start cap and relay.
It was an invisible failure, hidden until utility was/is gone and then you get nothing. Nada.
I just have a regular cap - and the compressor makes a nasty noise when it goes out - (the would go out on my pool pumps too)
HVAC charges are astronomical. I just had to replace 1 AC unit - $12,000.00 - I got two quotes.. that’s for a 3.5 ton - this is ridiculous.
My guess is that the upstairs unit will hari kari next year.
I bought the extended warranty on an over elctronic ed (sic) washing machine. It failed one month after the extended warranty I had purchased ran out. No one wanted to work on it and if I replaced the $350 part myself there were still other electronics that could fail. Went to the junkyard at four years one month.
I replaced it with one of the last of the run mechanical washers Speed Queen made before they were forced to use all electronics.
I wonder if the Chevron Decision will change anything.
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