Soft start install on RV roof AC

Added a Briidea? soft start that I bought on Amazon for about $100 to my 15k btu GE roof air on my 2025 Coachman Apex Nano 208BHS.

Easy enough install with proper instructions. Took about 20 minutes or so. Works great. Now the initial amp draw when the compressor kicks on is below 25amps. Constant draw is around 12amps.

 

Nice. Is this your first trailer? Just curious.

 

Wow, that's a good price. Micro-Air is the one that most people on my Lance owners forum use but it's quite a bit more than that.

I've thought about doing one for awhile, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

My AC is only 9,200 btu, and my Honda 2200 does fine starting it if I turn the fan on first, THEN turn on AC so it's two little hits instead of one big one. Probably not ideal, but it works.

Keep us posted how it does/lasts.

 

Do thise soft starts work with the home AC units?? Trying to somewhat cut my electric bill this summer.. otherwise I'd be looking at a 7k bill by the end of this year, and sunrun canned my contract, so I'm sorta stuck.

 

There are soft starts for home AC units. I saw a video pop.up the other day from an HVAC guy claiming that the soft start unit on that particular AC caused it to fail but I didn't watch it, and it's probably a rare thing.

 

It’s not that the soft start reduces overall power consumption, it merely smooths the startup cycle to lower the amperage spike that normally happens when the compressor and fan kick on at the same time. They claim that it may also decrease the wear and tear on the compressor.

 

It’s my third over 15 years.

 

The soft start does the same thing. Fan first, delay, then compressor kicks in, but has an internal cap that helps with the initial power demand surge.

 

Ah ok, I was thinking on tying it to a generator using this method, since I have 2 units.

 

I installed a Micro Air on our trailer last year. Works great. Our Honda 2200 can run the AC no problem.