Soft Start Kit For A/C

[Freedomrider]

HI All,

Really glad I found this post. PLEASE help me understand. I have 2 A/C's
(15K/13.5K, 2013 Classic).

I read on Micro-Air's website, but have not heard any Airstreamers say or validate that they have installed the Easy Start on both A/Cs, and with only the Westinghouse iGen 2500, are able to run both A/Cs without issues.

Has anyone actually done this or doing this?

Micro-Air's website says that you can "Run 2 Air Conditioners on a 30-Amp Cord."

Sounds Awesome. Thanks

[Micro-Air]

Originally Posted by Freedomrider

HI All,

Really glad I found this post. PLEASE help me understand. I have 2 A/C's
(15K/13.5K, 2013 Classic).

I read on Micro-Air's website, but have not heard any Airstreamers say or validate that they have installed the Easy Start on both A/Cs, and with only the Westinghouse iGen 2500, are able to run both A/Cs without issues.

Has anyone actually done this or doing this?

Micro-Air's website says that you can "Run 2 Air Conditioners on a 30-Amp Cord."

Sounds Awesome. Thanks

Hi Freedomrider. Thanks for your questions.

Airstreams like yours with two A/C units, a 13.5k and a 15k, are not at all uncommon. To clarify your first point, the Westinghouse iGen2500 provides 2200W of running amps and 2500W of starting amps. 2200W is more than enough to start and run one air conditioner with EasyStart. People with Honda EU2000i generators are also able to start and run up to a 15k air conditioner with EasyStart, but they simply have 200W less headroom for auxiliary loads.

In order to run both the 13.5k and the 15k, you need at least 30A of power and an EasyStart installed into each A/C unit. 30A @120VAC is 3600W. Obviously, the Westinghouse iGen2500 can't provide that. Many customers who did not yet know about EasyStart typically had two Honda EU2000i generators running in parallel (4000W) to run just one air conditioner. With EasyStart installed in both A/C units, they can now run:

1. Either (one) A/C on one 2000W generator
2. Both A/Cs on two 2000W generators in parallel
3. Both A/Cs on a 30A utility hookup instead of the normal 50A that was previously required

Since many customers with dual A/C trailers only boondock 10-20% of the time, the second and third benefits of being able to use both A/Cs on dual generators or on a single 30A cord turned out to be the most important. Customers with single A/C trailers of course enjoy the first benefit.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

[Freedomrider]

Thank you Mr. Giovanetti for your prompt and through response. I do have two Honda 2000i generators that I do run in parallel. The though was appealing to deal with one Gen instead of two.

I believe I will purchase two of the Easy Starts so that I can run both A/Cs if needed.

Thanks again.

[3bcamper]

There is no room inside my a/c enclosure for the soft start unit. Where have others mounted the soft start enclosure on their Interstate?

[Micro-Air]

Originally Posted by 3bcamper

There is no room inside my a/c enclosure for the soft start unit. Where have others mounted the soft start enclosure on their Interstate?

Hi again 3bcamper. I cannot quite make out the type of A/C you have on top of your Interstate by looking at your small avatar photo. Since it is a 2009 and it looks like a low-profile unit, chances are your A/C is the original Dometic Penguin (I). For these units, the location inside where you mount the EasyStart differs from that of the newer Dometic Penguin II. The wiring is the same though as the EasyStart's harness gets routed inside of the unit's electric box and all of the electrical connections are made in there.

If you can confirm that your A/C is the original Dometic Penguin (I), then check out the installation photos at this link for ideas on how to mount the EasyStart itself.

[3bcamper]

Originally Posted by Micro-Air

Hi again 3bcamper. I cannot quite make out the type of A/C you have on top of your Interstate by looking at your small avatar photo. Since it is a 2009 and it looks like a low-profile unit, chances are your A/C is the original Dometic Penguin (I). For these units, the location inside where you mount the EasyStart differs from that of the newer Dometic Penguin II. The wiring is the same though as the EasyStart's harness gets routed inside of the unit's electric box and all of the electrical connections are made in there.



If you can confirm that your A/C is the original Dometic Penguin (I), then check out the installation photos at this link for ideas on how to mount the EasyStart itself.

I have the Carrier Air V low profile unit.

[Micro-Air]

Originally Posted by 3bcamper

I have the Carrier Air V low profile unit.

Okay. I hope you're up for a challenge! I accomplished one Carrier AirV EasyStart installation last year at the 2017 WBCCI International Rally in Escanaba, on a vintage 1965 Airstream that had this Carrier unit fitted to it at one point in its life. It's not easy, but it actually does end up fitting quite nicely and neatly. You have to be patient though since unlike the Dometic Penguin units, this installation will not take you 30 minutes.

I had previously made a wiring diagram for this unit and it's been available in the EasyStart™ Knowledge Bank at this link. Just now, I dug up an old photo I had and created a brief guide showing where you mount the EasyStart physically and how you route its wires back into the cramped electric box. Like I said, this installation is not easy, but it is certainly doable with some patience and persistence. The keys to your success are 1) getting the condenser fan blade removed temporarily (assuming its nut is not rusted in place) and 2) carefully separating the plastic clamshell that covers the evaporator section by finding and releasing all of its clips and screws. You'll see what I'm talking about when you study the photo guide at this link. Please e-mail me if you have any further questions.

[3bcamper]

Originally Posted by Micro-Air

Okay. I hope you're up for a challenge! I accomplished one Carrier AirV EasyStart installation last year at the 2017 WBCCI International Rally in Escanaba, on a vintage 1965 Airstream that had this Carrier unit fitted to it at one point in its life. It's not easy, but it actually does end up fitting quite nicely and neatly. You have to be patient though since unlike the Dometic Penguin units, this installation will not take you 30 minutes.



I had previously made a wiring diagram for this unit and it's been available in the EasyStart[emoji769] Knowledge Bank at this link. Just now, I dug up an old photo I had and created a brief guide showing where you mount the EasyStart physically and how you route its wires back into the cramped electric box. Like I said, this installation is not easy, but it is certainly doable with some patience and persistence. The keys to your success are 1) getting the condenser fan blade removed temporarily (assuming its nut is not rusted in place) and 2) carefully separating the plastic clamshell that covers the evaporator section by finding and releasing all of its clips and screws. You'll see what I'm talking about when you study the photo guide at this link. Please e-mail me if you have any further questions.

Good instructions. I have already removed the plastic evap fan cover. I suspected this would be a challenge. Does mounting the 364 underneath the condenser fan affect the airflow through the condenser at all?

[Micro-Air]

Originally Posted by 3bcamper

Good instructions. I have already removed the plastic evap fan cover. I suspected this would be a challenge. Does mounting the 364 underneath the condenser fan affect the airflow through the condenser at all?

Given the amount of air turbulence that is already in that space, the EasyStart's rectangular cube will not significantly impact the overall CFM, provided it's lying flat and away from the condenser coil itself. If I recall, there's not much room in that corner, so there's really only one possible orientation for it.

[3bcamper]

Finished the installation today and it seems to work well. The a/c start-up was much less dramatic and the generator held voltage and speed much better.

[RickyB1951]

We installed the soft-start on our base camp air conditioner and use a Honda 2200 to supply power. Works perfectly. The Honda 2200 will only supply power to one air conditioner with soft-start.