Soft Start a/c feedback

[thanx2u2]

I have been looking at a soft start system for my a/c system so when boondocking I can use my solar power station to run my airstream. I just came across this soft start system. https://softstartup.com/rvlife/. Any feedback would be helpful

[az10]

Originally Posted by thanx2u2

I have been looking at a soft start system for my a/c system so when boondocking I can use my solar power station to run my airstream. I just came across this soft start system. https://softstartup.com/rvlife/. Any feedback would be helpful

$1250 for a soft-start is very steep. There's another brand with a similar plug-in product that's half the price, and still expensive.

[JeffKim]

An A/C will draw a lot of power, 1,300W or so. Curious how big is the solar power station and how many watts are your panels?

[os1r1s]

Different brand, but I have easy starts on both of my ACs. It allows me to run them off of smaller generators when necessary. I will ultimately put in a larger battery bank and potentially modify the wiring to run them off a larger inverter. If you have any questions about how it works with them installed, let me know.

[2012FB]

I have two MicroAir EasyStarts installed along with the MicroAir thermostat control. I can run either unit off a 110 line or 400A lithium. I think on batteries I can run the 1,300 for around 3-4 hours depending but usually plenty enough to cool it down good when stopping or taking a road break. With the Bluetooth thermostat I can start it remotely before we stop. Nice and cool for lunch on the road. I have an on board Onan generator that will easily run both with or without battery assist.

[thanx2u2]

I have an Anker 2600 watt power station

[thanx2u2]

What brand are you talking about?

[richard5933]

Way too expensive and way too gimmicky for me. I've got a MicroAir easy start w/Bluetooth installed on my a/c unit. It works well, was simple to install, and only cost about 1/4 of what you're looking at.

All that said, running the a/c from the batteries and/or solar power station is not an easy task. You'll need enough battery capacity to handle the load and enough solar to recharge it pretty quickly.

A 2600w power station will possibly run it for a short while, but not too long. And then you have to know that you've got adequate solar to recharge it. Give us some more details of your solar system please.

[thanx2u2]

I am looking into solar panels at this time. Right now I have the power bank to run the a/c for a short time, hopefully just to cool down briefly

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by thanx2u2

I am looking into solar panels at this time. Right now I have the power bank to run the a/c for a short time, hopefully just to cool down briefly

Might be good to do some math before getting too far into this project. Here is some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations...

Assuming you got 600 watts of solar panels on your roof, it would take you 4-5 hours to recharge that power bank under ideal conditions and with nothing else consuming power from it.

If the air conditioner draws 1300-1500 watts, you'll have up to two hours of run time for the a/c, if everything works at 100% capacity. I'd guess a more realistic number would be 1 hour or so.

Have you considered installing a unified system in your trailer instead of piecing things together using a power bank and such? By this I mean a bank of lithium batteries, a roof top of solar, and a built in inverter capable of running the a/c. There are a few good threads where people have done this using a Victron Multiplus as the base for the system, similar to what I did on my previous RV.

If you're just trying to use the portable power bank to get a little cooling off while boondocking, I'm not sure that it's worth the effort. It won't run the a/c long enough to really accomplish much and will leave you sweating when it's run dry. You'll have to park in the sun to let your solar recharge it. Might be better to get some good fans set up and choose boondocking sites with good shade and cool nights.

[gypsydad]

Yep; either need a lot bigger power bank, or a generator...which makes the most sense to me if running the AC is the goal.