Micro-Air Easy Start Installation, Will house AC on a generator be possible with a soft starter?
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- I try my hand at installing a Micro-Air Easy start on my multi-ton Heat pump with the ultimate goal of running our HVAC on generator/battery. This is not a sponsored video, all items were paid for by us and we are not even on the radar of Micro-Air.
I purchased an Easy Start 368 Blue directly from Micro Air. I had it installed by an HVAC certified technician. With the Easy Start installed the compressor on my four ton residential unit would not work. I disconnected the Easy Start and the AC worked fine. I contacted Micro Air by email and the technician was very helpful with photos and directions for the correct wiring using my wiring diagram and photos. Come to find out, The Easy Start was connected correctly the whole time. I completed the warranty info and sent the unit back to Micro Air at my expense, $29.00. Their customer service department received the unit and acknowledged that the unit had a loose wire. My unit was repaired and returned to me. I installed the unit and although it works it still draws between 52 and 74 amps upon start-up depending on whether you use a clamp gauge (74 amps)or the reading on the Easy Start (52 amps). I am not happy with Micro Air sending out defective equipment, acknowledging it was defective and having the customer pay to have that same defective equipment returned to be put into working order. Requests to Micro Air for a refund of my shipping charges have been ignored. Use caution if you consider purchasing from Micro Air their Quality Control and Customer Service has something to be desired.
Yeah that is the horrible customer service. The customer should not have to pay for defective device to be shipped back. Now, I don't know if I should buy and put it on my AC unit.
I was in the process of buying one for my 3-ton home unit... So I could start my AC on my generator if I needed to. Glad I saw this. Sounds like their customer service sucks!! May be better idea to just spend the money on an additional (series style) generator to carry the start load.
Very true! I just found out the hard way that they are putting cheap junk in their units. Mine had a capacitor explode oil inside the new “Flex” model after 2 days. The AC stopped working and even though the software showed errors, it kept trying to start the compressor. When it tried to start the compressor, the whole condenser unit jumped on its pad and made a horrible noise. I immediately removed the safety disconnect and removed the Micro-Air. Support knew it was another capacitor failure. I get to pay for shipping for their mistakes in engineering and manufacturing. AVOID!!!!
New Jersey attitudes. Its their way or the highway. Agree their CS sucks.
Dispute the return shipping charge with your credit card bank. Easy peasy. Eventually microair will learn.
Would have been nice to show how you wired it up and what went where.
Installed a pair of these yeaterday on 2 4 ton units. Customer support for wiring was good and got the job done. Really amazing that my startup amps on one unit went from 125a to 30a.😮 so far so good
VERY FIRST THING, DISCONNECT POWER / awesome video thanks man appreciate your content. I emphasize the power thing because sometimes the obvious is not so obvious.
Not too bad results for a 3.5 ton unit. For my 2.5 ton that had the "optional" factory start kit installed, I was able to start it up with my 7.6 kW running/9.6 kW peak inverter generator, but had to run it a full rpm. With the soft start, it brought the LRA from 56 amps down to 20. Now, I can run it on ESC mode and barely notice the generator ramping up when the compressor starts up. What is really interesting is that now my old frost free fridge/freezer startup loads down the generator than my heat pump. Inductive startup loads are a funny animal for sure...
I have installed this unit, love it. Even if you are not using it with a generator, it protects the compressor. Think of it this way. You have a manual transmission in your car, the light turns green, you rev the engine to max RPMs, red lineing the tachometer, then you pop the clutch, you will be needing a new clutch soon. That's how a compressor starts without an EasyStart, full LRAs hit the compressor, it's like poping the clutch, the main reason compressors fail. With an EasyStart it is like easing off the clutch and giving the engine a little gas slowly. You gently come up to speed. The clutch will last longer, so will your compressor. Also you can move the EasyStart to a new AC unit when you replace your old system. I believe it is a good investment. Hard start kits are a waste of money, they fail a lot. BTW at 8:45 it shows 10 starts of witch 5 are learned starts, it's not 15 starts. Great video.
Until a capacitor in the soft start fails and the Micro-Air beats the crap out of your compressor.
As an industrial maintenance technician, we install VFD's and soft starts regularly on large motors, fans etc. they definitely help with inrush current.
The soft start doesn't run the unit on less current it just reduces the in-rush current at start up. These units work well.
Until they don’t. Mine failed after 2 days. Huge mess.
The LRA listed should be only for that, locked rotor. It is not the expected inrush. I think your meter is working fine. If I have a compressor that won’t start but doesn’t pull LRA it is always starting or running components fault. The compressor will be pulling higher amps but not LRA and usually trip the internal thermal motor overload. I mention this is all the soft start video I have watched reference the LRA as the inrush and this is incorrect. Good video. Thank you
another mensa want to be chimes in w nonsense…
I was unclear about the difference between LRA IRA. Thanks for the explanation.
So I just install the soft starter and it is wonderful. Everything went well following your video it was up and running in less than an hour. The one glitch I had was putting the capacitor back and closing the panel. Because of the length of the wires and the space I had to install the capacitor up-side-down. Is that ok? Or will the capacitor fail sooner operating in an inverted position? Should I extend the wires with butt connectors and put it in right-side-up?
Follow-up: The unit failed after only 2 months. The run wire from the unit fried for a distance of 6 inches. Had to call an AC repair tech. Contacted the company and just thought they would stand by their unit. NOPE - they said splice the wire and hope. The failure was caused by heat. It is Florida in the summer, Duh! The original wires were good in the heat, cycling the AC for 9 years, but their unit failed in 2 months. Anyway, don't trust this company or this unit. They will not support you or their product! BUYER BEWARE!!
Great video, perfectly done so we can understand and see ! 🤘🤘🤘
Excellent review, Thank you.
Can you add one of these to a mini split?
I was waiting for the sparks to fly like Electroboom.
In what way is this better than a simple hard-start kit (e.g., 5-2-1)? I've installed a few of those and they all work like a charm... and they're simpler and cheaper.
A hard start kit and soft starter perform different functions though there are similarities. A hard start kit increases the available potential current available to “shove” into the compressor, giving it a kick if you will. This doesn’t actually make the Compressor easier to start in terms of a smaller generator though. And the hard start kit can actually cause increased wear on the compressor because of the jolt the components take on start up. A soft starter gradually brings up the compressor and accomplishes a few things. The first is the significant reduction in inrush current, meaning a much smaller generator is able to start the compressor. The second is that there is less wear on the components of the system which will theoretically increase its life span. And the third would be a decrease in how loud the unit is when it starts. The latter is not an extremely important factor but it can be helpful for RV users in a camping environment and it reinforces that there is less wear on the compressor. Personally my unit is outside my bedroom wall and used to actually startle me, anecdotal I know, but the sound difference was welcome.
I found this article to explain things fairly well in case you want to take a deeper dive into how hard starts function: hvacrschool.com/start-capacitor-inrush-facts-myths-part-4/
They definitely have their place. It just isn’t the same place as a soft starter.
@Demonic Animatronic Thanks very much for this! Yes, I'd started looking for a technical explanation. I'd thought I understood, but then what you said in this video raised more questions. Thanks again.
Also, this unit has a few seconds delay on the fan so they dont start at the same time further reducing the inrush current.
Why do manufacturers have to exaggerate - they claimed 65-75%.
I agree. In my case I installed one on a 4 ton 2 stage heat pump and inrush before was 46 amps and after install it settled 35.3 amps of inrush.
Not convinced these are worth the cost. Maybe if you were running off generator a lot, but in an emergency a simple hard start should be enough to get the AC started on 8-9kw generator. I added the ks1 hard start to my 4 ton 13seer lennow and it alone dropped the inrush amps from 99 down to 58. I bet my 9200w running champion has no problem starting that. The length of time it will see 58amps is not enough to bother the generator. Mine runs at less than 14amps by the way.
I installed this Micro-Air onto my parents 4 ton system and drop inrush amp to 38A, not including blower motor. Using a WEN 8750 watt generator, I was not able to start the AC. I move the Micro-Air to my 3 ton unit, and got inrush down to 25A, and was able to run AC on same generator with no issue. So good luck getting it to run a hard start kit.
These easystarts also do lots of error checking. For instance high voltage draws will send error codes to the app which will allow you to do some troubleshooting to determine if a some simple maintenance will prevent a more expensive problem. Hard start capacitors are just dumb versions. This is the evolution.
Probably not worth the money on a 4.5 or 5-ton A/C unless you have a B.A.G. (big-@$$ generator). With this Easy Start on my 5-ton A/C, my inrush varies between 34A and 66A (published LRA is 146A). My constant Live Current running amperage is between 12A and 15A. I could probably run it with my 8450W generator, but not with the unstable and constantly-changing inrush.
Awesome vid. Is it still work well and is the Bluetooth always on so that you can connect to it on the app without having to hit a button on the device?
Yes, still working great. I’m hoping to have the rest of my solar stuff in soon to test it running on that but so far it’s been great. And the Bluetooth is on whenever the unit is on, so when the unit starts up you can access it, but if the unit is off, so is the Bluetooth. No button needed.
So you let the AC go through the cycle by it self
You mentioned a QR code to get a wiring diagram for you specific AC/Heat Pump manufacturer. I can't find anything like that on the Micro-Air website, is that on the app?
The QR code was in the box with the ez start unit and takes you directly to the installation section for the website. It can be found here www.micro-air.com/kb-easystart/cat_installation.cfm
@@DemonicAnimatronic Thank you appreciate it.
What tonnage is your AC unit
Why not show exactly which wires went where when you installed it? Just an idea that would help the diy’er.
I didn’t show it because it differs for each ac unit. Depending on how it’s wired and the type of unit it will change where you connect. So if someone tried to just copy the colors with where I put them it, could damage the unit unless they had the exact one that I do.
@@DemonicAnimatronic I understand. I have the 364 coming today for my 2.5 ton Maytag hoping it’s a simple install.
Is it AC only or will this work on heat pump? Im considering this but only if it will work with heating as well.
Mine is installed on a heat pump. You just need to get the correct one for your voltage and unit size per the website. Simplified, the only real difference between a heat pump and an air conditioner is a reversing valve, the compressor works the same way as long as it isn’t variable speed.
If these soft start devices actually work, why aren't they in the original equipment to begin with?
The same general reason that an 18-20 seer unit is better than a 14 seer unit but they still primarily sell 14seer units. The unit will run without it and with a simple start and run capacitor. The electronics in these units cost money and development time, they are not as “simple” as a start cap. when you can get away with less components and bring the cost of the units down, that’s frequently what sells. There are units that have soft starters built in but usually when you are already putting in that hardware development you will just switch to a different technology like inverter systems.
They do actually work. I have one on my ac unit. The reason they aren't original equipment is they raise the cost too much and the ac units can run without them.
I would like your opinion on something, Someone has installed a hard start cap on my older 4 ton condenser unit. If i install a soft start kit like the one your installing do i remove the hard start cap first or do i leave it on the unit. great video, thanks much.
The easiest method to install these is when your units wiring matches the factory diagram. So if a hard start kit has been added in, it would be removed. The EasyStart has its own internal cap and start circuit that bypasses the start cap in the unit anyway.
I know this may be a silly question, but could this possibly allow me to run the hvac on a 30a 120v 3800w running and 4500w peak?
Unfortunately no, 120v cannot power a 240v ac unit, not without a large step up transformer that would cost more than just getting a generator with 240v. Additionally, 4500w is very low power for starting an ac unit, even with a soft starter installed.
@@DemonicAnimatronic The 4500W generator should be able to start a 2T AC unit.
i bought the microair easy start ASY-368-X72-BLUE with the wiring kit, i called a few local AC installers in my area and they all said they dont know how to install this equipment , i live in los angeles california would you know anyone in this area that can do the install? appreciate any feedback thank you in advance
Unfortunately I wouldn’t know anyone in the industry to refer. It does seem like a case of not wanting to install it rather than not knowing how though. If someone can work on an ac unit and change a start capacitor then they really should be able to read the instructions and install it. They may have another company they use that is a competitor or are afraid of providing warranty for their work if they don’t normally install that product. Sadly you can’t make someone install it if they don’t want to.
Will it save you money on your monthly electrical bill?
Most likely not, in general this won’t really lower your usage over a full run cycle. It is meant to take down the peak at startup, but as most electricity is billed by KWH and not peak usage, it will still consume the same amount of power over time. Now, it may extend the life of your ac unit by reducing the startup wear on the compressor. If you are attempting to run on generator, solar or other non-grid power source, then it could allow you to use smaller inverters or generators which are cheaper. So it could save you money, just maybe not on your electric bill.
It *may* help reduce peak demand charges, depending on how your electrical plan works. With high current devices such as washers and dryers, you have an option to use them when peak demand charges are lowest. (off peak) AC units however will run most when demand charges are highest, so the lower inrush could help soften the peak demand charges.
What's the difference between the Micro-Air Easystart x20 vs x36?
I believe the X20 is a 120v only model that does not have Bluetooth, so generally RV use only. The X36 has Bluetooth and is the smallest that is 100-240v, so it can run a small home ac unit or an RV unit. The x48 and x72 are larger versions of the X36 and would be used for larger home AC units.
Does anyone know where to find data showing energy savings for one of these?
You will likely NOT see any energy savings by installing this unit.
Does installing this unit save on power usage during daily operation ?
Very little if any savings, what it does is prevent or reduce your house lights from flickering every time your ac comes on.
Does it stay connected when it's off or only when it's on?
The Micro-Air Easy Start is not powered unless the A/C is running.
I wouldnt be happy w ~35% reduction. Thats real disapointing. Nice vid but ez start brick gets 2 stars…
I fully believe that it does more than that as I’m pretty sure the factory inrush is significantly more than I measured, unfortunately my meter is not fast enough as it is not designed for inrush recording. With the unit installed it starts off my inverters great though so I’m more than happy about that. So as long as it is reliable I can’t complain.
I can’t find the 386 anywhere. Where can I find it?
I got mine through their website www.microair.net/products/easystart-368-6-ton-soft-start-motor-starter-for-115-and-230v-ac-motors
I don't plan on running a generator, but I am interested in making the unit quieter, the unit sounds like a train wreck when it starts. You mentioned that is a side benefit of this soft start, but that is my only need right now is to make it quieter. My place is only 3 years old and have (I think) a 5 ton unit, 2400 sq. ft in Arizona. The architects that designed this place in their infinite wisdom placed the unit 3 feet from a bedroom window..... WTH???? What are your thoughts on making it quiet, I was also considering an acoustical blanket for the compressor as well.
Blanket on compressor would probably retain to much heat.
@@tradesman63 Misnomer. The compressor is cooled internally by the refrigerant.
I don’t believe it would do anything for running noise, for me it just took the big hit at the start down. Which makes sense when you think about what this unit does, it really is just for the starting of the unit. The noise from these comes not only from the compressor but also from the fan and from the unit as a whole resonating. So panels rattling and vibrating etc. you could definitely try a compressor blanket kit and I might try some mass loaded vinyl or mlv (like they use to dampen car panels when putting in sound systems) on some of the metal panels of the unit, make sure everything is tightened and maybe place rubber washers where panels vibrate agains each other. Not sure what else you can do other than that, planting bushes around units can help with noise going to neighbors and sometimes bouncing back to your house, but make sure you don’t block the unit from being able to get air.
when see display note( brown wire from micro-air-easy start 368x72 you tie brown direct into yellow?? by pass conpastor! wont work! yeoolow wire tie into canseter then yellow wire splice brown to yellow joint then compreesor work not other way video show! white wire right contact black left contact! brown not single leg to yellow from compressor! need hook yellow from compressor to conster splice brown into yellow then compressor come on! !!!
How many tons is your unit?
3.5 ton
Need to check with local building and electric laws and codes to confirm whether or not a permit is required to install the unit as well whether or not a licensed electrician or equivalent is required to install the unit. While codes at times appear to be a nuisance and possibly in part motivated by government permit fee revenue generation purposes (think taxes?), they generally are established for safety risk purposes protecting not only the owner but the public from potential hazards (fire, electrocution, etc). Failure to comply with a code could result in fines (even jail time?), home insurance claims being void for not complying with a code, home inspectors citing a code violation that may affect a home sale until corrected, potential lawsuits from injured persons claimed to be affected by a code violation (negligence claim?). I believe many diyers are just as good (and safe) as licensed trademen and normally a lot less expensive...however, so long as one knowingly follows a path of conduct they are aware of and the risks and potential consequences - mature informed consent - then that is a good thing.
That thing is absolutely ridiculous with the amount of current that it draws glad I’m not paying your power bills I wire that junk all the time
One of the worst video for installtion
Do tell
Horse manure....LRA is 3 to 5 times RLA. Starting the fan at a different time than the compressor is the only way to improve overall amp draw on start up. You can do that with a simple electronic time delay relay which only costs a few bucks. Ask anyone who installed motor modulators on a-c units in the past to see the damage over time of lowering voltage on and AC motor. We used to go out and replace some motors twice a year so the owner could use his a-c in the winter time, like tanning parlors. There is no way to take a capacitor start motor and make it draw less on start up. Better to invest in an inverter unit to begin with. Use of DC motors in these allows slow start up without the LRA current draw. This is junk science. Just the latest scheme to get your $$
Respectfully strongly disagree, as a controls engineer, LRA can be as much as 10-15x running and soft starters are used all the time on ac motors on conveyors, commercial compressors, and high torque machines without VFDs. The motor life cycle is generally increased not decreased as you are not slamming the mechanics on start up. the misconception is that when you lower the voltage on the windings you inversely increase the current which would burn the windings, however this is exactly what a soft starter like this is designed to prevent. These are pulsing to adjust voltage and current not undervolting. This is more like a pwm controller than a VFD.
A lot of talk and dude never hooked it up to a gen... waste of time.
I’m very sorry you only saw the talking part, normally there is also: wiring, drilling, installation, and measurements. I will look into why these were missing. But yes It was not hooked to a generator in this video, sadly that has to wait until my genset and solar system is up and running because of how complex my setup is. That is why the measurement is provided, so that it can be compared to different models of generator starting capacities.
Will a 9500watt 120/240 30 amp generator start the a/c. Or will I need a 50 amp?
There are a lot of variables with that, for me and my unit the answer would most likely be yes. My start current is now below 38amps which would be about 9,120w at 240v the key is how long the start current lasts and if the generator can sustain that current long enough. if it has a starting wattage that exceeds your ac starting current than you should be fine as long as the generator is honest and isn’t faking the specs. Remember though that this is just your outdoor unit, the indoor unit also needs power as well as anything else that happens to be on at the same time. All the devices on the generator will take away from your available power.