I'm pretty sure they draw about the same amount. They still have a compressor that needs a BIG kick of juice from a huge capacitor to get it to turn over. I know that we've replaced a generous number of capacitors on our couple heat-pump units over the years.
It's common for an induction motor to draw some 2 1/2 times run current for startup. So a soft starter is good to have.
Yeah.... a couple of friends have mentioned that before the soft start came up on here. Is there a specific brand you recommend?
No, I do not use them (yet!). I've looked around, what I need is one for my hot water-heater and they are usually designed for motors. I speak from my experience on Navy Ship Engineering plants. We had to be aware of starting surges since sometimes we were on the battery (a really big one) powering thru motor generators.
I installed this one about a year ago and can power my whole house with a 5 ton central HVAC with the 7.2 kw PB -- Very easy DIY installation:
Thanks for sharing that. I didn't think we'd ever be able to run a 5 ton unit from the 7.2. I've got a Lightning and first have to get my plug and panel lockout installed.
Yes, I have mine installed with a panel lockout, and the "dogbone" method as outlined elsewhere on this forum. I do find that it is best to start the power-up procedure after an outage with all circuit breakers off and then, making sure the the panel lockout is activated, selectively power up the desired circuits. With the soft starter my inrush amps went from 90 to about 35.
This is the exact same model I have and it has been working great. Many others on here have had good luck with this product line as well. Their website has a tool that makes it very easy to pick the correct model for your unit. I did have a couple questions during my installation and their support team was very helpful.
Thanks. That is the same one my friend installed, and recommended.
Thanks for sharing. I bought last night. Watched a couple of videos, way too simple to install. I do still have my doubts bout being able to run my 5 ton on the Pro power 7200 watts, but looks like a pretty good device anyway. From several different videos compressors and motors are definitely not all the same. Some of the same size definitely take more power to start up than others.For anyone considering adding a soft starter, micro air has 15% off right now. I have no affiliation with them other than being a happy customer. They never spam me and this offer has been the first discount I’ve ever seen myself.
It look like your AC, as it is now, is only pulling 3600 watts to start. The truck has 7200 watts available. Maybe try allowing the AC to start-up while all other unnecessary loads are powered off??I got my Micro-Air soft starter installed this weekend. It won't start my 5 ton AC powered by the truck. AC units are definitely are not all alike. I'm still very happy with the soft start. There are benefits from it and still reduces what it takes to start the compressor.
My American Standard Unit pulls 152 LRA.
This is after the 5 starts on the Micro Air.
36.1 amps = 8664 watts??
