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Redneck soft start for ac

Bananaman321

Bananaman321

⚡solar idiot ⚡
Joined
May 18, 2024
Messages
122
Location
Fairfax, SC
Has an experiment to see if my AC was a good candidate for soft start I bypassed the ac disconnect whip cable with 14awg solid Cu free air conductor
20240609_163350.jpg20240609_163358.jpg
Definitely less grunt at startup I do not have an interest meter to test that
But I'm sure the small size of The Wire would have to limit the in rush

This is running off 18kpv luxpower and 50+ kwhr batteries + 2 solar arrays total of 18-370w panels
20240606_033219.jpg20240531_114133.jpg20240531_113627.jpg
 
Made up new whip extended wire length 10 plus feet armor flex 2-14awg +12awg ground all solid Cu
Put everything back together and started up 4ton AC with over 8000 W of load no problem
It doesn't have all the benefits of a soft start but it satisfies my needs
Plus I like saving money
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This all came about as a result of a thread I started about a software related issue
Titled. EG4 18Kpv strange occurrence
 
It helps to understand how a real soft start works compared to your "solution". A real soft start limits the inrush current during startup and then connects full current to the condenser after the inrush. You have effectively created a large, permanently installed resistor that's inline with your condenser at all times and as a result, will be dissipating the excess energy as heat in the wires, eventually melting the insulation and shorting out your installation.

Go purchase a real soft start, like the Easystart, and install that on your system. Not only are you at risk for fire damage, you're also starving the compressor of necessary current which will kill it and end up costing you much more money in the long run vs installing the soft start in the first place.
 
shopman said:
It helps to understand how a real soft start works compared to your "solution". A real soft start limits the inrush current during startup and then connects full current to the condenser after the inrush. You have effectively created a large, permanently installed resistor that's inline with your condenser at all times and as a result, will be dissipating the excess energy as heat in the wires, eventually melting the insulation and shorting out your installation.

Go purchase a real soft start, like the Easystart, and install that on your system. Not only are you at risk for fire damage, you're also starving the compressor of necessary current which will kill it and end up costing you much more money in the long run vs installing the soft start in the first place.
Click to expand...
I am aware of this the AC unit only draws just over 16amps per leg after startup 238v line to line NOT going to melt insulation
II have 2-EG4 solar air conditioners I just use this as a low dump when my batteries get over 75% and I'm make an excess solar power
Plus this was just an experiment that I did to pick on some babies
Turned out to be a viable option in my opinion I'm not really concerned about it
I have 30 years of electoral experience and I don't see any reason for wasted money on products I don't need

No disrespect intended I believe I posted this in the correct section

Thanks for the feedback I enjoyed the comments
 
So your next step is a time delay relay, say…5 seconds, that bypasses your 14 ga resistor after the surge, for the for the remainder of the compressor cycle.
 
Brett V said:
So your next step is a time delay relay, say…5 seconds, that bypasses your 14 ga resistor after the surge, for the for the remainder of the compressor cycle.
Click to expand...
Ran it like that for a couple of hours started at multiple times even with over 8000 W of load no problem 238 V line to line

I'm considering running a new circuit from my generator port on my inverter using the smart load option and having it automatically turn on if my battery is Over 75% and I have More than 500 W of solar coming in as a load dump
 
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