Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE OWNER'S CORNER FORUMS > Newmar Owner's Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-01-2021, 01:34 PM   #57
Senior Member
 
redbaron73's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,400
Blog Entries: 4
Interesting find on the Bluetooth features. I am trying to decide if I will remove the Micro Aire Easy Starts from my 2019 before I sell, or buy new ones for the London Aire.

Getting the feedback of how many amps, etc may be a worthy feature.
__________________
2022 London Aire 4551 * 2022 GD Imagine 2800BH * 2021 RAM 3500 DRW * 2020 Wrangler
NHSO (Newmar Hoot, Sevierville Original)
Kindness Matters
redbaron73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 08-01-2021, 09:05 PM   #58
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 2,515
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutchstar411 View Post
Just installed a Micro-Air Easy Start with Bluetooth on my front Domectic Penquin II. After the 5 learning starts my Dometic II now starts on just 13.6 amps. Yes, 13.6 amps vs my Rear Dometic Penquin II which takes 33 amps to start. It's a very easy install and with the added Bluetooth App I can see if there is any issues down the road as well as part of my AC health. The purpose of the addition of the Micro-Air soft start... I also added a third Middle AC unit on Leg 1 which is also the Leg that my front Domectic is on. I wanted lower amp draw on that leg for when on Generator so I can still start and run all three AC units.

My main reason for this post added to a thread started long ago is to advise that if you do purchase a Micro-Air Soft Start with Bluetooth, make sure of a couple of things:

1. Allow full access to the app by your phone, (might have to go to settings on the app itself.)

2. The app only works once the compressor starts and is running. So don't panic if it shuts off when your AC unit shuts off as well.

Lastly, just look at some of Red Barons threads... this man knows what he's talking about for sure
Is the Bluetooth an option or a different model number? I did not see it on their webpage.
__________________
2019 Dutchstar 4369 Spartan. Full wall failure survivor.
Canuck53 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2021, 09:17 PM   #59
Senior Member
 
Dutchstar411's Avatar


 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 1,717
Quote:
Originally Posted by Canuck53 View Post
Is the Bluetooth an option or a different model number? I did not see it on their webpage.
They have several models, some with Bluetooth and some without. Look for the model number that ends in BLUE.

Here is a link to the one I purchased on Amazon:
Easystart (364-X36-Blue) Came with install kit as well, with Wago connectors, etc.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
__________________
Ted & Nancy
2015 Newmar Dutch Star 4018
2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Dutchstar411 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2021, 12:12 PM   #60
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 138
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutchstar411 View Post
They have several models, some with Bluetooth and some without. Look for the model number that ends in BLUE.

Here is a link to the one I purchased on Amazon:
Easystart (364-X36-Blue) Came with install kit as well, with Wago connectors, etc.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
So, question... you are putting a Bluetooth device inside a grounded metal box on your roof? Bluetooth is a radio signal... Faraday cage anyone? I'd say that might not work all that well.

As more related to the original topic.. look at the "About Us" pages on both company websites. One is 2 serious marketing gurus and the other is an electronics engineer/innovator with HVAC experience. I think I will buy mine from Micro-Air when I get the pennies saved up.
__________________
Scott - K3PSO
2008 GulfStream TourMaster T40c
2011 Volvo XC70 on a dolly
riverofcode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2021, 01:10 PM   #61
Senior Member
 
Dutchstar411's Avatar


 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 1,717
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverofcode View Post
So, question... you are putting a Bluetooth device inside a grounded metal box on your roof? Bluetooth is a radio signal... Faraday cage anyone? I'd say that might not work all that well.

As more related to the original topic.. look at the "About Us" pages on both company websites. One is 2 serious marketing gurus and the other is an electronics engineer/innovator with HVAC experience. I think I will buy mine from Micro-Air when I get the pennies saved up.
The Bluetooth works great, strong signal all the way around the coach and then some, including inside the coach as well

Now for the grounded metal box... when was the last time you saw a Roof AC made out of a metal box? The entire top of ALL roof top AC's are plastic, only the base/frame is metal. And the Micro-Air unit... it's mounted in any open space within the AC unit, underneath that plastic shroud. So Mr. Faraday escaped his cage and went on a Road Trip instead.
__________________
Ted & Nancy
2015 Newmar Dutch Star 4018
2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Dutchstar411 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2021, 03:35 PM   #62
Senior Member
 
PaulTNaples's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 543
I had the Micro-Air units installed on both of our AC’s. Along with their touchscreen thermostat. It’s a direct replacement for Dometic thermostat. The Bluetooth is great and the thermostat also has WiFi capability.
__________________
Paul & LeAnn Toth
The Doodles Kiki and Baxter
2022 Dutch Star 4369
PaulTNaples is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 08:55 AM   #63
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 138
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutchstar411 View Post
Now for the grounded metal box... when was the last time you saw a Roof AC made out of a metal box? The entire top of ALL roof top AC's are plastic, only the base/frame is metal. And the Micro-Air unit... it's mounted in any open space within the AC unit, underneath that plastic shroud. So Mr. Faraday escaped his cage and went on a Road Trip instead.

Glad the bluetooth unit works for you. I was referring to the post #25 image here: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/not...ml#post5552493 where Roncsmith installed his softstart inside the electrical box. I don't that that installation method would let it to connect very well.
__________________
Scott - K3PSO
2008 GulfStream TourMaster T40c
2011 Volvo XC70 on a dolly
riverofcode is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 09:08 AM   #64
Senior Member
 
Dutchstar411's Avatar


 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 1,717
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverofcode View Post
Glad the bluetooth unit works for you. I was referring to the post #25 image here: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/not...ml#post5552493 where Roncsmith installed his softstart inside the electrical box. I don't that that installation method would let it to connect very well.
Yup, that would be a No No for a Bluetooth unit for sure The one he installed was NOT a Bluetooth unit, they only come with a Clear Top Cover. And many of the Clear Top Cover units are NOT Bluetooth either. The model number has to end in "BLUE" for it to be one of the newer Bluetooth units. There's a slight difference in price as well, about $19.

Model-Part Number: ASY-364-X20-IP NON Bluetooth
Model-Part Number: ASY-364-X36-BLUE is the Bluetooth Model
Both have a clear top cover.
__________________
Ted & Nancy
2015 Newmar Dutch Star 4018
2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Dutchstar411 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 01:42 PM   #65
Senior Member
 
Talloaks's Avatar
 
Country Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Tucson AZ
Posts: 457
Quote:
Originally Posted by redbaron73 View Post

...One last note: Any installation of this product will 100% void the warranty of your air unit. You will want to remove the product before having your air conditioner repaired for warranty work...


Out of curiosity, does anyone consider this to be a legal or ethical practice?


Warranty fraud, like insurance fraud, is not a trivial matter.


How much does an air conditioner cost?


How much is your integrity worth to you? Less than a thousand bucks?
__________________
John
2007 Country Coach Tribute; Cat C9 400; 2012 Ford Edge toad; Roadmaster Blackhawk 2 10,000 lb tow bar; Demco AF1 Braking System; 2007 BMW K1200LT Hannigan Trike Conversion; Member, IEEE, NFPA, PMI, NRC SRO (Ret).
Talloaks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 02:18 PM   #66
Senior Member
 
jharrell's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Safety Harbor, FL
Posts: 2,502
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talloaks View Post
Out of curiosity, does anyone consider this to be a legal or ethical practice?
Here is Micro-airs guidance:

"Will EasyStart void my compressor warranty?
Some RV owners worry that their installation of an EasyStart 364 might in some way void the manufacturer’s warranty on their rooftop AC unit’s compressor motor. Legally, it shouldn’t. But you never know what a manufacturer might assert. Micro-Air is quite confident that its product cannot damage your compressor. We do recommend that if you have a potential warranty issue that you consider removing EasyStart to avoid any issues related to its installation. We do offer an Extended Warranty"

https://www.microair.net/products/ea...r-conditioners

When they say legally I believe they are referring to the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act which basically says they can only deny your claim if they can prove the aftermarket part caused the issue. This comes up a lot in vehicles due to many people modifying them, but the act applies to all consumer goods.

Many have found though that it's easier just to remove the after market part to avoid any kind of dispute. In this case I would not have any ethical issue unless it was obvious the soft-starter caused the issue, in reality a soft starter should actually be much easier on the compressor than normal hard starting system and reduce the likelihood of it failing. A softstarter is more complex but its failure modes would be the compressor not getting any power, there isn't much else it can do to damage the a/c other than perhaps starting a fire due to an internal short then the cause of damage is obvious.
__________________
2022 Thor Palazzo 33.5
2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Toad - Readybrute Elite Towbar
jharrell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 07:53 PM   #67
Senior Member
 
Talloaks's Avatar
 
Country Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Tucson AZ
Posts: 457
Quote:
Originally Posted by jharrell View Post
Here is Micro-airs guidance:

"Will EasyStart void my compressor warranty?
Some RV owners worry that their installation of an EasyStart 364 might in some way void the manufacturer’s warranty on their rooftop AC unit’s compressor motor. Legally, it shouldn’t. But you never know what a manufacturer might assert. Micro-Air is quite confident that its product cannot damage your compressor. We do recommend that if you have a potential warranty issue that you consider removing EasyStart to avoid any issues related to its installation. We do offer an Extended Warranty"

I know you know this but I will point out that Micro-Air's guidance on this is not relevant. What is relevant are the terms of the A/C unit manufacturer warranty. That is what will prevail, subject to applicable laws, which can vary state by state.
__________________
John
2007 Country Coach Tribute; Cat C9 400; 2012 Ford Edge toad; Roadmaster Blackhawk 2 10,000 lb tow bar; Demco AF1 Braking System; 2007 BMW K1200LT Hannigan Trike Conversion; Member, IEEE, NFPA, PMI, NRC SRO (Ret).
Talloaks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 08:08 PM   #68
Senior Member
 
jharrell's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Safety Harbor, FL
Posts: 2,502
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talloaks View Post
I know you know this but I will point out that Micro-Air's guidance on this is not relevant. What is relevant are the terms of the A/C unit manufacturer warranty. That is what will prevail, subject to applicable laws, which can vary state by state.
Well Magnuson–Moss is federal and has been tested quite a bit. Its why you can put new wheels on your car and they can't deny a brake caliper issue unless they can prove the wheel caused it.

Comes up all the time with say Jeeps where you buy one and immediately put a lift kit on it, they can't deny a drive train warranty issue due to a lift kit unless they can prove it was caused by (which it can if its poor design).

The law doesn't just apply to cars, but all consumer products, cars are just the most common expensive product to be modified and have a warranty worth fighting over.

Also Micro-air makes it even more clear they are referring to Magnuson–Moss here and are so confident they even offers a free warranty for the compressor should it be denied: https://www.microair.net/blogs/news/...n-soft-starter
__________________
2022 Thor Palazzo 33.5
2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Toad - Readybrute Elite Towbar
jharrell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-03-2021, 09:56 PM   #69
Senior Member
 
Dutchstar411's Avatar


 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 1,717
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talloaks View Post
I know you know this but I will point out that Micro-Air's guidance on this is not relevant. What is relevant are the terms of the A/C unit manufacturer warranty. That is what will prevail, subject to applicable laws, which can vary state by state.
A factory new AC Unit is usually two years or less of factory warranty. So it's a moot point if you install it on any coach after two years. And actually even on a brand new coach. Try and find a failure of anyone who has installed one. Soft starts have been around for many years, including on home ac units and commercial ones as well. They take the SLAP out of a compressor starting up which should increase its longevity.

Also forgot to mention, I installed Micro-Air's wi-fi and Bluetooth thermostat. Giving me the ability to monitor, get warnings as well as changing the Temps on my AC units from anywhere. Plug and play for any AC system.
__________________
Ted & Nancy
2015 Newmar Dutch Star 4018
2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Dutchstar411 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2021, 12:27 AM   #70
Senior Member
 
redbaron73's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,400
Blog Entries: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by Talloaks View Post
Out of curiosity, does anyone consider this to be a legal or ethical practice?


Warranty fraud, like insurance fraud, is not a trivial matter.


How much does an air conditioner cost?


How much is your integrity worth to you? Less than a thousand bucks?

Fraud, Integrity -- wow..I have no idea where you get those ideas, but nothing stated in my post suggest committing fraud or doing anything unethical. If an AC fails, it has nothing to do with a soft starter. Remove it..get it repaired, then reinstall it. Very simple.


Same with my jeep. Running a Tazer to set my tire size does nothing to void the warranty, but it could be blamed for issues if the dealer finds it plugged in as they don't know what it is. SO you remove it before, to return it to factory original, and take jeep in for service.
__________________
2022 London Aire 4551 * 2022 GD Imagine 2800BH * 2021 RAM 3500 DRW * 2020 Wrangler
NHSO (Newmar Hoot, Sevierville Original)
Kindness Matters
redbaron73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
starter



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Do Soft-Starters (EasyStart) really work for AC while boondocking? HelloFreedom Monaco Owner's Forum 10 10-22-2019 06:58 PM
After Market Engine Starters tropical36 Class A Motorhome Discussions 4 10-11-2016 08:00 AM
MT 38 starters oldbeek Cummins Engines 0 05-14-2013 09:07 AM
Batteries, Starters, and a suggestion Doctor Thump Monaco Owner's Forum 0 01-02-2013 01:00 PM
soft ceiling areas and soft sidewall issues fsubob2003 Expandables, Hybrids, & Lightweights Discussion 29 04-13-2012 04:08 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:11 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.