Soft Start for RV

[DanielBoone]

Anyone had experience with product Active Start RV Soft Start

[workingonit]

What are you trying to soft start? AC unit?

[TB673]

Daniel Boone, I have no experience with the Active Start RV Soft Start, but I did install a Micro-Air Easy Start on my 15K Coleman Mach 8 last year.
A couple observations:

The MicroAir is Hard Wired to a single A/C unit whereas the Active Controls just plugs in to the shore power.

The MicroAir Breeze MSRP $299 whereas Active Controls 30AMP MSRP $485.

If you have a 50 AMP RV with 2 A/C units, the Active Controls MSRP is $800

Active Controls does offer a Hard Wired unit for $315

MicroAir will warranty your A/C unit compressor for 2 years after installation.

Tim

[Sunnyfalls]

Micro-Air Easy Start

Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"

[Bernese guy]

I got to do something like that so I can go to a lighter Honda 2200 gen.

[groveln]

Installed 2 Micro-Airs in my AC's 5 years ago & have enjoyed to results since then..BTW my Coleman Polar Mach 9000's are now 21 years old & performing flawlessly..I will be changing out all 3 capacitors on both come this spring as a PM.

[TB673]

Originally Posted by Bernese guy

I got to do something like that so I can go to a lighter Honda 2200 gen.

Bernese Guy, Last year when my 18 year old Coleman Mach 8 stopped cooling, I replaced it with the latest Coleman Mach 8 along with a Micro-Air Easy Start 364, and a Micro-Air Easy Touch Bluetooth/Wifi Thermostat.
The Easy Start enables me to run the A/C (but nothing else) on my Furman 1600/2000 inverter generator.
The Easy Touch Thermostat allows me to adjust and monitor the A/C unit via Wifi (if wifi is available) and Bluetooth.
I'm planning on adding a Microair Soft Start to my home A/C unit.
I have no affiliation with this company, but I am a satisfied customer.


Tim

[DFord]

I found a soft-start on Amazon for $80 early last fall. It works like a champ. All I can hear on start-up is the fan coming on. I had to feel the air coming out to tell if the compressor had indeed started.

Take your time and be very meticulous removing the old wires and attaching the new ones. Take pictures and mark everything before you start!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9L9XGRT

[Bernese guy]

The cost of a soft start and a Honda 2200 is about 1500$. Or I can just use my Honda 3000 and deal with the weight. The 2200 would take about 90 pounds out of the bed.

[Sunnyfalls]

The combination of propane modified Honda EU2200i generator and Micro-Air EasyStart works well for us. And we also have its Companion unit that when operated with it provides a total of 4400 Watts capability that can be carried/moved with one hand and both easily fit in the under bed trunk of our Honda Ridgeline. We only take the single EU2200I with us when dry camping where air conditioning may be needed, which is very infrequently given the locations we dry camp and how we setup our camp to avoid RV solar heating.

Gayle & Bob
"Los Gatos Casita"

[NXR]

The OP's profile shows they have a Tiffin Allegro Red, a DP. While other people may be interested in using a soft start on an external generator the OP likely is not.

As for Active Controls LLC, they seem to be a company that the parent company of SoftStart RV, NetworkRV LLC, contracted with to build the SoftStartUp product. They had a legal falling out in 2023 over pricing. From glancing through the filings it appears Active Controls LLC agreed to build and sell that product to NetworkRV for, wait for it, $105 each. Then SoftStart RV was selling them for many hundreds of dollars.

See: https://trellis.law/doc/191928209/co...-networkrv-llc

The takeaway to me is that Active Controls LLC seems to have the technical expertise to build soft start units.

Whether a pedestal device is a good idea or not is something else. Me, I installed the Micro-Air units on our motorhome about five years ago and they have worked great. For us their best benefit is the elimination of the WHOMP when the compressor kicks in.

Ray

[Fredward]

I talked with Thomas at Active Controls and ordered the ACS50WS which is a permanently installed unit that goes in line between the transfer switch and the circuit breaker panel. He explained theory of operation and its quite clever and simple. I'm sure I could figure out how to build one with enough research and trial and error. As it is, it will require some wiring with either #6 or #8 gauge wire for me to install it.
Fred

[DanielBoone]

Originally Posted by DanielBoone

Anyone had experience with product Active Start RV Soft Start

Great results for my two Coleman Mach units on my Allegro…..very quiet starting up and now able to run both on 30 amps.