Soft Start Install Issues
Hey all. Been having issues with my generator not starting my AC which is in another post. One of the solutions I was going to try is a soft start but now I am having issues there as well.
I have a 2003 Sunline with a 13.5k btu Dometic 59516.331 AC. I shouldn't have an issue starting this AC with my 4.5kW generator but I was hoping a soft start would help. If you want to know more details about the AC issue it is here: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/30394124.cfm
So I am trying to install this soft start and I think I might have it done correctly but I am getting a "Stall" error on the soft starter. When I tried to pre load the system with the microwave running, I got an overload error.
I bought the Micro-Air 364 X20 model. My AC is 120v so I figured this should be fine. I tried to follow the install instructions but I am having a few questionable connections when trying to follow it.
My system has its main capacitor, a motor start winding connection (I think this is the "Disc" that the install instructions mention) and the motor starter capacitor. It says that I can get rid of the motor start disc and I assume that includes the motor start capacitor as well since the way the install instructions read sounds like that is the case.
Connecting the orange wire is simple, just plug it into the HERM connection on the capacitor.
The Brown, White and Black wires need to be connected to the "Contactor" I looked everywhere for this contactor. What is pictured doesn't seem to exist in my system. However I believe the terminals on top of the compressor might be the contactor? The manual says to trace the "C" wire to the contactor. There are only 3 white wires remaining after removing the motor starter components. One goes to the fan, one to the terminals on top of the compress, and one that goes into the camper and connected to the romex wire that brings the power to the AC unit.
So that's why I assume the terminals on top of the compressor is the contactor. Is this correct? Because all of my wiring continues from here.
It is labled S (W) for the red wire, R for the white wire, and C for the black wire. I removed the R wire and connected the brown wire from the soft starter to the wire itself that I just removed. I then connected the white wire from the soft starter to the R connection on top of the compress. Finally I removed the red wire, used the provided double pin adapter to connect the black wire and the red wire to the S terminal.
The other black wire has a very small run to another piece on the compressor. I think this might be some kind of overload protection. It is a little circle that has the black wire connected to it, then the other terminal has a blue wire that runs back inside the camper and makes a connection to the little circuit board in there that is labeled (NO). The other terminal on that block is labeled "COM". This COM wire is the hot side of the romex as it has a wire nut that makes that connection.
When I start the system up in this configuration I get the huge draw of power, I hear the compressor starts humming but maybe 2 seconds later it cuts off and I get that "Stall" error.
A key thing to note is that I do not have any good AC power to start off with. The line I had it plugged into my garage is a whopping 250' of 14/2 wire. The voltage drop can hardly start power tools let alone a large surge like an AC (My portable 15k unit cannot start with the outlets).
I tried my generator too but the same thing happened. So I may be experiencing too high of a voltage drop. However I thought the point of a soft starter was to slow down this surge so it didn't have such a huge rush of power, hopefully drawing closer to 20amp on startup instead of the 48amps I get when my generator trips.
It got late while trying to install this so I did not do any voltage drop tests or amp draw tests. The generator never tripped when trying to run it. But the soft starter tripped now with those errors.
If you are familiar with these systems please let me know any suggestions. Especially if I missed some kind of wiring step that might be messing up the compressor starting up. On the install instructions it says to run it at least 5 times on AC main power before running off a generator to have it "Learn". I think this weekend I'll hook my camper up and bring it out front to get it more reliable power to test it. In the mean time I just want to make sure I got everything done correctly because now the AC 100% doesn't work on the generator while before I could start it about 90% of the time with it tripping every once in a while while running or if I short cycled it I could cause it to trip as well.
I have a 2003 Sunline with a 13.5k btu Dometic 59516.331 AC. I shouldn't have an issue starting this AC with my 4.5kW generator but I was hoping a soft start would help. If you want to know more details about the AC issue it is here: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/30394124.cfm
So I am trying to install this soft start and I think I might have it done correctly but I am getting a "Stall" error on the soft starter. When I tried to pre load the system with the microwave running, I got an overload error.
I bought the Micro-Air 364 X20 model. My AC is 120v so I figured this should be fine. I tried to follow the install instructions but I am having a few questionable connections when trying to follow it.
My system has its main capacitor, a motor start winding connection (I think this is the "Disc" that the install instructions mention) and the motor starter capacitor. It says that I can get rid of the motor start disc and I assume that includes the motor start capacitor as well since the way the install instructions read sounds like that is the case.
Connecting the orange wire is simple, just plug it into the HERM connection on the capacitor.
The Brown, White and Black wires need to be connected to the "Contactor" I looked everywhere for this contactor. What is pictured doesn't seem to exist in my system. However I believe the terminals on top of the compressor might be the contactor? The manual says to trace the "C" wire to the contactor. There are only 3 white wires remaining after removing the motor starter components. One goes to the fan, one to the terminals on top of the compress, and one that goes into the camper and connected to the romex wire that brings the power to the AC unit.
So that's why I assume the terminals on top of the compressor is the contactor. Is this correct? Because all of my wiring continues from here.
It is labled S (W) for the red wire, R for the white wire, and C for the black wire. I removed the R wire and connected the brown wire from the soft starter to the wire itself that I just removed. I then connected the white wire from the soft starter to the R connection on top of the compress. Finally I removed the red wire, used the provided double pin adapter to connect the black wire and the red wire to the S terminal.
The other black wire has a very small run to another piece on the compressor. I think this might be some kind of overload protection. It is a little circle that has the black wire connected to it, then the other terminal has a blue wire that runs back inside the camper and makes a connection to the little circuit board in there that is labeled (NO). The other terminal on that block is labeled "COM". This COM wire is the hot side of the romex as it has a wire nut that makes that connection.
When I start the system up in this configuration I get the huge draw of power, I hear the compressor starts humming but maybe 2 seconds later it cuts off and I get that "Stall" error.
A key thing to note is that I do not have any good AC power to start off with. The line I had it plugged into my garage is a whopping 250' of 14/2 wire. The voltage drop can hardly start power tools let alone a large surge like an AC (My portable 15k unit cannot start with the outlets).
I tried my generator too but the same thing happened. So I may be experiencing too high of a voltage drop. However I thought the point of a soft starter was to slow down this surge so it didn't have such a huge rush of power, hopefully drawing closer to 20amp on startup instead of the 48amps I get when my generator trips.
It got late while trying to install this so I did not do any voltage drop tests or amp draw tests. The generator never tripped when trying to run it. But the soft starter tripped now with those errors.
If you are familiar with these systems please let me know any suggestions. Especially if I missed some kind of wiring step that might be messing up the compressor starting up. On the install instructions it says to run it at least 5 times on AC main power before running off a generator to have it "Learn". I think this weekend I'll hook my camper up and bring it out front to get it more reliable power to test it. In the mean time I just want to make sure I got everything done correctly because now the AC 100% doesn't work on the generator while before I could start it about 90% of the time with it tripping every once in a while while running or if I short cycled it I could cause it to trip as well.
