soft start air conditioner

[bobbrazie]

Has any one installed the "soft start" on a Dometic Brisk II Air conditioner?


I sent an e-mail to Dometic and this was their reply "We do not recommend the soft start. It is an aftermarket part that we do not have any information on. Sarah


So I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this.


We have a 1/2 ton Cougar 24' with 30 amp service. Single AC.


Thanks in advance. Bob.

[Canonman]

Bob, I assume you're asking this question because you plan on using a generator to operate your A/C.
On my previous TT, we had the Dometic A/C. Our "Dometic" 3kw generator would not start it. Dometic actually sent us a soft start capacitor kit (their components, not easy start) to solve the problem. It did.
Our current Coleman A/C has worked perfectly with the same 3kw genset and we have not had to change anything on the A/C unit to work with the generator.
If you have a newer model A/C you may not need the soft start upgrade. I'd recommend trying to operate the A/C with your generator to be sure it is needed.
If your trying to use a generator rated less than 3kw I'm not sure a soft start upgrade would work.

[bobbrazie]

Thanks for the reply.



I was looking at the Honda EU2200i 2200-Watt 120-Volt Super Quiet Portable Inverter Generator.


So, this may not be big enough?

[Canonman]

Here's a video of a fellow who wanted to use a smaller generator (Westinghouse 2500) to run his A/C. His larger Generator was too heavy and cumbersome. He installed the Easy Start and the 2500 handled it OK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbZxSwYfYvg

Not sure if the 2200 will handle the start up load or not. There are plenty of 3kw inverter generators out there in the under 70 lb range. As I said, with 3kw genset you may not need the Easy Start.

[nied]

My son runs a 13.5 with a Honda 2200 but just barely. Switched to a Champion 3200 but noisier.

[nied]

Take a look at the Fate Unbound website for additional soft start info.

[skids]

Originally Posted by bobbrazie

Thanks for the reply.



I was looking at the Honda EU2200i 2200-Watt 120-Volt Super Quiet Portable Inverter Generator.


So, this may not be big enough?

OK, here are some issues that I dealt with. I had a Jayco with a Coleman Mach AC 13500 BTU that I wanted to run, so I did some research and got a Westinghouse iGen 2500 to operate it. It actually started without the soft start at 8800 feet and in something like 65F air but wouldn’t at higher elevations, so I got a soft start.

Then We traded in the Jayco for a Keystone Bullet that has a 13500 BTU Brisk II AC. I reset the soft start and installed it. It will NOT start the AC on the Bullet at 80 degrees even at 8800 feet elevation. (Although I think it is close).

Here is what I found out (some I already knew):

You need to “derate” the output of your generator for elevation and this is significant.

The higher the ambient air temperature, the higher vapor pressure of the refrigerant, and the higher the power needed to start and run the AC.

You may be able to run your AC with the generator you are looking at but do all of the research.

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by bobbrazie

Has any one installed the "soft start" on a Dometic Brisk II Air conditioner?


I sent an e-mail to Dometic and this was their reply "We do not recommend the soft start. It is an aftermarket part that we do not have any information on. Sarah


So I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this.


We have a 1/2 ton Cougar 24' with 30 amp service. Single AC.


Thanks in advance. Bob.

Bob, I installed a Micro-air soft start on my Dometic Brisk II a few weeks ago. Works perfectly. Just follow their install instructions. Unless you have some additional 12 or 14 gauge wire and a selection of terminals, get the install kit as well. You will need their right angle terminals due to space constraints. On their website use promo code “FATE” for a $25 discount.

[bobbrazie]

What did you ask for to get the kit from them? They didn't even suggest that they had an alternative that was there's and not a "soft stat"

[Bill-2020]

Here, on their website is the install kit they offer (I didn't buy it because I have the needed items already on hand, wire, terminals, etc.)

https://www.microair.net/collections...nt=29181766539

And this is the unit I bought from them for my Dometic Brisk II 13,500 unit:

https://www.microair.net/collections...nt=30176048267

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by bobbrazie

What did you ask for to get the kit from them? They didn't even suggest that they had an alternative that was there's and not a "soft stat"

Bob, were you referring to my interaction with Dometic?

[bobbrazie]

Yes. How did you contact them and have them send you the kit for their version of the "soft start"?
Thanks for the reply.

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by bobbrazie

Yes. How did you contact them and have them send you the kit for their version of the "soft start"?
Thanks for the reply.

I contacted them on their customer support line. I don't have the 800# any more but I see they do have a customer service email form.
I told them that I had purchased a Dometic 3000 generator specifically to run our Dometic A/C. They verified the model numbers and agreed that the generator should start and run their A/C unit. They offered a capacitor replacement/upgrade which they sent at no charge. I did not use the term "soft start" with the support folks. I replaced the actual capacitor and some wiring changes according to their instructions and it all worked just fine. All of that information was included with the other documentation when we sold our TT.
Our new (4 seasons ago) Cougar with a Coleman A/C worked with the Dometic 3000 generator with no problems either starting or running even at higher altitudes.
The key with Dometic was that we were using the same brand/product name for the A/C and generator. They were very helpful and responsive in supporting the products since it was their brand.
Wish I had more info for you but I'm sure the folks at Dometic could confirm if the capacitor upgrade we got 4+ years ago has been incorporated into the newer models.

[bobbrazie]

Thanks for all of the good information.

[bobbrazie]

I just sent them an e-mail from their web site asking if they have an up grade kit available.
Also I think I've settled on the Cummins Onan P2500i Inverter Portable Generator.
Thanks everyone for you input!
Bob.

[Canonman]

The Cummins Onan looks a real quality unit. I don't think you could go wrong there.

[Ragermack]

My wife and I installed one on our 2017 Cougar 28rks on Saturday. It has the Brisk II. Runs great on our Wen 2000 watt generator. First start kicked it out the generator overload but it learns the compressor over 5 starts. Started rough on start 2 and smooth on the 3rd and subsequent starts

[bobbrazie]

Ragermack which "soft start" did you buy and install?
And thanks for the great information!

[Telco Tech]

This is a relevant thread I'm interested in. I've been staying in the high desert this summer with my Cougar 24' SABWE and it's been rough. I saw the 2KW gens could be used in tandem with a 30 amp coupler. The setup was out of my price range at the time so I bought the 4KW gen not realizing that the 30 amp plug on the gen I expected to connect to my trailer had a 15 amp breaker. I could run my AC for about 4 mins in 100 degree heat before the breaker tripped.
I was even wondering if I could take one of those RV tandem kits and connect them to two of the 120V outlets on my 4KW gen to be able to run 30 amp service for my trailer.

[JohnP]

Originally Posted by bobbrazie

Has any one installed the "soft start" on a Dometic Brisk II Air conditioner?


I sent an e-mail to Dometic and this was their reply "We do not recommend the soft start. It is an aftermarket part that we do not have any information on. Sarah


So I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this.


We have a 1/2 ton Cougar 24' with 30 amp service. Single AC.


Thanks in advance. Bob.

Yes, I bought the micro soft start because a 3000 watt gen. barely works when everything is shut off. After the soft start it works perfectly. Was a bit of money but worth it.