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i purchased a "easy start" from ebay and installed last weekend. now my 2000i Honda genny will power my roof top a/c. the unit was $107.00 shipping included. a friend that is way more skilled than i actually installed the unit. took him about an hour start to finish. we connected the Honda to my shore power cord, and it worked as advertised. we started the a/c  , let it run, then shut it off three times as a test.  my Coleman roof top is the 13,500btu model, the Honda would not run the a/c before. very pleased with the unit and the results are what i had hoped for. joe from dover

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I have been keeping an eye on the MIcroair easy start.

Have never seen one for $107, link please.

Are you testing this in Dover Ohio??

Edited by jjrbus
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hey there jjrbus, to be clear, i did not purchase the Microair easy start. although i did research the Microair unit, the price was $299.00 and after consulting with my friend ( who is an industrial machine electrician, he  does diagnostic and repair to industrial/manufacturing machines and equipment ) before i actually ordered the unit, he seemed to think the easy start unit i bought would accomplish the same as the Miroair product. i am sorry to admit i do not know how to "link" you to the site on ebay where i bought my unit. but if you google...RV A/C STARTER  ,  you should find the ebay web page for the seller. the sellers information states the name of the seller DBA, "applianceandair". the sellers location is listed as "Buena Vista, Georgia" (yes. georgia. not CA.)   the Microair product seemed very involved as far as install and set up, where as the unit i bought was very simple and uncomplicated. i read reviews for both units and watched you tube testimonies for each as well.  i admit, i was a bit skeptical about the unit i bought because it was a third of the price of the Microair unit. but it seems to have the same properties as the Microair.  last saturday is when the unit was installed here in Dover. since it was relatively cool last saturday. i had to set the a/c on MAX cool to determine if in fact the a/c was blowing cold while testing. the only complaint i have with the unit i bought is that the paper work that came with my unit was a bit confusing as to what i actually received. there were part numbers listed on the paper work, but no part number on the actual device i purchased. to be sure that i had the correct unit, i went to the web page which had a photo of the advertised unit, and by comparing what i was holding in my hand with the photo ,my friend and i confirmed i did indeed have the correct item. hope this helps. joe from dover.

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Here is their older web site, the new one is "under construction". Several useful items for campers ...https://rv-ac.com/Four-must-have-extras-for-RV-Lovers.html

I've used the fridge fan and the hotshot start cap successfully.

Edited by WME
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OK found the unit.   If I had an electronics friend I might give it a try but there is too little specs on the web to my way of thinking.   While there is much technical data on the Microair product available.

Good luck with it and keep us posted on how it works out,  nice to have another option.

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9 hours ago, RVdaytrader said:

Seems you can buy a delay on make timer for the fan circuit and do the same thing.

This should be doing a lot more than just delaying the fan.  Should also be lowering Locked Rotor Amps.

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20 hours ago, RVdaytrader said:

Seems you can buy a delay on make timer for the fan circuit and do the same thing.

When I was looking for an AC soft-start option I saw this product.  It is my understanding that it is basically a combination of hard start caps and a delay.  This is enough to start the AC because the fan motor is not trying to start at the same time as the compressor.  I'm glad to hear that this worked for the OP with a 13.5k unit and the Honda 2000i as that is the setup I have as well.  This sounds like a good middle ground option with the simple hard-start cap being the most basic approach, this fan-delay plus cap device in the middle, and the micro-air easy-start at the top end.  If this fan delay+cap method works for you then there wouldn't be a need to shell out the cash for the more expensive mico-air device.  

I ended up getting the "board only" version of the MicroAir Easy-Start and with the cap and an enclosure it was about $230 total.  I can move it from one AC unit to the next one so I figured it was a good long term investment.  The micro-air easy start is a very advanced device compared to the fan delay approach.  I've been really impressed with it so far.  yes, a little more complicated to install and set up but I have had zero trouble starting my AC unit with this device installed. I can even start it in eco mode.

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11 hours ago, AtlantaCamper said:

When I was looking for an AC soft-start option I saw this product.  It is my understanding that it is basically a combination of hard start caps and a delay.  This is enough to start the AC because the fan motor is not trying to start at the same time as the compressor.  I'm glad to hear that this worked for the OP with a 13.5k unit and the Honda 2000i as that is the setup I have as well.  This sounds like a good middle ground option with the simple hard-start cap being the most basic approach, this fan-delay plus cap device in the middle, and the micro-air easy-start at the top end.  If this fan delay+cap method works for you then there wouldn't be a need to shell out the cash for the more expensive mico-air device.  

I ended up getting the "board only" version of the MicroAir Easy-Start and with the cap and an enclosure it was about $230 total.  I can move it from one AC unit to the next one so I figured it was a good long term investment.  The micro-air easy start is a very advanced device compared to the fan delay approach.  I've been really impressed with it so far.  yes, a little more complicated to install and set up but I have had zero trouble starting my AC unit with this device installed. I can even start it in eco mode.

Dependably starting a 13.5 AC with a 2000 watt generator is really impressive!   I found that my HOnda 2000 will not start my 11000 btu AC with a hard start capacitor under all conditions so is not dependable.   The best I have been able to do dependably is a 8000 btu window unit, which will start under all conditions!  8k is just adequate for Florida summers.

Wish I had room for an inverter mini split.

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30 minutes ago, jjrbus said:

Wish I had room for an inverter mini split

I did consider the mini-split option.  It's hard to find room for the install and they are not intended for 'road use' -- and I'm not willing to be the tester for such things.  The efficiency of these mini-splits is so much higher than the older technology found in the roof top AC systems that I almost went that route, but then backed off to go the micro-air soft start route with a traditional roof top unit.  It's really a shame that the manufacturers have not been able to do the R&D required to create an improved generation of rooftop AC systems based on the proven mini-split technology.  Apparently the RV's are too small of a market to justify the risk/expense.  The best they have come up with is the better quality low profile units out there now, but they do not have the improved efficiency of the new generation of mini-splits.  I'm happy enough now being able to run a traditional roof top AC with the smallest Honda generator via the micro-air widget so I shouldn't complain.

 

39 minutes ago, jjrbus said:

my HOnda 2000 will not start my 11000 btu AC with a hard start capacitor under all conditions

I couldn't start my 13.5k Carrier (old unit) with a hard start cap reliably either (although it would start under some conditions), which is why I splurged on the micro-air device.  Glad I did.  FYI, I have heard that the ability to use the micro-air is dependent on the particular AC unit so YMMV.  If you can't start your 11k unit at all with the Honda and a hard start cap the micro-air may possibly not be able to do it either?  They have great tech support so you can likely ask them if it should work and maybe even be able to return it if it doesn't.

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I used a hard start cap with very good results. BUT I had an Onan 2800 and a 13.5 kbtu ac. My problem was hot 100 degree days at over 7000ft. The Onan was derated enough by the altitude that it need the cap to kick off the ac all the time. 

For RV ac and a 2000-2500w inverter generator the good, better, best seems to be Hard start cap,  RV AC start $100 unit, and the Micro air being the best

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On 5/6/2019 at 11:02 PM, WME said:

My problem was hot 100 degree days at over 7000ft.

This is a good point.  I have only tested at 1000 ft at 90 degrees F.   It is certainly possible that I will not have as much success with the 13.5kbtu AC + micro-air starter + Honda 2000i combo under more challenging temperature and/or elevation conditions.

I should also note that I have the newest EU2200i not the EU2000i generator.

Edited by AtlantaCamper
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I’m interested in seeing how Joes unit performs when it is hot out and high humidity . When I was with him in Dover it was in the 70s with low humidity but the device enabled him to start the AC  repeatedly with his 2000i. Prior to this installation the 2000i would not start the AC. Hoping for the best for him!

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My Honda 2000 will not start my 11k roof air without a hard start capacitor.  With a hard start it will start and run the unit when the temperature is in the 70's. Someplace between the 70's and 90's it will no longer start the AC!

The original manual for my 11k brisk air specs a 2500 watt generator.  Koheler possibly??  

I think there is a lot of myth about things designed for house hold use not lasting in RV's.  Many people are using household microwave, fridge, clocks, computers, TV, etc in RV's and I do not see a pattern of early failure.

There are enough mini splits in RV use that it would be of no concern to me.  Not the off brand, cheap chinese units,  they may be junk the day they are built or could be top quality, hard to tell.

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