Soft start for AC

[John in Santa Cruz]

gads, last weekend, I was camping at a county park, surrounded on 3 sides by sunblockers, nearly ALL of whom had honda or similar generators that they ran from 8am til 8pm (the posted generator hours for said campground, that had no hookups). It got really annoying to realize these people were using their generator to run an electric coffee maker, and watch TV all day long. Noone was running AC's, it was too cool out for that.
One guy next to me had some Furman thing that was nasty loud and noisy, which was fired up first thing in the morning to run the coffee maker right next to the propane outdoor stove/griddle they were cooking breakfast on.

does no one realize you can just boil some water in a kettle and pour it through a coffee filter and get the exact same thing the electric coffee maker makes ?

meanwhile, my 160W rooftop solar panel (the ETI one on a 2014 21) had my batteries fully charged by about 10 or 11am each morning, after running the furnace at 65 all night long to keep my wife happy (outside lows were in the lower 40s, highs were in the mid 50s to 60F, and it got really windy every afternoon we were there, especially the first 2 days)

[Iowa Dave]

Hi John
I camped at Grand Coulee Dam a couple years ago. A guy across the road would fire up his two paired 2000 watt generators first thing in the morning. Then he would leave to go boating all day. Trailer was empty as he took his dog with him. Back about 6 PM he cooked and lounged outside. Sun went down, started to cool off and he shut off the generators and went inside for the night. Couldn’t quite figure that one out. It was not so loud as to bother us so not a big deal, just did not make sense to me. Different strokes I guess.
Iowa Dave

[bailiej757]

Good idea, thanks for the tip.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by bailiej757

Good idea, thanks for the tip.

next time, use the {QUOTE} button on the post you're responding to, so there's a clue what you're referencing out of the 20 or so posts in this thread. if the {quote}'d post is too long, I do like to edit it down to just the part I'm replying to, it makes it easier to follow the asynchronous conversation...

[bailiej757]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

next time, use the {QUOTE} button on the post you're responding to, so there's a clue what you're referencing out of the 20 or so posts in this thread. if the {quote}'d post is too long, I do like to edit it down to just the part I'm replying to, it makes it easier to follow the asynchronous conversation...

ok, thanks. The posts did get a little off subject.

[bailiej757]

Originally Posted by Upfisk

Try renting a generator from Home Depot before you buy. We bought a Yamaha 2200 only to find it would not run our A.C. in our 2018 Escape 19. We then rented a 3000 watt Honda generator and found it had no problem running the A.C. We live at 5000 ft elevation and elevation also determines how much power the generator can produce. We had asked on the forums prior to purchasing the Yamaha if it was sufficient. We were assured it was. Rent first before you commit to a certain size.

thanks, will do

[John in Santa Cruz]

when you use the 'quote' button, you need to leave the [ quote=xxxxxx] and [ /quote] parts intact, you can trim whats between those if its too long....

I edited posts, its much easier to follow.

[Jack!]

Originally Posted by MBA80

Does this add on void your A/C warranty if done in the first three years of ownership?

The upgraded Coleman has versions with & without the soft start. The no soft start version states a soft start cannot be installed. I don't know if it stops working or runs but will break if you install a soft start. However if you try.it, I'd keep the original starter if it does quit & needs service.

[Sassenach]

Coleman told us a soft start voids their warranty.

MicroAir makes a soft start for the Coleman and says it will work great.

[Jack!]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We kept our fans, freezer, refrigerator, efficient propane water heater with fan exhaust, portable shop lights and garage door openers all running from Honda 2200i generators.
Iowa Dave

We have 2 connected Honda EU2000 with 4000watts with a 20 amp & 30 amp outlets. Must have in FL with the annual storm season. Had occasions that they were our only power source for a couple of months and real handy traveling as well. It's a good, & for some, a very necessary investment.

[Steveanson]

Originally Posted by MBA80

Does this add on void your A/C warranty if done in the first three years of ownership?

We bought the Coleman 13.5k with a factory soft start included. Matt

[thumper-tx]

I have the same year model 21 and the Honda 2200i will not run my ac.

[Steveanson]

Ok, yesterday I did a driveway test our Champion 2500w dual fuel gen on our 5.0 with the soft start Coleman 13.5 AC. At first the EMS gave an E2 error code showing an open ground. This generator (and most others) has a floating bond, and the EMS requires the neutral and ground to be bonded. Generally, this can be accomplished internally on portable generators. After talking to Champion, there is no access to the internals of this portable gen. The solution was to replaced the male end of a 12gauge extension cord, strapping the neutral and ground lugs inside the plug. The EMS now shows E0. With the AC running there is a 7 amp draw while the compressor pumps cold air. It manages to start the AC in 'Eco mode', equally on gasoline and LP, which is a fuel savings giving longer run times. If you use LP, let the gas flow for at least 2 minutes before starting or you can wear your arm out pulling the cord. The gen is really quiet (for a generator) in Eco mode too. . .Matt

[rbryan4]

$300. It'll work on the Coleman as well as any other brand. Your Honda eu2200i will start the AC with this installed. You decide if it's worth the money.

https://www.microair.net/products/ea...nt=30176048267

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Steveanson

....The solution was to replaced the male end of a 12gauge extension cord, strapping the neutral and ground lugs inside the plug....

not a great idea, if you plug this cord into a properly wired outlet, you will create a ground loop. carefully label that cord FOR GENERATOR USE ONLY or something.

grounding a circuit in more than one place sets up a antenna of sorts, which can pull in and create 'ground loop current' from electrical noise, radio signals, etc.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

not a great idea, if you plug this cord into a properly wired outlet, you will create a ground loop. carefully label that cord FOR GENERATOR USE ONLY or something.

grounding a circuit in more than one place sets up a antenna of sorts, which can pull in and create 'ground loop current' from electrical noise, radio signals, etc.

Just buy or make one of these and plug into unused generator outlet.
https://www.microair.net/products/ge...12272654155860

[Steveanson]

https://www.microair.net/products/ge...12272654155860[/QUOTE]


I managed to do the same thing with 3" of 12 ga wire and have a dedicated trailer cord for our beach excursions. Living in a Texas coastal community we enjoy beach camping, and evening AC is certainly a luxury. . .

[Steveanson]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

not a great idea, if you plug this cord into a properly wired outlet, you will create a ground loop. carefully label that cord FOR GENERATOR USE ONLY or something.

grounding a circuit in more than one place sets up a antenna of sorts, which can pull in and create 'ground loop current' from electrical noise, radio signals, etc.

I have tagged the cord "for the RV only", and will store it in the trailer. Most of my extension cords are 14 ga, and I bought this 12 ga cord, with reduced resistance, specifically for the 5.0 AC. It's a quick and simple process to remove the internal strap if needed. Thanks for your input... Matt

[bdornbush]

Our Honda 2000i would barely run our Dometic AC but it strained to start. I installed a MicroAir easy start (I think it is better than the soft starts in some ACs) and now it starts much easier. I felt it was well worth the price and the effort for the peace of mind it gives me that my 2000i will start my AC whenever I need it to.

[Bobbie54]

I just read something that said that with a soft start you can run the AC on 30 amps. Is this true?