Micro-Air EasyStart ASY-368 5 Ton A/C Installation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- EasyStart - The most advanced & effective soft starter for all A/C applications
EasyStart is a one-of-a-kind, custom developed soft starter for single-phase motors like those used in the home and commercial contexts. It employs a 4-part start ramp sequence that is self-optimizing, resulting in the lowest possible start-up current. EasyStart can deliver a start current reduction of up to 75% of a compressor's LRA (locked-rotor amperage). EasyStart is the perfect solution that allows an air conditioner or refrigeration compressor to operate on a generator, inverter, or limited utility power when it would otherwise not have functioned. It can also be applied to air compressors and fluid pump motors.
Case with clear cover amzn.to/3agRUBv
Disclaimer
All safety precautions were taken this video is for entertainment purposes only if you’re not able to do this kind of work please hire professional
UPDATED MARCH 2023: Micro-Air revised its sizing to optimize the performance of EasyStarts installed on Home HVAC units. The change occurred subsequent to the posting of this video.
You can find your proper EasyStart model using the BTUs of your unit in the Company model selector tool here à www.micro-air.....
EasyStart 368-X72-Blue 4 to 6 tons
EasyStart 368-X78-Blue 2 to 3.5 tons
EasyStart 364-X36-Blue 1 to 1.5 tons
I see this is 2 years old, but I just installed the soft start on my 5 ton Rheem and went from 99.9A to 24.6A. Love it and now can size my whole house backup generator much more reasonably. The install was quick and easy, too. Bought a Klein crimper before I started to insure the connections were all made correctly. I’m just a DIY’er although was an electronics technician in the USAF 40 years ago.
That’s awesome😎
I purchased an Easy Start 368 Blue directly from Micro Air. I had it installed by an HVAC certified technician. With the Easy Start installed the compressor on my four ton residential unit would not work. I disconnected the Easy Start and the AC worked fine. I contacted Micro Air by email and the technician was very helpful with photos and directions for the correct wiring using my wiring diagram and photos. Come to find out, The Easy Start was connected correctly the whole time. I completed the warranty info and sent the unit back to Micro Air at my expense, $29.00. Their customer service department received the unit and acknowledged that the unit had a loose wire. My unit was repaired and returned to me. I installed the unit and although it works it still draws between 52 and 74 amps upon start-up depending on whether you use a clamp gauge (74 amps)or the reading on the Easy Start (52 amps). I am not happy with Micro Air sending out defective equipment, acknowledging it was defective and having the customer pay to have that same defective equipment returned to be put into working order. Requests to Micro Air for a refund of my shipping charges have been ignored. Use caution if you consider purchasing from Micro Air their Quality Control and Customer Service has something to be desired.
2 things to everyone. 1- make sure to disconnect the power switch on the wall before starting working on the AC unit. 2- make sure you discharge the Capacitor before starting to connect or touch the Capacitor. After that, you are good to go.
Thanks Javier 👍🏾
@@GeneratorReviews I got my GM9000iED. I am still in the breaking process. Once I am done I will check if runs my 3ton and 1.5-ton units. Both have an Easy-Start.
How to discharge the capacity
@@jonlee5642 use a screw driver touching connectors C and Fan and then C to Herm. I made a video about how to replace a capacitor and I show and explained how. “How to Diagnosing and Replace a HVAC
Capacitor”
Or have your HVAC folks install it.
Worth noting a few other benefits aside from generator start:
1) Better for compressor health because the in rush is reduced and it can ramp up.
2) I recently had the fan go bad and the coils started to overheat. EasyStart detected a fault and shut down the compressor to protect it. It would cycle every 5min to see if the fault goes away. The device helped me to detect an issue and fix it without the compressor continuing to run and possibly burn out.
Thanks for sharing this 👍🏾
Great point
Had a similar problem with a bad run capacitor on the compressor side. With any normal "hard" start kit configuration, your compressor would start anyway and run "normally". However your run load amps (RLA) would be quite high and eventually trip out the internal thermal overload switch (Klixon) and you'll be scratching your head on why is the compressor cutting out. The bluetooth diagnostics access to see what is actually going on before taking out the screwdriver is the extra gold nugget plus in my opinion.
The other great thing is that with the Bluetooth option and accompanied app you can send a technical report to Micro Air and they'll help troubleshoot for free.
i wonder how long that big Capacitor lasts
One thing about the soft starters is that you won't reap the full benefits if your system uses a TXV instead of a piston to regulate refrigerant pressure. I have the EasyStart 368 on my 4-ton Lennox with TXV and I only get about a 40% reduction in inrush current.
❤ This!I'm inspired to install this on my AC,system,as well as eventual Solar for this power offset,of cost!😊
My 3.5 ton Rheem went from 108.8 rla before easystart down to 29 rla after easystart install, a massive reduction
MASSIVE REDUCTION! 👍🏾☝🏽
Hi Gavin. I took the plunge and purchased the Micro Air easy start for my 5 ton air conditioner. Watched your video and got things all set up. Turned the power on and bluetooth app showed over current fault. After searching a few things, I cut out the brown wire and in my case it was a red wire that those two spliced wires were not making good contact. I spliced those two wires with a Seal wire inline splice connector and used a heat gun to shrink the connector, wow, what a difference, no more over current fault start ups, thanks for your informative videos! By the way, the easy start moved my LRA from 90 to 36 amps, amazing and runs so quiet!
That’s awesome. Now you can runoff back up power and have your whole house being cooled
I have a 5 ton Rheem with a stated LRA of 144 amps! My peak after installing the Easy Start is now 45.6! I had already purchased a 24Kw Generac (before learning about Easy Start) and would have had to do some load management. Now that won't be necessary. Power efficiency of the Generac should improve from reduced load not to mention, reduced wear/tear of the AC compressor. Really a good investment. And Microaire is a really good well run company!
No way, no 5 ton unit uses 144amps to start. If your using a clamp meter to measure it, your numbers will be way off. There not accurate.
@@RadioRich100 I have a 5 ton Trane...4TTR6060J1...guess what?...144-145 Amps during inrush...measured with 3 different amp meters...at least 5 different starts...relatively new unit (2 years old)
If there current clamp meters there all wrong. Could be 100 of them. They dont work for that.@@pesuazo7713
@@RadioRich100my rheem 5 ton has an LRA of 152. (Keep in mind that LRAs posted on the condensor is the max. So there is a percentage of deviation)
Great showing of the Bluetooth app for the 368-BLUE model. A 9000W generator -- with too much other power needed -- was not enough to start AC. I liked your microwave example. With EasyStart 368 for 60,000 BTUs made this a great investment for you to run AC on emergency generator, off grid of inverter power sources and battery walls. Extends compressor life too. I see someone posting here already called it a game changer. On amp measurement, remember that all amp meters are not created equal. The oscilloscope in the lab will measure better than something you grab off the shelf. Quiet starts was an added boost. Great job.
Thanks kevin
Well said by the way have to agree with you 100%
Great video! So much clearer than the one from the company. I could actually see what you were doing.
Update: with your expert instruction, I set mine up yesterday on a 3 ton Bryant. I even used the same weatherproof box - great idea... 77LRA (according to the sticker - my Ames CM600A meter won't do in-rush) down to 21.6 an over 71% decrease! (according to the MicroAir app) on start #6. Thank you again!
I will add one more thing that I did based on another video I saw, so it may help others in a similar situation. On the 3 Ton unit I just didn't have enough enclosure real estate to mount the box underneath like you did or inside the unit as the manufacturer recommends so I used another person's idea - I left the connecting cable the full length and used four 50lb neodymium hook magnets ($10 on Amazon) to secure it to the outside of the cover. With 200 lbs of magnetic force holding it, there's no risk of it just falling off in the wind.
And yeah, be sure to turn off your breaker at least 30 minutes before you do anything to give the capacitor ample time to discharge. I left mine an hour and still tested it with a screwdriver across the terminals to be safe.
Update #2 - I just installed another on a 3 Ton Trane. I'm sure others have mentioned this but pay close attention to the LOCATIONS of the wires on the existing unit, not just the colors of the wires.
For example, on my Bryant AC the compressor wire (and shown in the video) was YELLOW. On the Trane however, it's RED. This wasn't the only color difference I dealt with; your colors could be different still so I'm not going to compound the situation by listing a bunch of colors here. I am not sure why this can't be standardized across manufacturers (probably to make it more difficult so you have to pay a HVAC tech instead of DIY)? Regardless, pay attention to the locations and you'll be good to go.
You know what they say advice is only good if you take it !!!
I just got my micro air easy star installed last week. Thanks for the video. Looking forward to more of the same.
Yessir 👍🏾💯
Thanks! Installed mine yesterday by myself, this video gave me some added confidence in tackling this myself.
Glad I could help! Thanks
Thank you Gavin for the wonderful video. From a fellow houstonian, I followed your method and bought the cover box and installed it as well. Everything is running to the T so far on start #1. Hope everything keeps running well. Would post a pic of my setup but i dont think you can do that on the youtube comment section; at least i couldn’t figure out how to. Thanks again!
Awesome 👏🏽 👍🏾💯😎
I was able to install two of the soft starts because of your video. Thank you for your help!
Awesome 👏🏽 thanks for watching and subscribing
I don't think I'll ever put this on my house A/C's simply because we rarely have a power outage. Since 2005, I think we've only had a couple of outages and they lasted less then an hour. Yeah, I realize it does take the harsh startup out and prolongs the life of the A/C. But my house was built in 2000 and the A/Cs are still going strong. If I do have to replace them, I'll probably go the SoftStart route then since the newer stuff just doesn't seem to be as good. On the camper though, absolutely! Nothing like running a 15k BTU A/C with a 2k generator. Great video, as usual!
Thanks Tom👍🏾
This is great for us people that live in hurricane prone areas where sometimes we can be without power for weeks up to months. Definitely great for campers also like you said.
@@GeneratorReviews Okay. I just had to re-reply to this. After I told you we rarely have power outages, a horrendous thunder and lightening storm came through and a bolt of lightening took out a transfer station. We were without power for 2 hours. Karma is a bitch. 🤣
@@Tom-In-Ga 😄😅Sorry buddy
I definitely like to see how your generator can run with the unit. Looking forward to your next vids. Good work
Thanks for watching 💯👍🏾
This old but there was just a hurricane in Fl (Ian) and people will be doing these by the thousands. The Yellow wire is the RUN wire from the compressor. Not all Run wires are yellow. To verify on the back panel cover there will be a schematic find the compressor on it and will show the color of the (Run) wire the other 3 are pretty straight forward.Good vid bud...
Great video, easy as my 364 I put on my RV AC. Thanks for posting!
Thanks!
Thanks 😊
I'm happy to see you do this video! Thank you! The Microair was a game changer for our house and back up power.
I put one on our AC last summer and love it! A couple things I found.
On our 30KBTU (2.5ton) AC:
Initial inrush was 60.2 amps - 6500 watt with 8750 surge generator would not start the AC.
After installing a 521 hard start kit the inrush went to 40 amps - 6500 watt with 8750 surge generator would start the AC, but struggled.
After installing the Microair soft start - I've seen it as low as 13.4 amps, but typically is around 18 amps once it learned itself. Our 6500 watt with 8750 surge generator would start the AC with zero issues. I have since replaced it with the Duromax 9000. (wish I would have known about the Genmax, but it wasn't out yet.)
We had plans to move and knew our new house would be larger. I wanted to bring the soft start with when we moved to install on our new AC. I contacted Microair and asked them what my options were. They recommended to me to order a larger soft start to handle a larger ac in the future and sent me a smaller start capacitor to use in the soft start for my current AC. This way, when our new house has an up to 4 ton AC, all I have to do is swap capacitors in the Microair unit. Genius!
One other thing I noticed during install. The contactor on our air conditioner is only rated for 30 amps. How many times can a 30 amp contactor handle 60 plus amps during startup? I wasn't sure, so replaced it at the same time as good preventative maintenance.
Thanks for posting the box information! I reconfigured the motor starter and original capacitor location under the cover to get the soft start to fit. It was a tight squeeze, but I did get it to fit. The box would have been much easier.
Hey Tom
I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the difference between the startup on generator.
May i ask, why you favor the Genmax over the Duromax?
May i ask why you favor the Genmax over the Duromax?
@@naderblack1114 Genmax is forced air cold it has a 50 amp plug no parallel kit needed, oil filter for engine exhaust points to the back and easy maintenance
Excellent video Gavin. Just a small correction above. For 2 to 3.5 tons model is EasyStart 368-X48-Blue not EasyStart 368-X78-Blue in case someone is looking, but pretty much everyone knows that by now. Thanks again.
Yes, the corrections in the description
Just got it in the mail! Excited to install mine now that you showed me.
These should be standard on every new A/C unit.
Agreed!!
A/C company's probably don't install these on purpose, 1) it would increase the price of the unit 2) A/C's are probably designed/engineering for a certain service life(~10-15 years?), this extends that life and while your A/C is living past it's life, A/C company's aren't selling new units. 🤓
Great video and explanation for installation.
The best install instruction yet, very easy to understand, thank a lot guy
Thank you I appreciate that😊
Thanks for this great detailed video. I just bought one for our 3-ton AC unit. Our Predator 9000/7250-watt generator can run our AC on gasoline, with no problem. But when using NG, it sometimes can't start it. (I installed a Tri-fuel kit)
I'll let you know how it went. Also, it took almost a month to receive our unit directly from Micro-Air.
Yes please update us when you install it I’d love to know how it worked for you👍🏾
Following, now searching for another portable generator to run a 4ton AC and a few other things on NG, with low THD.
I’m in middle of same project. Mircoair kit arriving this week. Converted my generac gp8000 power rush to a natural gas kit and hope to power my 5 ton on it. Fingers crossed
Worked like a charm. 5 ton ac can be run by a generac gp8000 power rush. I also have a png technology natural gas kit on it but the generator bogs down when I try to run the AC. Gonna try and tune it .
After I had my 368 series installed, after the first five starts through the app during the peak heat of the day I had the unit relearn my ac. It dropped the lra an additional 15-20 amps. I sit at 35 starting amps, very pleased!
Thanks Lynn
I will try that!
Really cool. All the electricians I called don't want to mess around with soft start or even transfer switches. I just installed a 120 volt four circuit transfer switch and will store this in my memory bank for when I upgrade my service and install a larger backup. I've got a very old Zinsco box that is probably more than maxed out right now. You're providing a helpful service. Thank you.
The electricians that you do find that will install them are charging an arm and a leg.
Gavin, Soft Start installed. Pretty easy after primarily watching your video and a couple of others to get some angles .
2.5 ton carrier. LRA stated @ 80. Peak starting now after learning @ 25.3 -26.2 amps.
It's time to get a generator!!
Thx again !!
Hopefully you will get a generator from
www.gavins-garage.com/product-category/generator/
I would solder all my connections especially the butt connector and I would use shrink tape as well. It maybe overkill for some folks but I have never had a soldered connection fail but I have had all kinds of issues with crimped connectors.
Another home run video! This is my next project. Thanks Gavin!
Awesome 😎 thanks Jason
Nice idea adding another box
Thanks, Lance
I got my gold in and looking forward to installation
Gavin great video I installed mine today … perfect and great results on current
I actually would have thought the soft starter would have done better than a 20 amp reduction but still gives your generator easier starts.
I will do a relearn so it may go lower
Thanks - your video was extremely helpful and I used it as a sample to install my own Soft Starter.
Awesome video Gavin
Thank you for showing the installation step-by-step
Thanks for watching
Would like video of how you placed micro-air in outer box.
Gavin - thank you so much for this video. You made it simple and so easy to follow! I just had to use different wiring connectors for my application. This soft start is a must, especially if planning to use a generator. Take care! David
Thanks David 👍🏾
Hey G'
I've been waiting for this vid for a minute.
Thank you much Brother 👍🏾
Thanks buddy 👍🏾💯
Just noticed the box in the link in the description Thanks
Great video. I noticed your start up amps were slightly above 54 after your install. Would that not be a problem on a generator rated for 50 amps? I have the A-ipower 12000E. On gasoline it has 12000 start up and 9000 running watts. Thanks in advance. Subscribed!
That was before the full learning process now it’s down in the 30s
Great. Thank you.
Hello Gavin, I will consider to buy and install the Easy Start on my AC unit, to run with a Generator on emergency sircumptances, like recently Huracan this week, My question is , when runs normally it gel to lower your light bill?
Thank you for your attention and I hope you can respond,
Technically, yes, it will lower your light bill
Why haven’t you performed the 5 start learning process?
It performs the start learning process automatically
Question for you. I installed my Micro Air Soft Start on my 5 ton about 3 weeks ago. The 5 ton unit is less than 3 years old so it's fairly new. In the heat of the day, I get a "Over Current" fault. It'll be 93+ degrees out when I get that fault. Micro Air says it may be a weak run capacitor...... But I doubt it being so new. They also tell me to have the soft starter to relearn in the heat of the day. That hasn't solved it. Have you ever experienced this with your unit?
It sounds like a bad run capacitor
@@GeneratorReviews That would be a blessing because it's an easy, in expensive fix. Possibly my Rheem unit came with a cheap run capacitor and maybe a heavier duty quality capacitor can help. Can you recommend a quality capacitor brand to swap it out with? Looks easy enough.
just adding a Start Capacitor with a Potential Relay will give about the same results for under $75 , I added a 108-130 mfd 330vac Start capacitor to my 3.5 ton AC and the start up inrush amps went from 78amps to 37 amps the MARS Capacitor & Potential relay only cost me $51
Not really. Hard Starts and Soft Starts are actually very different in how they operate and their use cases. Want to kick start a compressor that’s locked, use a hard start, but the drawback of these is it wears out the compressor motor components. Soft starts are gentler on the compressor motors and can actually extend the life of your compressor, in addition to other advantages such as protecting your equipment from power surges, and of course allowing a lower power source such as a portable generator start up your compressor in case of a power outage.
So I just install the soft starter and it is wonderful. Everything went well following your video it was up and running in less than an hour. The one glitch I had was putting the capacitor back and closing the panel. Because of the length of the wires and the space I had to install the capacitor up-side-down. Is that ok? Or will the capacitor fail sooner operating in an inverted position? Should I extend the wires with butt connectors and put it in right-side-up?
Follow-up: The unit failed after only 2 months. The run wire from the unit fried for a distance of 6 inches. Had to call an AC repair tech. Contacted the company and just thought they would stand by their unit. NOPE - they said splice the wire and hope. The failure was caused by heat. It is Florida in the summer, Duh! The original wires were good in the heat, cycling the AC for 9 years, but their unit failed in 2 months. Anyway, don't trust this company or this unit. They will not support you or their product! BUYER BEWARE!!
Sorry to hear that
I have the exact same model. It's great 👍
Hey man, thanks for the video. I do have a question, can I install the 368-X72 for my 3.5 ton unit? Will it harm anything?
You’re gonna have to confirm that with the manufacturer.
I'm going to install a 368 model on my unit and where the unit is it gets alot of rain run-off from the corner of the roof. That waterproof box that you bought looks like it was exactly the right size for the micro-air soft start. Where did you get it and could you supply an exact link to it ? Any help would be appreciated. By the way, very good video.
Hey Criss
The link is in the description
You’ll have to cut just a small circle in the bottom for the wire but yes it was the perfect size
Gavin,
I got a micro air unit on the way. Do you know what diameter hole I need to drill out with my spiral bit to accommodate the mico air wiring. Also, if you have an idea or link to a waterproof screw in type of bushing for the hole.
Just a quick wiring question. When you connected the micro air black wire flush on top of the existing AC black wire, could I simply instead use a female push connector on the micro air black wire and simply push it on one of the open copper blades just behind the existing black wire ?
Thx
Hey DJ
Get you a stepper hole bit up to 1 inch I think the hole was half-inch
You can use a female push connector if that works for you
Gavin, thx for reply. I just wasn't sure that the copper blades behind were all connected to the existing AC black wire in front. Since you confirmed they are, I have blade connecters, no rings, so I'll just push the micro air black wire on one of the empty blades. lol
I'll keep you updated on my progress ! Thx again !🎉
@@djspyder551 anytime buddy 👍🏾
The first wire you connect to the herm terminal is orange, not red.
Yes I miss spoke on that one
Why don't ac's come with this technology? Wouldn't it ease the grid strain as well as help the owner?
My thoughts exactly👍🏾💯
Gavin, is there was a device that would delay the starting of the air handler (1000 watts) until the compressor in-rush was over? That would give 1000 watts of available power to assist with the compressor start. Are you aware of a device like this?
That is basically what the soft start does with some added capacitors
Will add this to my list. Thanks, Gavin. Not sure what size my A/C unit is but will figure it out.
It really made a huge difference on my AC unit no more hard startup
I know your post is old and you've probably figured out your A/C size by now, but if anyone else is reading...Usually in the model number, somewhere in the middle, there's a number 36, 42, 48, 60...take that number multiply it by a thousand, then divide that number by 12,000 (example: 42 x 1k=42,000/12,000=3.5), so that would be a 3.5 ton unit.
@@Alan-yd5pc Thank you for the response. I will keep this in mind as I did figure it out forgot.
I thought the yellow was common for the compressor and I thought the brown wire was supposed to splice into run winding
What's the L.R.A. on your 5 ton? 74 amps start up seems very low before the install. Also, I see most start up amps after the install were over 50. How can the generators with significantly less max starting amps, start this unit? A lot of your later videos show that happening. I'm not questioning the validity, I'm merely trying to be educated on this topic as I'm going to do this install. My 5 ton (Rheem) has an LRA of 144. I'm looking at a Westinghouse Wgen11500TFc. It a 11500/14500 generator. With the install of the Micro Air Easy Start, think this will work in your opinion? We will be mindful of other high draw items not being used during the outage. A/C is primary. Thanks much for any input.
Just make sure you get a pure sine wave inverter generator.
My L.R.A is around the same as yours
@@GeneratorReviews The Westinghouse Wgen15000TFc is not an Inverter, but it is a low THD unit at less than 5%. I found an article about it on the Power Equipment Forum. You might enjoy this read. "With this new unit, I believe they did go to the Mecc-Alte (M-A) stator/rotor assembly ... about the only way an open-frame non-inverter gen can get at those THD levels? The last time I looked at M-A's website and some engineering docs, it very clearly said "less than 5% THD", so any gen using them would be in that class of THD levels."........."I recently bought an 11500TFc and while I cannot confirm
Everything was correct expect the yellow wire for me
Follow the C off the capacitor and splice into the brown
Yes, there are some variance but the good thing is you did it yourself😎👍🏾
👍 Great tutorial. Thanks for sharing. 🙏
Thanks 😊
Wow!, nice clean install especially with that Extra Clear Box. Thank you for the clear detailed video. Did you notice if the live running current is less that before this installation?
Thanks 🙏🏾
Hello. I have a question in the event that the micro air goes bad for some reason will that prevent the AC from working?
I think the AC will still work. You just won’t have the starting capabilities of the micro air.
Not too bad going from 74 locked rotor amps (LRA) down to 54 on a 5 ton unit. My 2.5 ton heat pump is able to be started on a Predator 9500 with the economy speed control (ESC) disabled. You can definitely tell when the compressor startup hitting the generator with hard 56 amps; now it only peaks out at 20 amps soft start giving the ESC time to ramp up the rpm's to meet the startup demand.
Definitely curious how well a 9,000 peak watt generator will handle a compressor soft started 54 amps with ESC active. In a pinch you could possibly get away with one and parallel second one as needed.
Only one gripe about the soft start unit is the jumper cord could've been a bit longer to give me better mounting options since the wiring under the outside unit cover is is a bit busy with the additional controls that a heat pump normally has. At least I was able to get some stainless studs spot welded on to the outside cover to mount the controller to keep the installation neat and tidy. I do have remove 4 nuts that secures it to cover first then I can access the rest of the wiring; not a big deal, just had to be a little bit creative.
I’ll do you one better. I can start my 2.5 heat pump ac with. Predator 3500 in eco mode with a soft starter. How’s that for insane
54 amps still seems very high for a soft start module. I am wondering if something is wrong. My 4 ton went from around 113 amps to 28 max start amps.
Bummer if that is the 368 x72 model, I would have thought that it would have lowered it more. I am installing on a 5ton and hoping to get to 40 amps. Generator has 60 amps max.
It takes some time to lower the amps after learning. I’m currently in 35A range.
@@GeneratorReviews Awesome. Hopefully I will be too. Thanks for another great video!
Would it be possible to install the soft start kit if your power is already off and you’re running on a generator currently? I have the kit just never installed it. power is currently off running on my 9kv inverter generator but I’m assuming for the 5 starts it needs to learn your going to want to have line power on for that?
Technically yes but in your case I would install it.
@@GeneratorReviews thank you for the response. Power just came back on so I didn’t need to try and do it with the gas generator although I seen in the manual it can be done with generator power. Ecoflow pros came in clutch over night I didn’t need to run out and setup the generator. Going to grab a couple things from homedepot and get the soft start installed finally. Thank you Gavin!
Does the power light stay on or only when the ac starts? I have it all connected but the light only turns on when I push the connection switch.. any help??
The power is only on when the AC compressor is running.
Not sure its worth the money when peak start amps only changed from 72 to 54
At the time of this video, it was still learning. It’s down to 27amps
Great tutorial ! I installed the 364 on my 2.5ton for upstairs and curious if they’ll be any issues installing the 368 on my 3.5ton downstairs system with a heat pump. Any advice would be appreciated. 🤙🏽
Sounds like you got the plan all figured out buddy just take your time if you’re installing it yourself.
@@GeneratorReviews So it’ll work with a heat pump?
Thanks Gavin. I have a request about something completely different from video if you don’t mind. When I get a generator for the home, either GenMax 6000 or 9000. I put the power inlet box outside (30) amp. I put 2 gang 12/4 (2) 20amp receptacle’s right next to it. I want to keep the battery charged on electric start generator.
What on the generator do I plug in to the receptacle to keep battery ready to electric start it? I’m sorry, it may be simple to you but I don’t know. Thanks. Maybe you can point it out on follow up video for micro air start. All the best to you. Thanks again. Mike i
Are you wanting to be able to trickle charge the generator battery while it’s in storage
@@GeneratorReviews Yes Gavin.
Ok great, You can get any small trickle charger I’m gonna put a link.
amzn.to/3OJPqdH
This should do exactly what you’re asking about.
@@johnjohnssouthernexposure5421 Hey John- John, I appreciate the suggestion. I ran 10/4 armored cave from C.B. Panel through basement ceiling 50’ through brick to under the deck. Mounted 30amp Input Box using 10/4 cable wire. Not an easy project. To change it to 6/4 or 8/4 wire would be a real hassle. Right next to it I ran 12/4 from cb panel to outside 2 gang receptacle, both are home runs. Separate 20 amp circuit’s. Material cost me a fortune. I still have to come up with $1400 for GenMax6000 or $2300 for GenMax9000 there not cheap either. I really appreciate the suggestion. All the best Mike i.
@Gavin’s Garage Be careful with the amperage rating of the trickle charger.. some Generators (like my Champion 7000) specifically call for less than 1.5 amps (called out in the manual) to charge the small starter battery. So I use the smaller Noco 1amp charger (which handles the AGM replacement battery I have: a.co/d/hu9hENa
I think I need one
any downsides to using a microair soft start?
I haven’t found a downside yet but cannot run the AC on a generator without it.
I am looking into the ICM870-16a for my 3 ton, but the Amazon reviews are so bad saying it doesn't last long at all.
It also has a 4 minute compressor lockout on every start cycle. I won't buy it just because of that "feature".
@@projectswithjw yeah, Im just gonna spend a bit more and get the more beefier model Micro-Air Easystart 364 with Bluetooth.. great reviews on that one.
With the easy start, is it constantly learning with each start? I kept seeing it’ll take up to 5 start ups. Also when will be the best time for it to learn, when temps or low or at the hottest part of the day?
Good question from what I understand it's only the first 5 starts, anyone know for sure?
Love the video, Where can I get the box you used to put the Micro air inside to be safe from the wind and rain?
Just a quick question. I noticed in the video you used a female quick disconnect for the herm and a ring connector for the black wire. Would it be acceptable to use a female quick disconnect instead of the ring connector for the black wire if a male post is available or is there some rule about what type of connector must be used for each terminal? There are three different connectors used in your video, so that's why I'm asking. And should all connectors be 10-gauge connectors?
I honestly just used what I had to get the installation done as long as it makes contact.
@@GeneratorReviews Makes sense. Thanks for the reply
Great video where can I get this case?
Links in video description
@@GeneratorReviews thank you
Was wondering what the LRA number that is on label on your AC?
Just my two cents, I think is important to mention how to connect to the easy start with the app, depending on your phone and OS version this could be a real easy step, in my case with Android 13 I had to do a device search to find the BT ID, you must type this ID as is shown, on the app with caps and lowers, and numbers you can also do a search for (Easy Start_) and it should give it to you mine did not have it inside the unit. Password is either 0000 or 1234. It would be great if the instructions would include this information. Also the unit must be running or it will not connect since the BT on the Easy Start will be off. Also on some of the wires, if there is a connector, already in place don't cut the wire use it and just add the appropriate end to the Easy Start wiring ends just in case you have to take the Easy Start off for whatever reason. My 3 ton unit (Goodman) with (Comfort Connect module, which it will not chance the hook up by the way) is around 12 years old, the original starting amperage was around 75 amps, now with the Easy Start is hovering around 25-27 amps with around 7-9 running amps. The only things I noticed that are different are that when the compressor starts it makes a louder click noise, not sure if is coming from the contactor but it sound more like metal to metal, so not sure if is supposed to do that, also since I have an Enphase PV system with CTs my monitoring portal is showing that the wattage consumed by each cycle has gone up, so not sure if the hard start I had installed there before the Easy Start was helping in that aspect, but with the hard start, I did noticed that when I first installed the wattage draw per cycle dropped substantially by almost 2000 watts per cycle. if anyone has experienced this please share it because I have a feeling that as far as savings due to lower watts consumption per cycle is not really worth the extra expense on top of the price for the Easy Start. I can see the benefits for whoever uses a generator, but since I don't have one yet and I do have battery backup and most appliances are gas and or 120v. I rather save on the daily use of electricity. I've had that cheap hard start kit for around 7 years without any issues.Tonight I'll check my daily stats to determine if my consumption went up, if so I will post the results in this post as an update, hopefully I won't have to return this product. I'm not an AC guy, but I'm learning as I go. It be pretty awesome if they could add a hard start option to the Easy Start! I sent a diagnostics data report and they reply back with thumbs up, so I know is working as it should to include the app features. Great video by the way, looking to get a generator as another backup option for cloudy days, so I'll be watching some of your videos on that too, looking at the tri-fuel inverters by Champion but seems they are hard to get now a days and price gauging is a killer. Thanks for sharing. This comments are based on my personal experience, yours will be different, but I will be grateful for any meaningful feedback.👍
thats a great video your the man .
😎thanks buddy
Gavin what was your initial locked rotor amperage before install? Now are you at 55amps?
My initial LRA was 74 I showed the whole list at the end of the video
@@GeneratorReviews thanks man. Was hoping this would drop LRA more then 55amps. I got same easy start as you sitting in garage for past year to be installed. I thought I read you can get 70% reduction in LRA. Curious how mine will do.
@@GeneratorReviews 55amps at 240volts will still be a 13k watt draw at start up. Then rests at 5k watts.
@@johnjohnssouthernexposure5421 The first start I did was 74 it dropped it to 64 now it’s at 54a i’ll take that😊👍🏾
@@GeneratorReviews It would not surprise me to see it in the 30s once it learns your system. It takes about a dozen starts and it will optimize it more each time. I have several thousand starts on mine and it dropped tremendously.
Hey buddy, another great video, helped me decide to install on my 5 ton unit rated for 152.5 LRA. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good ‘before’ number for actual inrush amps it was pulling. But, upon install the first learn cycle scored just 41.9 inrush amps and by the 5th learn it was down to 32 inrush amps. So the device seems to be consistent with MicroAir claims of 75% reduction. Sweet. Hey can you help with a question I have? This is a 240v system and the circuit breaker I have is a pair of 30 amp breakers supporting AC. So, does that mean that my AC is now pulling 32 inrush amps on EACH leg or TOTAL? I am not sure I am clear the role of the two 120 volt power legs that sum up to 240 volt total. I am trying to size the generator I would need and wondering whether my AC is using 32 inrush amps on each leg and therefore I need a generator that can keep up with 62 amps or does it mean I just need to generator 32 amps total. I guess it comes down to what MicroAir is reporting in the app - 120 volt data or 240 volt data.
You’re going to need a generator that’s at least 9000 W to power your house and still have power to spare.
The condenser pulls 32 amps by itself
@@GeneratorReviews Per the label on my system, RLA is 23.7 and LRA is 152.5. According to my MicroAir my Last Start Peak was 30.8 A and Live Current is 10.7 A. I will note that it was 51 degrees F today so the system isn’t working as hard as it would during a Texas summer day of 105F, so maybe power consumption would be higher in the summer. Given these measurements, does anything change in your first analysis? Too much for a pair of Delta Pro with the 240V hub?
@@natehowe7975 I have a 2008 Trane XR13 5-ton unit (in Texas) with the EasyStart X72 installed since 5/13/2023 and the LRA is rated at 148A. I'm seeing numbers fluctuating wildly for the Last Start Peak between 34A and 74A. But the Live Current readings are pretty solid - consistently between 12A and 14A. Seems like the Last Start Peak goes way up with more heat and humidity.
Turn the ac off by pulling the disconnector outside while it is running or turn the ac off from the thermostat inside the house first then pull the disconnector outside before installing the soft starter? Thx
Do I need to turn off the ac by using the thermostat inside the house first or don’t mess w/ it & pull the disconnector outside? Thx
Are there any professional installers in Houston? I have a 5 ton AC Unit. I need to get one along with a generator. I'm not going through another power outage in Houston without a backup power. Never again!
Agreed 👍🏾
Hey guys, this is sweet but are there any how-to videos that name which terminal connects to what rather than “red wire here, black wire there, yadda yadda…”
It’s really easy once you start you see yadda yadda ………
How did you get it to fit in the plastic junction box, it’s a really tight fit ?
It is a really tight fit, but it works perfectly in there
@@GeneratorReviews thanks yes it’s a tight fit
Where did you connect the clamp meter for after install testing ?
Between which two devices ?
Thx
You connected the exact same spot, the compressor will draw less amperage on startup
If you LRA amps are at 54.9 I don't see how it possible to start this AC with a Honda EU7000is, can anyone explain this?
The soft start makes it possible
What if you have the big daddy WGEN28000, would you still need this?
Yessir you would still need a soft start
Excellent video sir! I see the link for the water resistant case. What size do you recommend for the smart start module x72 for my large house? Thank you
I would get the same size
Hey Gavin is this a Trane unit? I’m assuming you put the X72 on and not the X42. Gene
I think train is the parent company to this unit I think!
Let's go
Be nice to see what your Lra is now after using the micro for some time………..
I checked it yesterday and its 44 amps
What to do when none of the colors are the same??? Which side L1L2// T1t2 only black & red wires ???
You’re gonna have to find your specific wiring diagram for your unit
Wire nut or wago I saw others used can also be used to tie the brown wire & the yellow wire which is on the left side of the contactor, correct? Thx
The wire nut works just fine
Great video. Is the clear weatherproof box from micro-air I can’t seem to find it if it is?
Thanks for the very informative video
The link is in the description it’s on Amazon
Thanks Melvin 👍🏾
Please advise me where you got waterproof protection case for the 368 micro air that you installed. Where did you get the waterproof case and the name of it?
www.gavins-garage.com/product/zulkit-junction-box-ip67-waterproof-electrical-box-hinged-clear-cover/
I'm sorry but you referred to the Orange wire several times as "The RED wire". Did I miss something??
OMG!! I said it once no one said I was perfect😬
How big of a step drill bit is that?
The hole I drilled was 13/16 but the step drill is 1/4 to 1-3/8