MICRO-AIREasyStart FLEX 398 - Bluetooth Soft Start Kit for Home Air Conditioner, RV & Commercial Use, Works with Generators, Reduces Power Surge, Efficient Start-Up - Up to 6 Tons

So, I am a skeptical about anything like this,, but I really wanted to be able to start my AC using a generator without upgrading to something like a 22000 watt generator. So I watched a ton of install video's and reviews and finally made the purchase. I read the instructions a few times,, figured out how to install to my AC and ended up installing this myself in about an hour and a half. To be fair I have done some AC work,, nothing major,, just replaced fans, and capacitors,, I am by no means an electrician,, but I know enough to get things done and can research enough to do it right. I connected the easy start to my 5 ton unit which is mounted to the side of my house near our bedroom. The max rating for the unit is 144amps at start up and if you figure that's double what the unit actually uses at start up,, your looking in the range of 70 amps for normal startup. the first start up in the black screenshot shows the unit starting using about 51 amps and the latest startup after more than 1800 startups used less than 30 amps,, and thats been about the norm every time I check it. Amazing reduction. so I have connected my 9000W Generator to my house a few times and I can flip the breaker to my air handler and start it up,, and then flip the breaker to my condenser unit and it starts up flawlessly. Cant be happier. Also as an added bonus I can barely tell when the unit starts at night any longer because the noise is cut down so much. which I cant prove in a review. But my wife has not complained about it since I installed the easy start so I know it made a huge difference.Jason K

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Over all reliability and specifically for reducing inrush amps during the systems self learning technology and reducing the running amps allowing for a backup generator to operate a 4 ton or larger unit with easy. Allowing for other circuitry be powered depending on the size of your pickup generator. For a 4 ton heat pump it's best to have a 50amp with 10,000 plus peak watts. The larger the wattage to more circuits can be powered with running a central system heat pump. This is one very awesome product that's well suited for both home and RV applications, but be sure to apply the right device as they differ between applications for RV use and home or residential applications. After my installation, it was cycled between 5 and 7 times to find the optimal reduced inrush amps and balanced running amps. I then ran my 50amp 10500 peak watt generator to test the 4 ton heat pump startup for cooling and it performed flawlessly with every cycle. I was also able to easily run other high current draw appliances simultaneously as it maintained a much lower running amp load. Absolutely thrilled with this can't do without device for emergency power backup when the main power supply goes out! Bought a backup just in case but hope to never need it. Still money well spent!

Why did you pick this product vs others?:TL;DR - The Micro-Air EasyStart does what it says it’ll do, as I experienceda 75% reduction in compressor starting amperage.The control unitcame nicely packaged with well written instructions and links to helpful videos. My HVAC unithad been cycling on with a thump for about a year and a half, even after replacingthe hard start kit (tested bad), capacitor (tested good), and contactor (atthis point, why not), along with having the charge verified. I bought an InRush capable clamp style meter, something my existingnon-clamp meters lacked, and found the compressor was pulling 97 amps, which wentup to 107 amps once I removed the hard start kit (as required). I made someroom under the cover to keep the control unit out of the weather, used heat-shrinkcrimp connectors, and it took about an hourto install in the hot and humid sunshine we’ve been having in GA. The first start with the EasyStart was 33 amps, and it’saveraging around 27 amps now, about two weeks later. Only wish the Bluetooth hada bit more range for the app… but that’s very minor. I am very pleased.

It survived the huge downpour we had last night. The housing is waterproof except for a small vent on the bottom where the cable comes out. If you mount it upside down the vent might let a drop of water in. It was easy to install following the You Tube directions from Hutchmountain. The only thing to watch out for are the blue 14ga stake on terminals on the orange & black leads. They were loose after I put them on, so I replaced them. The WAGO connectors were fine. The install is easy enough after you figure out where you're going to mount it & how you'll route the wiring cable. Be creative & have fun. I recommend the HVAC FLEX Soft Start & hope it lets me run my home HVAC with my generator if we lose power.

Easy to install on my Lennox AC condenser unit and worked very well to reduce the starting amperage when running the AC and not connected to the power grid. My solar system has 2 PowerWall 3 units and 2 extra batteries, and would cause a very significant voltage drop with the lights briefly going off and all of my PC UPSes kicking in (if I was running disconnected from the grid), with the resulting drop also knocking a number of my microinverters offline for several minutes each time the AC kicked on. After installing this, it's barely noticeable when it starts up.Installation with the provided install kit was simple and only required a screwdriver and some wire strippers. It feels solid and appears to be well protected from the elements for installs where it needs to be mounted outside of the condenser cover, as in my case. The installation video (via QR code in the package) covered the installation well (though it did not mention mounting specifically).