*Link to Active Controls Website for more info* - www.active-controlsllc.com/ Previous Plug and Play Version Videos - www.loveyourrv.com/activestart-soft-starter-rv-surge-protector-review/ Amazon Link - amzn.to/3PRZ5lE

Thanks Ray I'll check into that I just want to keep my dog cool when we're out on the road and he's stuck in the RV

Well you just solved another question and test for me. I was going to try this piece of equipment for my a/c using my 1600/2000 W genny . Guess I’ll look at the soft start or easy start brand next. Thank you for the timely review 😊

I’ve run my 15.5 AC on my Champion 2800 with a micro start easy start no problem. In fact I have run my bedroom 13.5 and then started the 15.5 on the easy start and it runs both. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made for $150 less than this. The customer service was amazing on install. I was confused on the installation so they did FaceTime and walked me right through it. Bada bing bada boom cooling my room. 😂

Great video. Thanks Don.. Have fun on your new boat

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

Thanks 👍

Thanks for sharing. Like 209

I wish I was parked next to you and could borrow your plug in Active Start for a couple of minutes. I have a 3500 predator I just want to see if it works. It’s so expensive. I’m traveling back to TN in the September and I think it’s going be 🥵 hot.

We have a Honda 3000 inverter generator. The Dometic rooftop A/C in our Montana effects a soft start by spinning up the blower first, and delaying the compressor start by a couple of seconds, leaving plenty of time for the Honda to speed up to meet the compressor's starting load. OTOH, the Honda generator at idle is overloaded by the inrush of a small Sanyo dormitory style fridge. If I disable the smart idle, it will start the Sanyo just fine. I understand that Yamaha inverter generators will draw off the starting battery to power their inverter while the motor is spinning up to meet a change in load. If true, this sounds like a good feature.

Good review Ray 👍. I just installed a soft start on my 15,000 btu dometic 2 weeks ago and it ran just fine on my 2,000 watt Honda generator at 85 degrees outside. Cross my fingers. I will have to wait for higher temperatures to see if it will still work.

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. Elevation can make a difference too. Gas generators lose power the higher up they are used at.

I just went to their website, the dogbone active start REALLY impressed me. Too bad! When a usa company says they don’t handle everything for shipping their product to my doorstep, leaving me wondering what surprise extra fees are going to be tacked on by border crossing and the courier, is a BIG no thanks! When i dealt with lion energy to get my lithium batteries 4years ago, i knew exactly how much it will cost me, they handled all that mess! Best customer service those guys. All i can say is good luck hitting the canadian market active start 🤕. 🍻

Been wanting to try this out on my 15k roof air and old yellow champion 2000/1600 generator

@LoveYourRV Ray I have the Champion 2500 watt dual fuel generator and on propane it can only do about 1,650 Watts on propane which is how I run it. I usually have to unplug everything to run my Furrion 14.5k btu A/C but every once in a while I have to shut off the battery charger as well. Once I do that it starts the A/C just fine. Unless you have already thought of it I’m betting If you threw all the breakers but a/c and any other 110 devices she would run it. I only do this for an hour nap in the extreme heat or if an emergency popped up and a/c was needed as it has to be a little stressful to the generator to run full power for long periods. But mainly the generator is just a battery charger when the solar isn’t coming in well. By the way I use the Micro-air easy start but I’m still betting cutting all 110 devices and your generator will run the a/c just fine. Thanks for the vids!

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, yes I did my testing with all the breakers in the off position except for the main and AC. Cheers, Ray

@JAYFEATHERBOONDOCKS

Жыл бұрын

@@LoveYourRV dang, I thought for sure I might have a trick for you lol. You're too good at this stuff. Nice work!

I wired in a hard-start capacitor to use my Honda 2000i generator. The A/C started up every time, except in Death Valley; the inside temp was too hot. I ran the van's A/C to reduce the temp just enough and then the generator could handle the A/C again. My newer RV no longer needs any such device since it has a 4000W generator built in; but it's too noisy and I hate using it.

Nice. You can still use that Genny. Run the AC off your RV batteries and inverter. And then just run your Genny into the charge controller to feed power to the batteries. I think that would work.

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

Good point. :) with my generator I can put back about 800 watts of power via my charger.

Hey ray. Wondering if you do anything special to reduce chucking of the camper going down the road?

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

No, I've never had much of a chucking issue with this camper. Has been smooth with my old truck and the new one.

I watched Timmy from "Truck House Life" wire up a soft start for a 6000 btu ac and ran it with a 1000 watt honda for his truck camper. I have started seeing more 12 volt ac units in the 6000 to 7000 btu range. Wonder if they will start making biggar units in 12 volt, if u had a large battery bank and a roof full of solar it might work.

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

Cool, truck campers have a small space to cool so 6000 btu would work well I bet. For our fifth wheel the 14500 btu Furrion seems to do the job pretty good. What is the amp draw on those 12 volt ACs? I think that may be the negative factor if there is a large distance between the AC and the battery bank. The larger gauge copper wiring needed would get expensive and harder to run through walls and ceilings. For example my AC has a max rating of around 16 amps, so if it the same for 12V that would be 160 amps to get similar power in watts. 160 amps need a very large wire. Cheers, Ray

@kellyn7280

Жыл бұрын

Ya that might be the reason we don't see anything bigger, I watched a fellow in Texas with a sprinter van who had a roof full of solar. It was around a 100 F, and the solar cell kept up with the ac unit and he didn't draw his batteries down, but there isn't a lot of volume in a sprinter compared with a full size camper. The units I've looked at are drawing 30 to 70 amps.

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

I don't find camping in 100F very appealing but I guess in some places they don't have much choice. :) I've heard people in hot places have good luck by converting to a mini spit AC system. The seem to be much more efficient to can get the same cooling with less power. Drawback though is having to mount the big external fan unit and run the piping into the RV.

@kellyn7280

Жыл бұрын

I'm a firm believer in going to higher altitudes and further north when it gets that hot. Lol

Did you do a learning part as part of the install? I know that some do a learning phase before actual use

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

This one doesn't need to learn. Here is from the tech specs brochure. storage.googleapis.com/production-domaincom-v1-0-0/980/1482980/ls0FIvyF/d995d55bf4114ce89cc8b2bff2c1febc?fileName=ACS4W16%20&%20%20ACS4W40%204-14-23.pdf "The ActiveStart doesn’t learn with every start but instead has a very precise measurement algorithm that reduces the inrush up to 80% or more in some applications on every start including the first."

Can I get the wiring diagram from somewhere for the Furrion 14.5btu?

@LoveYourRV

11 ай бұрын

Download the manual, they usually have a wiring diagram furrion.com/pages/downloads-climate

If you had purchased a Honda EU2200i (Or, Yamaha eq.) it would have started your AC even without a softstart. That is one of the reasons you pay for quality. But you already know that.

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

I had a pair of 2000 watt Champions that I bough to in 2011 they were able to be paralleled to 4000 watt and would run the AC no problem. I sold one 2 years ago and gave one to Anne's brother for home backup about a year ago, both were still chugging along fine. Paid a $1200 Canadian at Costco back then for the pair and the parallel cables. I now carry the little Energizer since its small for storing in a truck tool box and only 44 lbs. I need it sometimes for battery charging in cloudy weather or when camped under trees, don't need AC that much when off grid. And now have enough lithium and solar to run the AC for a few hours if needed. That's why I was interested to see it the soft start would help with inverters running the AC. Generators seem to have a much easier time handling the in rush current vs an inverter. Cheers, Ray

what size Phillips and what length of the long screwdriver you used? I have a furrion chill and want to get the right long screwdriver

@LoveYourRV

2 ай бұрын

#2 10" www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-phillips-head-screwdriver-rubber-grip-0573125p.html

@LifeIsAJourney4Us

2 ай бұрын

@@LoveYourRVthanks!!!

First start up from cold is never an issue, restarts in very hot weather makes for a very much higher start up amps. This test does not evaluate this very well.

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

In my tests, the in-rush of around 56 amps lowering to about 15 amps, has been pretty consistent between cold and hot starts. Have tested in different temps in the cooler mornings and hotter late afternoons after running during the day. Having said that, though, I'm not in a particularly hot environment here on the Canadian west coast, with our temps maxing out at about 30C and relatively low humidity, around 40-50 compared to places like Florida or Ontario. The elevation here is about 8 feet above sea level. Cheers, Ray

Don't drop your tools in the water! Make sure you have your life vest on.!

@OverlandUnderground

Жыл бұрын

Why would he wear a life vest working on the rv air conditioner?

@tmorton922

Жыл бұрын

@@OverlandUndergroundJust a joke, he was just on a boat for 2 weeks

That don't look like a boat LOL

@LoveYourRV

Жыл бұрын

Desert yacht :)