SoftStartRV Soft Start for RV Air Conditioner, RV AC Soft Start Kit for Air Conditioner, Easy Start Even with a Small Generator, 100% Waterproof, Trailer Camper, Motorhome HVAC -NetworkRV

I bought this soft start with overnight delivery so I could install it before a 4 week trip out west since our inverter decided after 3 months it wanted to fault on low battery voltage when the A/C came on. I was surprised it would start it without one, but needed one eventually.I have a TOSOT heat pump (GREE is the same) and they did not have a wiring diagram posted on their website. I submitted a ticket and within 90 minutes had a PDF in my mailbox specific to the TOSOT since I had sent a pic of the electrical diagram and control box. EXCELLENT service.

Bought this to install on a Grand Design Imagine with a Furrion 14.5k AC unit. The instructions provided didn't match the AC I had, and so I called customer service and spoke with Danny and he got me squared away in 15 minutes. He was incredible - was able to walk me through attaching each of the five wires from his soft start unit based on asking me questions about what I see. Better than YouTube!Got it installed and it's blowing cold air while running on a Victron inverter off of solar!

Install was good, just follow instructions for your exact AC unit. Worked great. The AC unit started gradually and about 60 percent quieter. Could run the AC using 15/20 amp house plug connection. Truly a ‘missing link’ in the camping experience. Now I could stay with relatives by plugging up to a regular plug or use a small generator (not personally tested yet) as indicated by the Softstart web site. One important installation note: If possible attach the box with self tapping screws after checking behind the drilling spot for clearance. The adhesive tape on the back of the Softstart box will probably fail at some point from heat and road motion.

Easy to install using model specific instructions from OEM website. This unit starts the fan motor and gets it up to speed before starting the compressor so there isn't a large amperage draw as when both the fan motor and compressor start simultaneously. Simple idea that works. Hardest part of the installation was climbing up and down the ladder several times to get on top of the RV. Would be easier if you have someone on the ground that can get tools that you have forgotten to bring up with you.

Really great quality! John the customer service tech guy was really helpful he sent me everything I needed over email so I could hook it up! I did everything he said to do and followed the wiring instructions and diagram he sent in the email and it worked! Thank you John!!!

I have a 2012 Open Range 398RLS with a 15,000 btu Dometic Brisk Air II ducted system in the living area and the original Coleman Mach 13,500 btu non-ducted unit in the bedroom. The living room a/c has an RV Airflow kit installed which makes for a very quiet running unit. The bedroom a/c however is another story. As temps drop in the evenings and it starts to cycle off and on it will just about make you jump out of your skin when it kicks on because it is right above the bed. After being startled awake one too many times I began looking for solutions. My first thought was to install a mini split system in the front to take advantage of the efficiency, quiet operation and also to be able to run both units simultaneously off of my 4200-watt Firman inverter generator. It was hard to justify the money and modifications needed to install the mini split however when the Coleman unit was working perfectly fine except for the nerve-wracking startups. I ran across a few articles on soft starts and how they can smooth out startups allowing you to run a/c units off of smaller generators so it seemed like a nice way to save some money, time and effort and possibly achieve my goal of less bone jarring startups. I did some research and settled on the SoftstartRV brand because of its reviews and high ratings. I ordered from Amazon rather than the website because of Prime shipping and a $20 cheaper price. The unit arrived the next day and came wrapped in bubble wrap with instructions and an installation kit, but with no box or other packaging. First impressions were terribly underwhelming. For the price I guess I expected a better presentation, but the product itself seemed solid and well made. I went to the website and found my a/c units wiring diagram and instructions, printed it out and headed to the roof with tools and product in hand. Directions were surprisingly clear and in about 30 minutes everything was wired up. I should say at this point that I do have lots of experience with wiring diagrams and electrical devices, but very little a/c experience. That being said, I do believe anyone that can follow directions and is even a little bit mechanically inclined should be able to install one of these devices without much effort. I followed the instructions to the letter, got my green light on the first try and allowed the unit to run for the initial 30 minute set up time. After that I turned the thermostat up to a normal operating temperature and waited. I have a Power Watchdog EPO hardwired to my rig so I am able to watch wattage, voltage and amperage readings in real time via an app so I stayed glued to my screen for several startup cycles. The readings looked good as there was no initial huge spike in wattage and amperage like there was before so I knew the unit was doing what it was designed to do and was smoothing the surge out to a steadier and more gradual ramp up. The compressor and fan used to kick on simultaneously but now the blower turns on a second or two ahead of the compressor and this is very evident by the initial 300+ watt draw followed by the 1400+ watt draw after the compressor kicks in. It is a much faster ramp up than I anticipated though and without my ability to monitor the wattage and amperage it would be hard to tell any difference just by listening to the unit. Unfortunately, I do not see this solving my particular problem because from a sound perspective there is little perceivable difference. Again, I know the unit is working because I can “see” the difference in my readings, but for the money, I certainly expected more. If this was a $50 or even $100 item I would have shrugged it off and never looked back because I do see value in what it does. Maybe my expectations were just too high, and if all I was looking to do was smooth out the current draw to run my a/c off of a small generator then this might be a viable solution, but for my use case it was money not well spent. I wish now that I had spent my time and money on the mini split instead of this. I still have to give this four stars because even though it didn’t solve my specific problem, I still think it is a well made device that will work for the vast majority of people looking to smooth out their power consumption curve. I will eventually try to run both units off of my generator just to see if it works as advertised in that regard, but since that was not my ultimate goal it is not high on my priority list.

I have a Westinghouse iGen2550DFc generator that I use with my 2022 Rpod 196. The generator was not big enough to start the air conditioning so I did a ton of reading and decided to give this SoftStartRV a try. IT WORKS PERFECT!It took about an hour and a half to install after downloading the instructions from their website. Just follow the instructions and you won't have any problem.