Microair 364 easy start in Coleman 15K

[Timeking]

Has anyone done this? Advice?

Where did you mount the device? Did it fit inside the wiring box?

[itat]

Using the search feature, you should be able to find threads where members have installed the MicroAir. There are several videos on YouTube as well.

[Timeking]

There are some videos (like 3) of actual installation on 13.5 units, but almost every post is about the improvements in AC start using various generators (mostly Honda), not installation.

I am trying to find out exactly what I will need to install the thing in a Coleman Mach15 15K AC, and hours spent searching and Youtubing have turned up nada.

[SeaDog]

Looking at their install sheet I don't see anything special that you might need other then basic hand tools. looks to me like you could mount it in the same area as the start capacitor. I did not check the price of this unit compared to a stander hard start kit just wondering.

[Timeking]

please see this
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1x1...zKQUyZYfgrx8oH

Does this mean it will not fit in a Mach 15? Or is this some other AC? This is why I originally posted. See above

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by Timeking

Has anyone done this? Advice?

Where did you mount the device? Did it fit inside the wiring box?

Matteo Giovanetti, an engineer from Micro-Air is a member of this forum. He has been very good about answering questions like yours. His handle is Micro-Air. Send him a PM or check out this thread...

Originally Posted by Micro-Air

I'm subscribed to this topic, so feel free to post your questions here .

[jasonw43]

I have installed two of these, one on mine and one on a friend's. They work great. Vids on micro air web site.

[Keystoner]

http://www.modmyrv.com/2009/05/27/rv...tart-capacitor

[Timeking]

keystoner = that is a hard start capacitor $10 not a microair soft start $300

[jasonw43]

Yes, it fits right in the box in the A.C. on roof. Watch where you drill holes to mount the box.

[Timeking]

jason43 -- It fit in a Coleman Mach 15 OK?

[jasonw43]

My unit is in storage right now. I can tell you it was a Colman, I did a ton of research before investing. My unit is a small mini LITE. Forest river. Sleeps two with Murphy bed. Don't remember the BTU but think that's the smallest they offer. Call micro LITE. They are very helpful.

[Brewhedd]

Installed the sealed MicroAir in a 15k Coleman. Not a bad install at all. Now I can use my Generac IQ's to run the air.

[Timeking]

OK, now that it is installed ... it DOES NOT. The old black 364 probably did fit, but the new off-white 364 is bigger, and won't fit WITHOUT removing the band that holds the 2 caps in place, and re-securing the caps with one of those cable ties with the screw hole. This places the caps side by side toward the bow of the TT. Then there is room to squeeze the 364 into the box, but there is no room to mount it with screws unless you have an angle-drill and a stubby bit. I had to use cable ties to secure as best I could. The good news it is in there, and nothing can move about.

Although Micro-air has a picture showing possible external mounting locations, none of those will work. There is nowhere outside of the box to mount it, too many flanges and pipes and stuff in the road. I tried.

[Timeking]

1. TURN OFF POWER
2. DISCHARGE ALL CAPS
3. Disconnect and remove hard start cap.
4. Remove the strap that holds the two capacitors.
a. Fasten a regular tie-wrap to a tie-wrap with screw mount. By experimentation, adjust the total length of the two tie-wraps such that when in position you will be able to fasten the capacitors.
b. Fasten the tie-wrap with the screw toward the front that held the strap you removed. Move capacitors to the front and secure with tie-wrap.
5. Put quick connects on wires that will go to the run cap
a. Slide shrink wrap down EASYSTART-white and EASYSTART-yellow wires
b. EASYSTART-white (yellow 12 gauge connector)
c. EASYSTART-orange (blue 14 gauge connector).
d. Shrink the shrink wrap
6. EASYSTART-black wire:
a. Locate the black wire spliced into the purple wire. Remove the splice. Strip the ends.
b. Twist EASYSTART-black wire into the two, and secure with red wire nut. No bare wire should be visible outside the wire nut.
c. Starting before the wire nut, wrap splice with electrical tape onto the wirenut, then backwards back onto the wire.
d. Put a tie wrap at the base of the wire nut entrance making it impossible for the electrical tape to unwrap.
7. EASYSTART-brown wire:
a. One side of the run capacitor has a white wire and a yellow wire.
b. Remove the white wire and join the white wire to the EASYSTART-brown wire with a yellow wire nut, taped and secured as above.
8. EASYSTART-white:
a. GoEasystart to the side of the RUN cap with the yellow wire where the white wire removed above used to be.
b. This wire should be the L2 or neutral for incoming power.
9. EASYSTART-orange wire:
a. goes to the terminal on run cap where red wire is connected
10. Place the Easystart unit into the enclosure with its wire exit pointing down. Arrange wiring (there will be lots of space above the caps) and secure everything with tie wraps, including a tie wrap from the top mounting hole of the unit around the wires entering the enclosure from the compressor. The bottom of the unit will be held in place by the capacitors.
11. Start the AC 5 times with 5 minute wait between starts.

Dimensions: 7.64L x 3.58W x 2.50H in

[IMG]file:///C:\Users\timeking\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\ 01\clip_image002.jpg[/IMG]

[Timeking]

Upon further reflection, I might have been able to get one hole (maybe 2) drilled if I had taken the caps and the unit out of the enclosure when I had everything apart. But there is no way I am going to get back on the roof and take everything apart just to see if this is, or is not possible.

[ace911]

Sounds good. How do you like it? Have you tried it during hot weather? What size genny are you using?

[Timeking]

I am in FL and it has been in the high 80s. It seems the fan starts up, then smoothly transitions the compressor run. Quieter.

I am using a Champion 3500 dual fuel on propane in econo mode.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by Timeking

keystoner = that is a hard start capacitor $10 not a microair soft start $300

For those that don't know, here's a primer on A/C power requirements:
If you've ever pushed a car by hand, you know it's a lot more difficult to get the car rolling from a stop than it is to keep it moving once started. Air conditioners have the same problem, it's called Locked Rotor Amps (LRA). Getting the compressor and fan motor to go from a dead stop to full speed in a split second takes a great deal of initial current. To help meet this surge a capacitor is usually incorporated to hold a reserve supply of power to augment the normal current available, much like an accumulator in a hydraulic system. An aftermarket capacitor can be used to augment this reserve power but doesn't change the initial demand. The Micro-Air takes a different route by controlling the current rate applied to the A/C. Essentially, instead of immediately applying full current to the compressor making it spin up suddenly, the Micro-Air makes the compressor start up at a much slower rate, drastically reducing the surge requirement thus allowing the A/C to be run with a much smaller generator. Once the A/C is up and running the power requirement hasn't changed, but the huge surge of current needed for start-up is much lower. It's not snake oil, just the physics of electricity!
I'm not affiliated with Micro-Air in any way, this is just from my own research so YMMV. Maybe our forum representative can chime in and make sure my explanation is correct.

[Timeking]

Since it has been brought up, the $10 capacitor did nothing and now resides in a landfill.