Best video for showing how easy soft start install is. While the directions were pretty good, the video was great to clarify a couple steps. I was able to install 2 soft starts in 1.5 hours.
Thank you so much for the comment. This type of feedback is why I try to make these videos. You are very motivating. I'm thinking of doing another RV video soon.
Ted & Paul, I appreciate you making this video! It walked me through getting the SoftStart installed because I brought my iPad on the roof and did the process as you guys showed each step. I would have been done in about 15 minutes if I had brought all of the tools I needed with me on my first trip up!
Great video! Come to find out I had the exact same AC unit on my camper. So I was able to walk right through the video with you. Turn it on and no green light. I didn't have the power wire pushed down enough. All is good now. Greatly appreciated! Thank you.
The way he cut that zip tie at 8:45 should be criminal 😂 Great video though! Researching upgrading my 400w solar system to include new/more panels, a second inverter and AC unit. This helped guide my thinking!
Great video! On the mounting of the unit, one suggestion would have been to simply move it over toward the edge a bit so at least the two screws on the left side (top and bottom) would simply go through into the capacitor compartment which you already had open and can see where it is clear. Two screws plus the tape would be sufficient I would think?
Great video I’m going to install mine today. I hope Paul started his channel. I know it’s been a while since this video was created. Always for anyone that starts something new.
@@Bobby_Chingas I am running 3x Renogy 170 AH batteries(510 AH total). I found them for an extremely good price a few times and stocked up. 400 AH would probably power the AC unit no problem, my math shows 150A draw from the batteries at steady state(~1600W @ 120V).
I just finished installing my SoftStartRV in my new AC unit! I installed the SSRV before the AC unit was installed and I'm sure glad because the unit had no room, no give, no extra wiring, and everything was tied down way too well (which normally is a very good thing). It took me hours just to disassemble everything so I could get to the wiring. Crazy. But it was a successful effort in the end! Now I just hope it all works when I get the unit officially installed. 🤞🤞
@@WhatsMyGear Replacing. There was a 13.5 BTU AC in the trailer when we purchased it (2 units actually), but we are living in the trailer off grid and using just one of them was too high of an energy draw to use even for a short time. Our inverter was not large enough for the power draw. We ended up removing one of the units and installed a 12v swamp cooler unit (turbokool), which was a disaster and didn't work at all, so now we are going back to the regular RV AC unit. The AC we just purchased however is a 9.5K BTU AC and we purchased the softstartRV hoping it will help even more, which I really think it will. Finger's cross again. Kind of TMI, sorry. It's been quite a journey. :)
@@WhatsMyGear I'm the same way. I love to hear what folks are doing with their trailers, how they are improving them, and how they are managing, especially if they live in them off grid! 🙂 As for the IG (inverter generator?), no, mainly because our current solar set up is very much like the home solar set ups except that we don't have a true standby generator; only a large portable generator that we can plug into if we draw down our batteries too much. We have 22 solar panels, 12 FLA deep cycles batteries, 2 charge controllers, and a 4000 watt inverter. The 4k seems like a lot, but when you consider we have a 220v water pressure tank connected, a couple of computers going daily, a couple of refrigerators, washer/dryer, and plenty of other 120v draws, the turning on of a 13.5k BTU AC unit is upwards of 3.5k+ watts, it passes the 4k mark in a snap. So it's the inverter limitation that is causing us grief with respect to the AC usage so we are just trying to manage within that constraint. And we are managing, but at the expense of the air conditioner!! We suffered a lot last summer, I have to say. On one of the hottest days, it was 98 degrees (F) in our trailer!!! It was torture. I suppose with all of the cooling units we have purchased we probably could have purchased at least a big part of a higher capacity inverter!! What to do. 🤷♀ We technically could link up two of our big generators during the summer months and run that AC, but then we add the cost of fuel to run them every day, which would add up very very quickly ($$$$$). Comfort is too costly. 🤣
That's awesome! I love taking about off grid power. By IG, I meant Instagram. Here is my Instagram page where i post pics of our travels instagram.com/whatsmygear feel free to send me your Instagram page if you have one. Switching topics to off grid power... I was thinking of making a video on my boondocking setup. It's not nearly as capable as you off grid power setup, but it gets us through the night, and it recharges through the truck's engine while driving the next day. We target 3 to 4 week trips in our RV, and live at our home base between trips. So we do alot of 1 night boondocks in order to travel to our destination. Then we hook up to city power at our destination. For example, I live in Ohio, but when we stayed in South Dakota for 3 weeks, we boondocked 2 nights on the way to get there.
Well done, informative video. Thank you! I have a vintage coach, and the AC's are original. They still work OK, but newer ones would be much more efficient. When I do the upgrade, I'll be installing a SoftStartRV device with them. #softstartrv Paul is definitely someone who could create a following via the clear and accurate style with which he did this installation. One single note of difference is that I prefer shrink tubing over electrical tape. I think that it creates a more waterproof seal for connections, but the tape is certainly okay.
My guess is money and greed 😀. It would cost more to put them in. Even if they pass the cost to consumers, a competitor would just lower costs by taking them out, and most people wouldn't know or care. Most people just want the creeper unit. Then we are back where we started. Btw thanks for the comment. It really helps the channel! ❤️
It was a really helpful video. I would say it would have been a little bit better if you had gone a little slower with what wire attaches to where or just repeating it once that step is complete. All the talking in between the steps about how to connect what to were with what connectors confuses the steps somewhat so reiterating what you got connected to where before you move on would have been a little bit more helpful. Having the schematic of course was absolutely the best advice to double check. So does this work with the solar or only with the 15 amp hookup?
The soft start operates on any power source to my knowledge. We didn't want to be too prescriptive on the hookups because you need to follow the exact steps for your unit. We don't want people following our wiring if their unit requires different wiring. So take the wiring section of the video as conceptual and follow your diagram instead of us.
TIP - The crimp connectors were of 2 styles. The hard yellow plastic, and the soft translucent yellow ones. Thw aoft connectors are heat shrink with a heat activated sealent/glue. Always heat thwse. They will shrink, and the sealant will prevent water feom entering and provide a physical connection to the wire insulation.
The yellow connectors I saw are NOT heat-shrink. They are just nylon, which is a step up from the solid yellow vinyl connectors. heat-shrink connectors don't have the flared insertion funnel, and the extension from the metal crimp is longer, for strain relief.
@@mattmanyam You are correct. Had to watch it on my PC. Helps with the big screen. After years of using the heats shrink for marine and auto applications, that is all I have in the shop.
What's on the other side where the screws would go? You just had the cover off, just look inside, you are worried about a little air leak? what about the black cover that heats everything under it up? In the hot sun, black paint can heat up to between 130-150 degrees, paint it white
Even with the cover off, we can't see inside the air duct. That's why we moved it to the other side. The concern is that there could be wires on the other side or anything else unknown that we don't want rubbing on the sharp end of the screws over time. An air leak from screw holes is not a concern. Painting is an interesting idea. White would be cooler.
For anyone installing a SoftStart, remove the large aluminum cowling and clean the Evaporator. Mine was disgustingly filthy. My AC produced very cold air after that cleaning.
@@WhatsMyGear No. The Evaporator is the smaller radiator, located at the front of the AC unit. It is covered. The top cover must be removed to expose it. You then plug the hole in the roof (which goes into the trailer) with a large towel, and then apply AC cleaning foam to the Evaporator.
It's so expensive that the production cost would have to come way down because RV manufacturers want to be as cheap as possible..or it would be an add-on option as a markup item.
@@WhatsMyGear I'm not talking about adding the aftermarket units. I'm talking about building it into the actual design and function of the AC unit which would be much less expensive since all it's really doing is turning on the system incrementally. I haven't torn one apart but I doubt there's more than $50 worth of components if you're buying in bulk.
Another feature the manufacturer could install is to let the fan run a minute after the compression stops. This would get all the cold from the coils into the RV.
For me, it felt very congested in there already, I'm not sure that it would fit. That might be different for other AC units. But also, I am concerned with having my hand in there with those capacitors because they could shock you, so I like the idea of minimizing the number of times my hand has to go in there. Lastly, It seems like jostling a box in there would not be a comfortable procedure as compared to mounting in the open accessible space outside that compartment. So, for those reasons, I personally wouldn't put it in the capacitor compartment. But note, I'm not an expert, just another RV owner trying to share experiences.
I just launched my Discord so we can chat, share pictures, and help each other. You can join by going to my website www.whatsmygear.com and click the button at the top that says Join My Discord. Hope to see you there 😀 Also make sure to stop mice from getting in your RV by watching my mouse proof RV video... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5xe-s7UyGWY.html
@@tonychan7292 what kind of RV you running? and what do you do with it? We homeschool so I travel with mine as part of the schooling to use our trips to teach my kids. We have a home base in Ohio that we live at most of the time.
@@WhatsMyGear We have a 2021 Forest River Vibe 26RK. Had it since March but did not have the right towing vehicle to pull it. We just got a Heavy Duty Ram and brought it home this weekend for the first time and one of the things I did was to install the SoftStar. Right now, we're going to use ours to getaway. We work remotely so we may try to go out and work from it as we travel. We're in Indiana, so most of the trip we'll be in the Midwest for now....
So far so good. If a little pricey so I just did 1. When I boondock I just use the one with the soft start. You may want to try it with 1 before buying 2.
