Soft start unit for older Casita

[Keith Minter]

I know there have been recent discussions on installing soft starts for casita a/c units. However I have a 2009 Casita with a Coleman Mach polar unit and have not been able to find out soft start unit to buy because I have not found anyone who can provide me the wiring diagram for my unit as well as directions for installing it. Coleman told me they have a unit, but my a/c is too old for instructions. Has anyone installed a soft start unit on a Casita that old? Which soft start unit did you buy and do you have instructions on how to install it?
Pictures would be helpful also. Thank you so much.

[Casita Greg]

First, Coleman told you a heaping pile of steaming Dog crap! I have the same A/C unit!
I did the conversion/upgrade several years ago to my 2008 Polar Cub A/C. I installed the Micro-Air "Soft Start." (link below.) I bought it to replace the starting capacitor on mine several years ago. And back then, it didn't come with very good installation instructions, but having been an electrician, I figured it out, and told them they needed to provide better installation instructions, (which they did.) But since then, with some input from me back then, they now provide very good installation instructions.

It isn't as daunting an upgrade as some might think. Although some folks "poo-poo" the thought of upgrading to it, (and I know it isn't a cheap upgrade,) I'd say it was worth every penny. Even before I upgraded to the Soft Start, my A/C unit would still run just fine on my propane conversion Honda 2000i generator. (A little less BTU's vs Gasoline but still worked fine.) And even before the upgrade, and prior to the conversion, I replaced the previous A/C starting capacitor, (and as a result, I got rid of all the "shuddering" of the whole trailer when the A/C came on,) I bought a small piece of metal roof flashing at Lowes to modify and mount it inside the plastic A/C shroud, and also shortened the existing capacitor strap that holds the other capacitors tight inside, so that it's snug around the other capacitors that still remain, and I drilled a hole in the metal capacitor cover on the A/C to thread the new wire from the Soft Start into the enclosure, (be sure to add a rubber grommet to prevent chafing of the wire insulation where it enters.) Now, when the A/C unit kicks in, all you hear is a "whoosh" of quiet air, no more rumbling of the whole trailer when the A/C comes on now. No more "waking the dead" when the A/C comes on.

https://www.amazon.com/MICRO-AIR-Eas...09ZZX67V1?th=1

[Keith Minter]

Greg,
Thanks so much for your quick reply and great pictures. A couple of questions.
First, what is the black module with the 2 wires coming out of it sitting next to the A/C unit in a couple of pictures? Was this removed as part of the Easy Start installation? Also, it looks like the black wire from the Easy Start is connected to a purple wire. Is this the wire to the outdoor temp relay board shown in the wiring diagram? Sorry I'm so pigheaded and asking such basic questions.

Thanks,
Keith

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by Keith Minter

Greg,
Thanks so much for your quick reply and great pictures. A couple of questions.
First, what is the black module with the 2 wires coming out of it sitting next to the A/C unit in a couple of pictures? Was this removed as part of the Easy Start installation? Also, it looks like the black wire from the Easy Start is connected to a purple wire. Is this the wire to the outdoor temp relay board shown in the wiring diagram? Sorry I'm so pigheaded and asking such basic questions.

Thanks,
Keith

Good eye. That is, or I should say, was, the starting capacitor that I removed. It is not needed with the installation of the "Easy Start" module. The Easy Start module replaces it.

The Easy Start unit now comes with a very clear and concise wiring diagram, as to what hooks up to what. And has nothing to really do with the temperature relay. The Easy Start is all about providing a "stepping relay" for start-up for the compressor, which had always made the whole trailer "shudder" when the starting cap kicked in to start the A/C.

[daveandalice]

It looks like their install manual has a section for the older Machs like ours.
Greg, thanks for helping them update their install manual.

https://www.micro-air.com/support-do...stallation.pdf

[Jimmy J]

I installed one on my 2016 model a number of years ago. I'm no electrician, but it came with simple instructions that were something like "cut this color wire, insert these two between the two ends, and maybe something else. It was simple to follow. I watched a utube video before starting, so that made it easier. As far a mounting the device, I took some good double stick tape and mounted it onto the blower housing near the motor shaft. It's still there. One of the best mods if one needs to run AC off a generator.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by Jimmy J

I installed one on my 2016 model a number of years ago. I'm no electrician, but it came with simple instructions that were something like "cut this color wire, insert these two between the two ends, and maybe something else. It was simple to follow. I watched a utube video before starting, so that made it easier. As far a mounting the device, I took some good double stick tape and mounted it onto the blower housing near the motor shaft. It's still there. One of the best mods if one needs to run AC off a generator.

Jimmy,
You might want to update your avatar, (on the left side of your posts,) to reflect the trailer you have. Your avatar says that you don't have a trailer. Just sayin'.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by daveandalice

It looks like their install manual has a section for the older Machs like ours.
Greg, thanks for helping them update their install manual.

https://www.micro-air.com/support-do...stallation.pdf

And thanks Dave,
For posting the link. Should be helpful to anyone considering the Easy Start upgrade.
Greg

[Casita Greg]

When it's all buttoned up, it fits nicely inside the A/C shroud when installed.

[Keith Minter]

Casita Greg,
Still need a little help with wiring. Here are some pictures of the wiring and capacitors along with the wiring diagram on my unit. I have three capacitors and a small black module on one capacitor with a red wire coming off of it.

[Casita Greg]

OK, the black capacitor mounted in front, (in your picture,) is the starting cap, and that's the one to remove. Disregard the wiring diagram glued inside the capacitor cover. The Micro-Air Easy Start diagram/instruction sheet will change some of those wiring connections. Go by the instructions from Micro-Air, and don't try to use the original wiring diagram.

The small capacitor behind the black start capacitor is the fan capacitor. The taller one behind the starting cap is the compressor's run capacitor. (Those two stay.)

[Keith Minter]

Casita Greg, You have been so helpful and I appreciate your expertise. I have wired it up but the compressor doesn’t seem to be working. It is 89 degrees outside. I have attached pictures showing how I wired it up. I cut the white wire from the compressor and spliced in the brown wire to it. I cut the purple wire and black wire splice and put the Easy Start black wire with them and crimped all three together. What did I do wrong?

[Casita Greg]

Just a few preliminary troubleshooting questions first.

1.) Is the converter's breaker ON to power the A/C unit? (And I'm assuming you have 120 vac power avaiable to the trailer, or it won't run.)
2.) Is the thermostat up and powered?
(I replaced my old bimetallic T-stat that the trailer originally came with, with a battery powered digital one, which uses a couple of AA batteries, that I replace once a year, to make it function.) (It also has absolutely nothing to do with 12 vdc power to the A/C controller, but if you have a battery operated T-stat, with dead batteries, it could be a possible problem, just sayin'.)
3.) Is the control knob on the A/C in the cabin on? (And set low enough, temp-wise, to have the T-stat come on?

Anyway, just a few initial check items on the road to getting it working.

Hey! It's all just about having fun with those electrons that don't know where they're going, until you show them the way...

Many years ago, when I upgraded my T-stat to a digital model, I also added a new 12 vdc circuit hooked up from the T-stat to an "after-market" upgrade to improve the performance of the temperature regulating side of the A/C circuitry. It incorporates a 40 Amp 250 volt solenoid controller, operated electro-magnetically, by the 12 vdc control circuit from the T-stat, (but it circumvents the use the thermal sensor in the A/C unit itself as the controlling rheostat for temperature regulation as well.) I just leave the A/C unit knob on high all the time and regulate the cabin temp through the new digital T-stat. Keeps the temperature inside the trailer more even and it doesn't cycle on and off as often as using the control knob on the A/C unit itself because it is more remotely located from the A/C unit itself. So, with my new solenoid installed, and wired the way I wired it, I can turn on the A/C, or flip a toggle switch and use the furnace instead, or the heat strips in the A/C, (or both heat sources simultaneously.)

[Keith Minter]

Casita Greg,
Thank you so much for all of your help. You have been so helpful!
I had to switch the yellow and white wires from the Easy Start. I'm not sure why my unit was different. It fired right up (quietly) and ran perfectly (with no vibration) and then when the compressor cycled, it was again very quiet. We can now sleep peacefully without the clunk of the ac.

Thanks again,

Keith

[Casita Greg]

Cool beans! Glad you got it figured out, and that it's up and running good now. You'll love the upgrade. Not cheap, but being able to sleep without thinking there's an earthquake going on every time it comes on is priceless!
Greg