MICRO-AIR EasyStart FLEX 398 - Bluetooth Soft Start Kit for Home Air Conditioner, RV & Commercial Use, Works with Generators, Reduces Power Surge, Efficient Start-Up - Up to 6 Tons

EDIT:I installed this item one week ago today. It has worked as advertised.While returning from running errands this morning I received a notification on my phone that the power was out at the house. The first real world opportunity to see if this piece of kit is worthy of the cheddar. I arrived home in about 10 minutes and confirmed much of the neighborhood was out. It's hot, DAMNED HOT, outside today and this will never do! It took about 15 minutes total time to get the gennie up and running and arrive at the moment of truth. I flipped the breaker for the gennie and powered the panel, then energized the furnace circuit (Ecobee thermostat controls), then energized the A/C circuit and waited. It took right at 2 minutes for the Ecobee to come online (wifi is on UPS) and call for cool. The fan on the A/C started first, seconds later the compressor started, the gennie shouldered the load like a CHAMP, and the A/C was running! I energized the rest of the circuits according to my emergency power plan and monitored cycle performance in cool air conditioned comfort."I love it when a plan comes together!", Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith.Purchase with confidence!OE Review...Meets and exceeds expectations. Simple, straightforward four wire installation. Easy enough for a handy DIYer. They even have a short YouTube instruction video!I purchased this so I could have AC when the power goes out.I have a 4 ton HVAC that drew 106a inrush before installation. Too much for a modest portable generator in a power outage. After 6 learning cycles it only pulls 26.xxa! A bona fide 75% reduction in startup draw! It’s also much quieter now too.I highly recommend!

Unit was easy to hook up. I got it with the assembly kit. Wago connectors really made hook up fast and easy. By the time you buy the minimum Wago and lug connector quantities at HD you are spending more. For my 4 Ton unit, start up amps is 23-25 amps and running amps is 10 -11.7 amps. Ambient air temp seems to change the amperage draw a little from what I can see but I need to track it more to be sure? At 75f it was drawing the low end of the range and at 97f it is drawing the high end. Overall, it definitely cut the amperage in half from what the manufacturers specs are. It takes 7 starts (not 5) to complete the learning cycle. I hope the app gets updated so it works like my A/C thermostat and I can access it from anywhere using internet or cell. Bluetooth is only good from about 10 feet when unit is running.

Easy to install on my Lennox AC condenser unit and worked very well to reduce the starting amperage when running the AC and not connected to the power grid. My solar system has 2 PowerWall 3 units and 2 extra batteries, and would cause a very significant voltage drop with the lights briefly going off and all of my PC UPSes kicking in (if I was running disconnected from the grid), with the resulting drop also knocking a number of my microinverters offline for several minutes each time the AC kicked on. After installing this, it's barely noticeable when it starts up.Installation with the provided install kit was simple and only required a screwdriver and some wire strippers. It feels solid and appears to be well protected from the elements for installs where it needs to be mounted outside of the condenser cover, as in my case. The installation video (via QR code in the package) covered the installation well (though it did not mention mounting specifically).

The soft start works great, easy to install and set up was easy after you read the instructions :) Just remember that the initial start up of the unit may take 3 minutes after you turn the power back on. I was concerned that I didnt do something correct but all I needed to do was wait. I can barely hear the unit start now and it makes it so that I can use my generator to power the whole home, including the AC, which is great.

This device is excellent. Installation went smoothly and there is a noticeable reduction in starting noise. It is important to read and understand the electrical diagrams on the compressor unit. Safety practices must be observed with power shutoff and grounding. The price of the unit seems a bit high, but as they say "you get what you pay for"! In this case the price was worth it. I recommend this device for those who are technically inclined, or who may choose to have it professionally installed.

So the hookup was pretty straight forward once you spend the time to accurately identify your compressor terminal/wires as well as the contactor and start capacitor terminals. It was a little tight physically mounting the unit inside my control panel but was able to make it work.It’s worth mentioning that the very first startup of my unit made a very audible and loud initial humming/buzzing sound for the first second which kind of startled me. But after that initial start, it’s been “smooth sailing” afterwards. It still blows my mind that my unit is now only pulling about 20 (inrush) amps with only about 8 (running) amps! Wow!Hoping that this product is durable.Looking forward to hopefully saving some money on my utility bill. Most of all looking forward to being prepared for any power outages as I have my portable generator on the ready and already safely tied into my main panel for not only house operation but emergency cooling as well!