Air Conditioner Hard Start kit

Harry Womack · 08-22-2011, 09:49 PM

The air conditioner was working good when we left on our vacation. We stopped for the night and the compressor would not start. I found that the hard start kit had failed. The hard start kit that was installed from the factory was the wrong one. The correct hard start kit is 9333A9021. The hard start kit the factory installed was 8333A9021.
I talked to RVProducts (the manufacturer) and they said the kits are the same except for the voltage rating on the capacitor. The wrong capacitor has a 165VAC rating and the right capacitor has a 250VAC rating. He sa

id the wrong kit will work but may not last as long.
I wonder if they came out with the new kit after several failures with the old kit.
We mostly dry camp in Colorado and do not use the air conditioner much. But traveling in Texas this summer its a MUST!!!

T and C · 08-23-2011, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Womack

The air conditioner was working good when we left on our vacation. We stopped for the night and the compressor would not start. I found that the hard start kit had failed. The hard start kit that was installed from the factory was the wrong one. The correct hard start kit is 9333A9021. The hard start kit the factory installed was 8333A9021.
I talked to RVProducts (the manufacturer) and they said the kits are the same except for the voltage rating on the capacitor. The wrong capacitor has a 165VAC rating and the right capacitor has a 250VAC rating. He sa

id the wrong kit will work but may not last as long.
I wonder if they came out with the new kit after several failures with the old kit.
We mostly dry camp in Colorado and do not use the air conditioner much. But traveling in Texas this summer its a MUST!!!

Harry,

Before reading your post I had never heard of a hard start kit. Could you tell me a little about what it is, what led you to install it, and what it does?

Tom

Barb&Tim · 08-23-2011, 11:41 AM

I am not certain on this but i think they are also known as --start relay+start capacitor--

Tim

ThePair · 08-23-2011, 12:47 PM

I do not have one, as I have no need, but my understanding is that they "ease" the startup power requirements for the AC, so that people using a generator to power the AC won't have as high a starting amp requirement, and may be able to get the AC running successfully. Sometimes the starting draw is too much, especially on marginal (meaning, less than adequate margin, not cheaply made) generators, this kit purports to smooth out the draw, so the peak is lower and a smaller generator will work.

If you're only running AC off a plug, you're not likely to need this.

Harry Womack · 08-23-2011, 02:02 PM

The hard start kit is standard on all low profile RVProducts air conditioners.

A hard start kit is basically a start capacitor that has a relay attached to it. This allows the compressor motor to start easier. If you have ever seen a motor that has a bad run capacitor, it will just hum until it trips on the internal overloads. What the hard start kit does is kind of the same thing the run capacitor does, but it discharges a quick pulse of power, usually a second or two, and it get's your compressor up to speed much faster than just a run capacitor. If your lights dim when the compressor starts, a hard start kit will help this problem
They are well worth having,because trailers are subject to low voltage in a lot of RV parks.
If you want to check to see if you have a hard start kit, look at the instructions for the kit. It will show a picture for you to identify the hard start kit. http://www.rvcomfort.com/pdf_documents/1976288.pdf

**Bill** · 08-23-2011, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Before reading your post I had never heard of a hard start kit. Could you tell me a little about what it is, what led you to install it, and what it does?

The Search tool is your friend. A quick Search of this forum brings up

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=8422
and
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6282

Start there.

Bill

Harry Womack · 08-23-2011, 10:11 PM

All of the low profile RVProduct air conditioners have these kits from the factory. What I was pointing out is the capacitor is too small to last very long. The capacitor needs to be checked for the voltage printed on the side of the capacitor. The voltage should be 250 vac.
I got stuck on vacation without air condition because of this faulty product.

TM Pilot · 06-11-2014, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Womack

If you want to check to see if you have a hard start kit, look at the instructions for the kit. It will show a picture for you to identify the hard start kit. http://www.rvcomfort.com/pdf_documents/1976288.pdf

Updated Link: http://www.rvcomfort.com/pdf_documents/1976288_copy.pdf

TM Pilot · 06-13-2014, 05:55 PM

Harry Womack,

I have the 9203C876 Model A/C. Built 2006.

I checked my Start Capacitor today. It states 88-108 Mfd/165V. Looks like I too have the older 165V Start Capacitor. As you stated, the 165V Start Capacitor was part of the Hard Start Kit 8335-9021 for the older 92X2 "C" Series Polar Mach A/C units. The 92X2 model is older and was previously installed on Trailmanors (My RV Data Card by Trailmanor says I have the 9202-876 model installed. The Data plate located on the A/C unit and RVP paperwork says I have the 9203C876 model installed. Trailmanor made a typo). The newer 92X3 "C" Series Polar Mach A/C units had the 250V Start Capacitor that's part of Hard Start Kit 9335-9021. The compressor for the 92X3 is labeled HGAB514EXA and is made by Tecumseh in Brazil (1450A2189): http://www.tecumseh.com/en/united-st...A?fromsearch=1

The current Repair Parts List for the 92X2 Series Polar Mach (http://www.rvcomfort.com/pdf_documents/r485_copy.pdf) is dated 2003.
The current Repair Parts List for the 92X3 Series Polar Mach (http://www.rvcomfort.com/pdf_documents/r486_copy8.pdf) is dated 2008.

My TM2619 is a 2007 model but was built in July 2006. The manufacture date on the 165V Start Capacitor is Oct 2006. How did a Start capacitor made in Oct. 2006 get installed in my TM that was built in July 2006? Only thing I can think of is that the original Start Capacitor installed by RVP broke sometime after Oct 2006 and was replaced with the older 165V part by mistake. 2006-2007 seems to have been a transition year for Trailmanor installing the 92X2 and 92X3 A/C units.

My Compressor Run Capacitor states 40 Mfd/370V and my Fan Capacitor states 7.5 Mfd/370V. So those two are correct. Ordered the 250V Start Capacitor today. Will install next week.

This is definitely something for owners to check on their TM's - especially if you bought it used and/or plan on powering it with a generator.

Bruce

TM Pilot · 06-17-2014, 06:33 PM

Today, replaced the 165V Start Capacitor with the 250V Start Capacitor.

The 250V Start Capacitor is physically larger than the 165V (see picture #2). I noticed with the 165V Start Capacitor that the voltage would usually drop 3-4 volts for a couple of seconds when first starting the A/C. Then it would rise 1-2 volts and stabilize. With the 250V Start Capacitor, the voltage would drop 2-3 volts then rise 1-2 volts and stabilize.

Sure helps A/C performance to have the right size Start Capacitor installed. Thanks, Harry Womack and rickst29. If is wasn't for your two threads, I wouldn't have thought to have checked this.