Dometic Smart Start & Honda 2000

[rnjpinz]

I have found information by Dometic about the capabilities of their Smart Start product, however, I am looking for first hand experience of this product. I sent an email to a company that sells the product and told them I have a Cruisair 16000 BTU A/C unit and wanted to use a Honda 2000i generator to power it and they responded, "no problem, it will work" Well, I am a skeptic. Anyone have first hand experience.

[ReMetau]

We have a Marineair 16000 unit with the Smartstart, and it works fine for about 8 hours on the internal fuel tank of the Honda. I have heard others hook up an external tank for longer runs. We had to run ours in normal mode since it would not cycle on/off in the Econo mode.

[rnjpinz]

Don and Diane,

Thank you for your reply. This is the type of feed back I am looking for.
I realize that I probably won't use my A/C very much on the hook, but I also know their will be occasions when it is necessary.

Bob

[AnchorageGuy]

We have the hard start capacitor on a 16,000 BTU unit and the Honda 2000 will not start the compressor. Chuck

[muskoka]

A couple of guys at the club tested the Cruiseair 16000 BTU soft start with the Honda 2000 and it worked fine.

[S/V Alchemy]

Some definitions would be helpful here.

I assume "hard start" is the regular 17 amp surge required by the AC-powered March pump plus (for instance) a Marine Air 12,000 BTU unit. This, as far as I know, falls back to a 6 amp draw after start.

A soft start? Is that also a "smart start"? I get the sense that the Dometic device somehow lowers the need for 17 amps to the 13 amps or so that the Honda 2000 can provide on "full" (not "econo").

If it's less than the Honda Companion 2000 model, the Dometic device might allow us A/C at anchor. Right now, that's not going to happen.

[Cowboy Sailer]

I added a Supco SPP6E to our 16,000 BTU Webasto and our Honda eu2000i starts and runs it very well. The SPP6E is a voltage sensing relay in series with an aprox 95 mf capacitor.

[rnjpinz]

So I guess what I need to find out is what the difference is between the Supco SPP6E and the Dometic Smart Start? I know the price difference is considerable.

Bob

[Caribsailors]

Go with the Supco SPP6E

[djmarchand]

Bob:

The Supco device is as stated a simple big capacitor connected through a voltage sensitive relay.

The Dometic Soft Start device also uses a big capacitor but it is controlled by a microprocessor that eases it out of the circuit.

Google Dometic Soft Start. You will find forum threads where a knowledgeable Dometic guy talks about his product vs Supco. He has data showing that the Dometic device reduces peak starting current much less than the Supco.

My take is that if starting were marginal then the Supco probably would work. Otherwise get the Dometic.

David