Well pump starting help

[dkwflight]

Hi
We use a hard start kit on a/c compressers also called a "Jump start" by some companies. When I have a customer complaining about flickering lights when the A/C starts, high start amps lowering the voltage in the house enough to dim the lights. A hard start kit will shorten the flicker enough that most people don't see it. The solution for my situation would be to increase the size of the wiring in the house and some times all the way to the pole. to lessen or eliminate the low volt problem.

If your well pump wireing is small it will make your start problem worse. I think the national electric code book has some guides on wire size and voltage drop per foot for the various wire sizes.

I hav also thought about a flywheel mounted on the gen head like the original S-O-M lister gen sets. Iv'e seen pictures on the web of these.
Good luck
dennis

[mjn]

Warm weather has finally rolled around, so I tried to run my air conditioner off of my Changfa.  I don't know the rating on the A/C, but it is on a 30 amp breaker.

This is the first thing in my house the the Changfa flat out refuses to start.  The A/C grunts, the lights dim to a faint flow, and the Changfa bogs down emitting huge clouds of black smoke.

When starting on line power, my clamp-on amp-meter peaks for a fraction of a second at 56 amps.  Once running, it draws about 10 amps.

I just bought one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7620396153&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT.
This look like the "jump Start" thing that Dennis mentioned. I'll let you know if it does the trick for me.

[Doug]

We used something similar in the motor shops to give older split pahse motors a help in starting too....

My fingers are crossed good luck.....


Doug

[dkwflight]

Hi You also should check the run capaciters for the motors. They all need to be at their rated capacity.
Most A/Cs start all the motors at the same time. Check with your a/c guy about time delays to stagethe start times. A new style thermostat(at least for some brands) might have a time delay that would delay starting the blower.If your A/C guy has some time to try different size rum capaciters too. The optimum size for quick and easy starts might not be the one supplied with the unit.
A time delay on the compresser will ensure the pressures will have time to equalise before starting.
And you might have to shed all other loads before starting the a/c.
Good luck
Dennis

[mjn]

Thanks for the 'jump-start' tip dennis!.  The starter pow-r-pack did the trick.

All that was necessary was to hook the pow-r-pak in parallel with the compressor start capacitor.  My ChangFa hardly grunted when the A/C started.  Starting current dropped from 56 amps before installing the capacitor to 28 amps after.  I can even start the well pump while I'm running the A/C.

If this didn't work, I was going to try to get a sequencing relay to start the compressor before the fan, but it turned out to not be necessary.

[dkwflight]

Hi Thats great!
I know how much a nice cool house can mean after a hard days work.
Dennis

[pigseye]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I have a question on start up current surges.

Would adding starter capacitance, that limits the current surge at start up, reduce your overall energy consumption?  i.e. could you save money if you were on the grid?

Or is is the same energy consumed but just applied differently to the motor?

Thanks,
Steve

[Jim Mc]

Would adding starter capacitance, that limits the current surge at start up, reduce your overall energy consumption?  i.e. could you save money if you were on the grid?

No.

[Halfnuts]

It's sort of like using a bigger hammer to drive a stubborn nail.  Same amount of energy is used, just applied differently.

Halfnuts

[dkwflight]

to pigs eye

It has been my experience that running amps are lower when the run capaciter is at the correct value. The motors will run at higher tempretures with the wrong value capacitor installed. Up to the point where the internal motor protection stops the motor. Some small cheap motors don't have these temp switches and "Burn up"

When starting an a/c, If the wire is under sized, the start current is higher and light bulbs will dim during the start period, which is short duation. A jump start will shorten the start inrush.

I don't under stand enough about the whys and hows of motors but I know what is needed to make them run. I dont have the insturmentation to check the amount used during the start period. It is very short duration. and probably doesnt affect the total usage much.
Dennis

[pigseye]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses. 

Steve