Hard start kits have a legitimate purpose, but making your compressor last longer when it is not having trouble starting is bogus. As to your question; yes, if you use a hard start kit intended for a larger motor, it can INCREASE that potential for excess torque damage.

Can Hard Start Kit damage compressor?

While using a hard start kit can prolong the life of your air conditioning, it can also cause some possible damage to the compressor with continued usage. The reason is due to the fact that a hard start kit will send too much current for too long to start the compressor.

How do you size a hard start kit?





Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: But your rla on that compressor is 7.2 rla which exceeds your 410 kit which that 410 kit set is quarter to a third horse. But you have to size your supko kits by amps.

Should you put hard start kit on new compressor?

If your compressor motor is struggling to turn on, then a hard start kit could potentially solve the issue. However, if your compressor is near the end of its life, then a hard start kit may prolong its life for a short time, but shouldn’t be viewed as a long-term fix.

Does a hard start kit reduce starting amps?

A hard start kit can shorten the startup period of the motor and reduce the amount of electrical current needed to start your AC up. Without a hard starter, the electrical efficiency will only be around 50%. However, a hard starter can see this rise to up to 98%.

How long will a hard start kit last?

Most off the shelf kits are worthless and die in the first year. If you need one however ,using the one designed by the manufacturer of the equipment is highly reccomended.It will at least last more than a year.

When should I replace my hard start kit?





If your air conditioning system is more than 15 years old, the HVAC technician will probably tell you that installing a hard start kit isn’t worth it—it’s only a patch to keep an already dying AC scraping along for a bit longer.

Can you use a larger start capacitor?

A larger than needed run capacitor will not have any real affect. Depending on the cap and motor it could improve efficiency or decease efficiency very slightly. You need to stick with the voltage. Going up slightly capacitance will not be a problem, but down can affect operation.

Can you oversize a start capacitor?

This is why oversizing a capacitor can quickly cause damage to a compressor. By increasing the current on the start winding the compressor start winding will be much more prone to early failure.

Do I need a hard start capacitor?

Without a start capacitor, the compressor has 50% torque efficiency, but with a hard start kit, torque efficiency drastically increases to 98%. With high efficiency, the compressor motor takes a shorter time to shift from start mode to run mode and the transition is smoother, prolonging the life of your cooling system.

Do compressor savers work?



A compressor saver not only helps lower your electricity bill, it will lengthen the life of your compressor overall. A compressor saver only pulls a certain amount of amperage, so you’ll see a significant amount of savings each summer. Now, it’s not going to be thousands.

What is a hard start capacitor used for?

A hard start kit is a start capacitor and a potential relay or PTC ( positive temperature coefficient ) device. They are designed to give your air conditioning compressor an electrical boost upon startup.

What is a soft start kit for air conditioner?

An electronic soft starter is designed to reduce the starting current of the compressor by actively controlling the current in both the run and start windings. Soft starters also offer built-in features to protect the compressor under atypical circumstances.

What is the advantage of soft starter?



A soft starter helps to limit transient voltages, while also protecting against sudden surges of power that accompany both normal operation, and power outages. Reduce risk to personnel and limit personal harm. Major equipment can be very dangerous, and there’s always a risk involved with using it.

How much does a soft starter reduce starting current?

A soft starter uses voltage to control the current and torque. The motor torque is approximately proportional to the square of the applied voltage. Given this relationship, a 60% reduction in the applied voltage results in approximately an 84% reduction in generated torque.

How long do soft starters last?

Generally speaking it is in the 10 plus year life expectancy. Click here for more on how to select a soft starter.

What size soft starter do I need?

In principle, soft starter size should be larger than that of the motor being driven. The rated capacity of the soft starter is usually chosen according to two nominal values, one is corresponding motor power, another is maximum allowable working current of soft starter.

Is soft start necessary?



Soft starters are often the more economical choice for applications that require speed and torque control only during motor startup. Additionally, they are often the ideal solution for applications where space is a concern, as they usually take up less space than variable frequency drives.

Do soft starters improve power factor?

Soft starters facilitate power factor correction as well – it is a self monitoring inbuilt feature. When the motor is operating at less than full load, the relative reactive component of current drawn by the motor is redundantly excessive due to magnetizing and associated losses.

Which of the following is not an advantage of using a softstarter?

Drawback or disadvantages of the soft starter



In soft starter technology as compared to the frequency converter is that it is unable to control speed and it is also unsuitable for applications requiring speed control.

What is the difference between VFD and soft starter?

The main difference between the two is that a VFD can vary the speed of a motor while a soft starter only controls the starting and stopping of that motor. When faced with an application, price and size are in the favor of a soft starter. A VFD is the better choice if speed control is required.