Portable A/C: IcyBreeze

[marret]

Originally Posted by vlamgat

Danhard makes a Soft Start box for the Starcool that easily permits a 15 amp usage either by Honda generator or mains power using the Tripplite

Do you have a part number by chance?

Thanks.

[Orv]

Keep an eye on your voltage drop -- I found that on a 15 amp circuit I was seeing the line voltage drop to around 100V with the compressor running. That puts a lot of strain on the compressor since it draws more current at lower voltages. Sometimes the charger/converter would actually cut out due to low voltage.
The problem *may* have been my 30A to 15A plug converter. I noticed it was getting kind of hot. I may try another one and see if it helps, although most places I would camp that have any service at all have 30A.
You can get devices that plug into an outlet and have a voltmeter on them -- these are good insurance. I have one I just leave plugged in at all times.

[vlagat]

My Starcool also struggles when the ambient gets above 90. The best I will see on the thermostat is 82 and it goes up to 89 from there as the solar and ambient load up the exterior. It's largely because of the poor insulation in these vehicles which were never designed or modified to be efficient. But when my Starcool is running its pulling 11 amps and it never rises above 15 during start with the Soft Start mod. It's the start that's the issue. When I run on the generator I keep it in cool mode and chase the interior temperature down to minimize starts.

[vlagat]

I will research it next week when I open my office.