Thu, 09 Jun 2016 14:41:39 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:
On Wed, 8 Jun 2016 19:09:57 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
Hello, I have a Rheem heat pump, model Rpnl-043jaz. The lights in
my house all flicker every time it goes on....Will the hard start
kit resolve this problem?
A hard start might actually make that worse. It does just what it
implies. It adds an extra capacitor to the motor to kick it harder
on the start. This is used when the compressor is getting old and
will not kick over reliably on it's own.
A slight flickering is normal on central hvac startup, depending on
the size of the unit and the panel amperage rating. If the unit is
equipped with a hard start pack, it may not cause any
flickering/dimming effect when powered up.
If it doesn't have this hard start pack though, it could cause the
flicker/dimming without anything actually being 'wrong' with the OPs
electrical system.
On a dead stop, the motor is pulling more amps than it would during a
run phase; a considerable amount more, actually. The additional (but
temporary) request for more amps is causing the temporary flickering
or dimming effect. A hard start kit if properly installed and of
sufficient size for the compressor it's going to be used with, should
reduce if not outright eliminate the dimming effect because it's
taking some of the load stress off the power source. Atleast, that's
been my experience and that of others I know who do hvac
professionally for a living. --- I'm not hvac, I'm electrical/IT.
I'm confused about why you wrote that installing a hard start could
make it worse? I would think the opposite would occur. It's reducing
the load being placed on the panel by the compressor when it's used.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/gpb5dhk
http://www.achrnews.com/articles/119...ard-start-kits
It's the same concept as placing a cap into your cars electrical
system so that the amplifier you just had to have won't seriously dim
your headlights and/or stallout the car when a bass note of
sufficient strength hits at a decent volume.
If your connections are solid from the utility, it may just
indicate that your service conductors are too long or too small.
It may also indicate nothing. As, like I said before, the initial
power required for starting an electric motor from a dead stop is
several amps more than it's going to pull once it's up and going.
Considering that the compressor motor is actually pushing a fluid/gas
around with resistance to the process, it's going to pull a
considerable amount of amps to get rolling.
https://www.amazon.ca/SUPCO-SPP6-Sta.../dp/B0002YTLFE
The comment:
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy install & Can hear the different with the A/C
performance May 15 2014
By K K - Published on Amazon.com
Verified Purchase
My street has only 2 electrical transformers and 15 new houses have
been put in the past 2-3 yrs so the power coming into the house does
vary a bit depending on load on the central lines.
When the A/C used to kick on, the lights in the house dimmed and the
A/C unit took 3-6 secs to be running at full speed. Since installing
this, the lights don't dim when it kicks on and the A/C unit is
running at speed in 2-3 secs. The sound of the A/C unit is now
constant with no humming/buzzing anymore. Unit is just over one yr
old on my one yr townhouse.
The reason I shared that comment about a hard start kit is because
that has also been my experience when I've installed them on a few
machines, to reduce 'flicker' effect. I've never seen one make the
situation worse as they don't cause MORE of a power drain on startup,
they eliminate some of it.
It's also entirely possible I've missed something here and I respect
your electrical expertise, so I'm asking why in your professional
opinion you think that installing a hard start kit could make the
flickering/dimming situation worse and not improve it?
--
MID:
Hmmm. I most certainly don't understand how I can access a copy of a
zip file but then not be able to unzip it so I can watch it. That
seems VERY clever!
http://al.howardknight.net/msgid.cgi?ID=145716711400