ActiveStart Soft Starter & RV Surge Protector Review
  • Ray
    1.3k
    Last month a relatively new company Active Controls LLC contacted me to enquire if I’d be willing to test out and review one of their products called the ActiveStart. The ActiveStart is an electronic device you plug in between the RV AC power source (RV Park power, generator, or inverter) and its input power cord.

    Features & First Test using Park Power

    In this part one video, I unbox and go over the features of the ActiveStart SoftStart 30 AMP – ACS30P. Then hook it up to RV park power and show you the smartphone app and its settings.



    AC Startup in RV Park & Off Grid with Generator & Inverters

    I put the soft start function to the test in this video, trying to start my Furrion RV Air Conditioner. No problems hooked up to a 30 amp RV park service, but ActiveStart failed to start the AC using my three off-grid power sources. 2000W Generator and a 2400W Lithium Power Station and 3000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter.



    Likes:
    USA Company
    Small Business
    Good Surge Protection
    Decent Build Quality
    Nice App

    Dislikes:
    Didn't Start Furrion AC Off Grid
    Outdoor Use Only
    140 VAC High Cut-off
    Ray Options
  • Drew
    68
    Ray, I'll bet you know about the Soft Start product as well. I wonder if those too won't work with generators, inverters, and power boxes.
    Drew Options
  • Ray
    1.3k
    ↪Drew
    Yes, the ActiveStart owner/engineer says he was the designer of the Soft Start product. Seems the wired-in soft starters work well but the plug-and-play are a hit and miss thing.
    Seems like a good company. Very responsive and pleasant to deal with. He figures my generator is just too small for the 14.5K AC. He says generators usually have the best luck as they can handle a little lag in the ramp up.
    Gonna try another unit that has had its programming modified to see if it will work on my 3000W inverter. Figures my inverter may be garbling the waveform a bit under the high load. Also, testing out the unit that gets wired directly to the air conditioner. Stay tuned. :)
    Ray Options
  • Drew
    68
    That's interesting. Thanks for all you do and the follow up!

    Drew
    Drew Options
  • Ray
    1.3k
    In this video, I install an 16 amp ActiveStart soft starter module into my Furrion Chill 14.5K BTU RV air condtioner. A soft starter reduces and smooths the heavy in-rush current that developers when the AC compressor first starts up. This enables you to run the AC using less powerful/smaller inverters and gas generators. I also may increase the AC compressor lifespan.

    Before and after in-rush amperage tests showed a reduction from 56.92 amps all the way to 15.2 amps! I tested with my 1600W gas generator, 2000W Aolithium inverter, 2400W EcoFlow Delta Max portable power station, and a 3000W Motomaster PS inverter. I'm happy to report I could run the AC using all except the 1600W gas generator. It almost did, though, so I'd guess a 2000W or 2200W would work fine.



    Link to Active Controls Website - https://www.active-controlsllc.com/
    Amazon Link - https://amzn.to/3PRZ5lE
    Ray Options
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