AC Soft Starters
We install AC soft starters in Mount Pleasant and Charleston so your air conditioner can start and run on a portable generator or limited power.
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A soft starter (the black box) wired below the capacitor.
The short answer
An AC soft starter is a small device installed on your air conditioner that brings the compressor up to full power gradually instead of all at once, which reduces the heavy surge of current at startup so the AC can start and run on a portable generator or limited power.
The hard part for an air conditioner is starting, not running. The instant the compressor starts, it pulls a jolt of current, measured in amps and listed as LRA (locked rotor amperage), then settles down to run steadily. Your AC's LRA is usually printed on the nameplate, the metal tag on your outdoor unit (the condenser). Many generators that can keep an AC running can't get it started without a soft starter.
We install AC soft starters as a hurricane-season service, and the work pairs with a generator hookup: a generator inlet plus an interlock kit in your main panel, so a portable generator can power the circuits you choose.
How it helps
With an AC soft starter, your air conditioner's compressor comes up to full power gradually instead of switching straight on.
Many generators can handle an air conditioner's running load and still struggle with its startup surge. An AC soft starter lowers that surge so the generator can get the compressor started. The generator itself connects to your panel through a generator hookup.
Without a soft starter, the compressor goes from off to full power in an instant. An AC soft starter ramps it up gradually instead, so the AC eases on with a hum rather than a jolt. Full-power starts are one of the fastest ways to wear an air conditioner down, and a softer start is easier on it.
An AC soft starter can mean less light dimming when the air conditioner starts, and fewer voltage dips across the house. Both come from the same gentler start: the compressor no longer pulls its full surge all at once.
Planning to run your AC on a generator?
Send photos of the nameplate on your outdoor unit and your electrical panel, or call the office. We usually reply with a free quote the same day.
What we do
Our AC soft starter work covers the soft starter on your air conditioner and, if you want them at the same visit, the generator hookup and a surge protector for the HVAC disconnect.
Aim to have your AC soft starter in place before the first storm of the season.
A hard start kit gives the compressor an extra push at startup by drawing more power. An AC soft starter reduces the startup surge instead. The two can't both be installed on the same AC.
A generator inlet on the outside of a house, where a portable generator plugs in.
Generator plan
An AC soft starter is the part of a generator plan that helps your air conditioner start, and the generator hookup is the part that brings generator power to your circuits. For a portable generator, the hookup has a generator inlet on the outside of the house, where the generator connects, and an interlock kit installed in your main panel; a whole-home generator connects through a transfer switch instead. We'll tell you which setup your home needs.
With the hookup in place, you choose which circuits get generator power during an outage. If the air conditioner is one of them, the soft starter reduces the startup surge the generator has to handle when the compressor starts.
Plan the two together, starting with the circuits. Our post on generator inlets calls that first step "Assess Your Power Needs": work out which circuits in your home are essential during an outage, so you and your electrician can plan the installation around them.
Still choosing a generator? Read what to check before you buy one first.
Before you buy
Before you buy a generator, check your AC's startup surge on its nameplate, whether the AC already has a hard start kit, the generator's outlets and fuel, the circuits you plan to run and where the generator will sit.
LRA is your AC's startup surge. Look for it on the nameplate on your outdoor unit.
If your AC already has a hard start kit, mention it when you send photos. A hard start kit and a soft starter can't both be installed on the same air conditioner.
Generator inlets are usually 30A or 50A, matched to the generator that plugs into them. Check which outlets a generator has before you buy it.
If you already have a propane tank or a natural gas supply, a compatible portable generator can connect to it. We don't run gas lines, but the office can refer a plumber.
Put refrigeration, lighting and medical equipment first, then decide whether the AC makes the list. The circuits you choose shape the generator hookup.
Pick an outdoor spot that's dry and well ventilated, where exhaust fumes can't get into the house. As Dominion Energy's generator safety tips say, "Never use a generator indoors or in an attached garage."
Lightning over a salt marsh and a row of raised homes at dusk.
Storm season
Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and power outages are a common result of severe weather. As our post on generator inlets puts it, "In the Charleston and Mount Pleasant area, being prepared for hurricane season is a necessity."
For the electrical side of storm prep, we put three pieces together: a generator hookup so a portable generator can power the circuits you choose, an AC soft starter so the air conditioner on one of those circuits can start, and whole-home surge protection at the panel.
Before the season starts, give the generator a check of its own: make sure it's in good working condition and that you have enough fuel on hand.
Pricing
The cost of an AC soft starter depends on how many air conditioners get one, who supplies the soft starter, whether a hard start kit is already on the unit and what else you add to the same visit. Those details change from home to home, so we don't publish a flat price.
An AC soft starter is installed on one air conditioner and only handles its compressor, so each AC you want to start on generator power needs its own.
We can supply the soft starter, or install one you've already bought.
An existing hard start kit comes off before the soft starter goes on.
A generator hookup or a surge protector for the HVAC disconnect installed at the same visit saves a separate trip.
Photo quotes are free. Include the nameplate on your outdoor unit, the unit itself and your electrical panel.
How it works
Send photos of the nameplate on your outdoor unit, the unit itself and your electrical panel, plus your generator's outlets if you have one, with a quick note on what you'd like done. We usually reply with a price the same day.
Nothing gets scheduled or started until you say yes. Our electricians aren't paid on commission, so no one is selling you work you don't need.
Once you approve the quote, the office reaches out to schedule the work. Or book it yourself online: we give you a Job Level to use with Request your appointment.
An experienced electrician, never a trainee, installs the soft starter. Installation work carries a one-year workmanship warranty, written on your contract, and a soft starter you supply carries only its manufacturer's warranty.
Need us to see the AC and the panel first? Call, text or email the office to set up an in-person consultation. The fee varies by location and is credited toward the work if you hire us.
Reviews
Two of these Google reviews mention electrical work for air conditioning. The other two describe the team's service, from answering questions to booking and payment.
Google rating
“Andrew did a great job for us! Needed a 220 line run from breaker panel and exterior shutoff box for a HVAC split unit to be added to out garage. Easy to scope the job and schedule the appointment on his website. Completed job in the estimated time. Will have him back if/when future electrical needs develop.”
“Andrew is very professional and did outstanding job. I was finishing our FROG and he did major electrical work. He did all the electrical including the AC electric work. Great value. Highly recommend.”
“Very pleased with Gloudeman Electric. They were responsive to my questions and timely with their service. …”
“I was immensely pleased with the electrical work done. The electrician was also professional and very helpful. Their customer service is top-notch from beginning to end.- booking, estimates, payment, adjustments to services, very user friendly! …”
Reviews are shown word for word from our Google profile. We're also a Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite.
FAQ
Still have a question?
Call or text the office Mon to Fri, 9 to 5, or email us anytime.
Yes: an AC soft starter reduces the heavy surge of current your compressor pulls at startup, and that surge is what keeps many generators from starting an air conditioner they could otherwise run. With the surge reduced, the AC can start and run on a portable generator or limited power.
The cost of an AC soft starter depends on how many air conditioners get one, who supplies the soft starter, whether a hard start kit has to come off first, and what else is added to the same visit, such as a generator hookup or a surge protector for the HVAC disconnect. Those vary from home to home, so we price each job on its own. Send a few photos for a free quote.
Yes, many portable generators can run a central air conditioner once it has a soft starter. Without one, the trouble is the start: a generator that handles the AC's running load can still struggle with the surge when the compressor starts. The generator still has to handle that running load, and it needs a safe hookup: a generator inlet outside and an interlock kit installed in your main panel.
A hard start kit gives the compressor a boost at startup by drawing more power, while an AC soft starter reduces the startup surge. They're different devices, and only one of the two can be installed on an air conditioner. If your AC already has a hard start kit, it has to come off before a soft starter goes on.
A soft starter isn't a way to cut your power bill. Its job is to reduce the surge of current when the compressor starts, so the AC can start on a portable generator.
LRA, short for locked rotor amperage, is the surge of current your compressor draws the instant it starts, measured in amps, and it's usually printed on the nameplate, the metal tag on your air conditioner's outdoor unit. The compressor draws that surge for a moment, then settles down to run steadily; that surge is what an AC soft starter reduces.
Yes, we install soft starters that customers supply. A soft starter you supply carries only its manufacturer's warranty. Let us know about it in your photo quote request.
Have a soft starter installed before hurricane season, which runs June 1 to November 30. It's a hurricane-season service, and our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00, so schedule it ahead of the season rather than when a storm is on the way.
Keep exploring
Inlets, interlock kits and transfer switches for the generator you own.
A surge protector at your panel, plus protection for the HVAC disconnect.
Full panel replacements, sub panels and breakers for Square D, Siemens, Eaton and GE.
Send a few photos for a free quote, or call or text the office.
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