Soft Start on HVAC?

[bad_idea]

I have a Diakin heat pump/ac w/ electric emergency heat (model no. DV59PTCC14AC). The lights in the house all flicker (one 'flick') barely perceptible every time it kicks on. The unit was installed about a year ago. The old unit did the same thing. It is starting to drive me batty.

I have tightened all of the lugs in the panels. I have verified voltage at the mains and all of the breakers. Everything is up to snuff. I am now thinking a soft start may be the answer? I am not very knowledgeable on the things and do not want to blindly trust an HVAC guy that comes out to the house. Can you all point me in the right direction? Thanks.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You can complain to the POCO, but it will take a LOT of complaining ! They will temporarily hook up a special meter that can instantaneous measure voltage.

"Buyer Beware !" Some soft starts are not really very good at slowing the in-rush current. Check out the ones made by MicroAir

 

[jobo1004]

The model number you quoted above is for your air handling unit. What model is your heat pump (the box outside)? Daikin has hard start kits that they recommend, but which one (CSR-U-1, CSR-U-2, CSR-U-3) depends on the model of your outdoor unit.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Let me guess, you have LED lights?

Tommy

 

[popbigguy]

Would this help?

Eltwin Hyper | Eltwin

eltwin-hyper.com

Came standard on my Water Furnace Geo unit.

 

[bad_idea]

Of course I have LED lights. Don't all the cool kids?

The model number of the heat pump: DZ16SA0481BC

The sure-start you linked popbigguy is the device I had in mind. I am a bit limited on my electrical knowledge. Please correct me if I am wrong, I am assuming the 'Hard Start Kit' is an extra capacitor with a relay to add the extra capacitor at start up only. Assumption number two - the sure-start is a software controlled version of the 'Hard Start Kit' that does the same thing better. Is there a significant difference in functionality to justify the cost being 10x's higher?

I spent good money to have the system installed and want to do what I can to ensure it lasts me a good long time. If it is worth the extra money, then I will spend it.

 

[popbigguy]

Wow!! I don't know either if it's another Capacitor added into the mix. I just know that it's in my HVAC system. It's been there for going on 11 years.

 

[FredWanaker]

often when the lights dim quite a bit, it is a bad connection to the house. You can check voltages all day long but unless you can watch the voltage on each side of the buss while it happens, you'll miss it. Also lots of volt meters these days only change the displayed voltage every few seconds or you would not be able to read the number. You'll need an older high quality analog meter with a needle to see the voltage dip at the main bus. The POCO here uses a 1500 - 1800 watt heat gun or hair dryer to load the system when they test for voltage drop at the panel. Rodents chew the wires, water gets into them, corrosion happens and the load causes the voltage to drop. The more the current, the more the drop. I've seen this failure many times in my life on both overhead and underground lines. Overhead seem more prone to it but my next door neighbor and the street lights had it happen in the vault in front of my house.

LEDs also dim worse than incandescent or florescent lights.

 

[bad_idea]

It is a very quick flicker of the LED lights in the house. My wife doesn't even notice it. I am thinking this is a 'ignorance is bliss' situation, but don't mind dropping a few hundred dollars if I can make it stop AND it improves the projected life span of the unit.

 

[dmaxfireman]

I have a microair unit and it completely eliminated my light flicker, it also allows my eu7000 generator to start the central a/c easily even while on eco mode.

I would also add, the folks at microair are amazing to deal with. The customer service is second to none.

 

[jjrbus]

The buss bar in the main panel can be worn and cause such things. Panels like Zinsco and Pacific Electric were noted for it and need to be replaced.

 

[ddawg16]

I have a **** ton of LED's in my house....and I'm sure my table saw pulls more than your heat pump
The ONLY reason anyone knows I've turned on my table saw is the noise.

Get a volt meter.
Go to your load center.
Put the meter across neutral and one of the hots
Have someone turn on a good load.....an iron is a good one.
If you see a 5v or more change.....it's either a bad connection somewhere or the PoCo's transformer has an issue.

 

[American Locomotive]

A lot of LED lights have cheap drivers that get "iffy" with fluctuations of input power. I would try a different brand or type of LED bulb - put one in a lamp or something and see if you can find one that doesn't flicker.

I have a **** ton of LED's in my house....and I'm sure my table saw pulls more than your heat pump
The ONLY reason anyone knows I've turned on my table saw is the noise.

Get a volt meter.
Go to your load center.
Put the meter across neutral and one of the hots
Have someone turn on a good load.....an iron is a good one.
If you see a 5v or more change.....it's either a bad connection somewhere or the PoCo's transformer has an issue.

His air handler is a 3-5 ton unit. A 5 ton heat pump is going to have at least a ~5HP motor internally, which will probably have an 60-80A inrush during start-up.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Of course I have LED lights. Don't all the cool kids?

The model number of the heat pump: DZ16SA0481BC

The sure-start you linked popbigguy is the device I had in mind. I am a bit limited on my electrical knowledge. Please correct me if I am wrong, I am assuming the 'Hard Start Kit' is an extra capacitor with a relay to add the extra capacitor at start up only. Assumption number two - the sure-start is a software controlled version of the 'Hard Start Kit' that does the same thing better. Is there a significant difference in functionality to justify the cost being 10x's higher?

I spent good money to have the system installed and want to do what I can to ensure it lasts me a good long time. If it is worth the extra money, then I will spend it.

It's common for LEDs to dim for a split second when higher current draw items start up. My LED lights in my master suite do it when the boiler fires up. Nothing wromg in my circuits, the LEDs are just very sensitive to input voltage.

Your unit has a start cap, it's not inverter or electronically controlled for a "soft start".

Tommy

 

[Yankeefarmer]

FWIW, I have a bunch of cheap LED shop lights lighting my shop. There is noticeable flicker from time to time coming through from the PoCo. It’s noticeable because the lights all flicker in unison. I also have a 5 ton inverter heat pump. I have never had any flicker, dimming or blink in the same lights when the heat pump starts. It’s also kinda cool to hear that machine spool up if you are standing close enough to hear it. Just like my milling machine with the VFD phase converter.

 

[justinjoyal]

Larger wiring can help with voltage drop sometimes.