What the Manufacturers Say

I looked up phone numbers online and began calling all the manufacturers of the products used in my Solar A/C test. Surprisingly most hadn’t spoken to anyone before about any similar testing in the RV world.

I thought that was pretty crazy considering I’ve seen so many people pose this question over the years. It always amazes me how few people actually pick up the phone and contact the manufacturer when they have a question about a specific product.

Below is an outline of what I talked about with the manufacturer of each product. It gets a little technical, so if you’re starting to gloss over you should close this toggle and click on the next one that lists our recommendations without the detail.

I contacted Magnum and asked about the fault light I received for a fraction of a second during our test. I was told: The 12v Inverters, including the hybrid inverter, are equipped for a maximum surge of 40 amps and the A/C unit draws a minimum of 61 amps while the compressor turns on. Magnum recommended we consider upgrading to a 24v Inverter as they can handle a much higher amp draw. They specifically recommended their Hybrid 4000watt Pure Sine Inverter which has a surge max of 82amps. Magnum also recommended I look into a “Soft Start” or “Easy Start” for the A/C.

I called Coleman-Mach and asked about the power draw from the A/C and they confirmed the “Locked Rotor Amps” of our Coleman-Mach 15 is 61amps. I was told: The Locked Rotor Amps (LRA) refers to the power draw of the initial startup. Once the Air Conditioner has been run the first time, the oil will be out of the compressor and the coils will be saturated. This means the compressor will need less power than the initial 61a when the A/C starts back up in order to keep the RV cool. That said, they would not recommend running our RV A/C through our exact inverter, they recommended we look into installing one of the Power Saver models, specifically the Coleman Mach 1 PS which has a 41 LRA. I asked about a Soft Starter and I was told they have successfully used the Micro-Air EasyStart in the past.

I contacted Micro-Air and asked them about their soft starters, and which one would work with our RV A/C units. I was told: The EasyStart 3T will provide a minimum of a 50% decrease in the Locked Rotor Amp (LRA), bringing the A/C amp spike to (or below) 31a. If we installed this product, it should allow us to run our A/C using the inverter without spiking past the inverter’s 40a max. I was also told they have documentation and can help with the step-by-step process of how to install the EasyStart in a Coleman-Mach air conditioner.

Our lithium battery manufacturer has recently been impossible to reach by phone or internet, so I contacted the US Based Lithionics Battery. I’ve spoken with these guys many times over the years and I’m sure our next Lithium Battery purchase will come directly from them (for various reasons I’ll share in a future article). I asked them about the potential issues that could arise from us pumping in 55amps of power while continuously pulling out 80amps of power. I was told: The lithium batteries and the NeverDie BMS are built for applications just like this. You will not do any harm to the lithium batteries by running the RV air conditioner. As long as the battery has ample charge you can run the AC for hours. Those statements were quickly followed up by an impromptu disclaimer that went something like this: Now I can’t speak for any other lithium battery manufacturer and I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing this with traditional batteries.

I contacted GoPower! to confirm their solar panels, wiring, MC-4 connectors and the Outback solar controller could all handle the power needed to recharge the batteries while the A/C was running. I was simply told: That’s exactly what the AE kit was made for, you won’t damage it!

I didn’t contact Fleetwood because this was kind of a secret test, you know, one of those ”better to ask forgiveness than permission“ sorta things.