Pro Power powering home A/C

[Emmittfan22]

I have seen a bunch of videos and articles of the 7.2kwh powering homes with the furnace going. I have also seen numerous videos and articles about it power multiple a/c units on a RV. I was just curious if it was possible to power a home a/c unit.

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[ryanc111]

Well it depends on the power draw of your AC unit of course but I’ll say that one of the circuits wired in to my transfer switch is the HVAC system, including AC. Works great for me.

 

[ryanc111]

Good question. It's definitely not a heat pump but not aware if it has a soft start or not.

All of that being said, I may have spoken too soon as I don't believe I've tested the AC with the Powerboost. Up here I'm more concerned with lack of heat during a power outage rather than keeping it cool. I don't believe I actually tested it with the AC on. We have company in town so not convenient to shut power down to test it right now but I may be able to do so early next week if needed.

 

[imnuts]

I haven't tried my home AC on ProPower, but if your system is greater than ~2 ton and/or you don't have a soft start for the compressor, it's probably not going to work. You may be able to get up to a 3 ton unit to go with a soft start, but much bigger then that and I think you'll run out of amps. You'll also need to be very cautious with what else you have on besides the HVAC system.

 

[Emmittfan22]

Great replies from everyone. I was hopeful it could be done but did not have the knowledge to guesstimate if it would. Would love to know when @ryanc111 tests if it does work.

 

[Ajzride]

I have two units for my house (not sure on tonnage, but it's 3700sqf combined). I can start them one at a time and they will both run with some lights and a TV on. If they both come on at the same time, instant trip.

Every light, TV, Fan, PC, Router, fridge, and both ACs in my house (basically everything except the washer, microwave, and oven) pulls 6.7KW.

 

[Kodiak]

When I had my transfer switch installed I left off the AC (3 ton I think for 3000 sqf home). The electrician said that it would be best to do so unless I had a very big generator. At the time I had a 7000w Troy Built and he said initial start up draw could be a problem. I am in hot VA but nothing like the deep south.

I made sure that one of the circuits on the transfer switch was for the master bedroom and I have a small portable roll around AC to just plug in where needed. That will serve as my AC until the power comes back on.

 

[UGADawg96]

yeah, no way we're powering a CHVAC unit in FL with the PB. We didn't include it on our 10 transfer switch circuits. If we lose power for an extended period in the hot season (Mar - Oct), we'll grab a portable from home depot.

 

[scuba]

Can anyone recommend a soft start they used for their home? I had one installed on our RV, and was a happy camper because it meant bringing just one honda eu2200 instead of two. (pre-powerboost)

 

[Samson16]

When I had my transfer switch installed I left off the AC (3 ton I think for 3000 sqf home). The electrician said that it would be best to do so unless I had a very big generator. At the time I had a 7000w Troy Built and he said initial start up draw could be a problem. I am in hot VA but nothing like the deep south.

I made sure that one of the circuits on the transfer switch was for the master bedroom and I have a small portable roll around AC to just plug in where needed. That will serve as my AC until the power comes back on.

Good advice. I love my PB, but use a 9500W dual fuel generator with a MicroAir Easy start module to help with inrush current for my AC compressor unit. The generator runs the entire house except for the pool pump, electric dryer, and the oven. I could probably use the oven if I turned off the water heater, but my plan is to use the Big Green Egg and just rough it.

 

[HammaMan]

I'd been a contractor of sorts for my parent's last home. I installed 2 4 ton mitsu minisplit systems (my calculations suggested 3 ton units were more than enough, but rocket scientist knows best). Combined I'd never seen them pulling more than 5kW in summer, they'd be in the 1.6 to 2.4kW range each in the upper 90s which always came with a healthy helping of humidity, (3500sqft)

Now a 3 ton conventional AC unit with a soft start may be able to run, but you'd really need to see its actual operating parameters. Not all units are created equal.

 

[Samson16]

My Easy Start 368 has Bluetooth.

 

[scuba]

Thanks @bushpilot and @Samson16 . Good stuff

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