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Reduce your RV air conditioner startup power demand by up to 70 percent and eliminate that loud, clunking compressor noise. Start and run your AC and other appliances without the fear of tripping a breaker or overloading your generator.
A soft start device reduces the initial inrush current when your AC compressor kicks on. Instead of a harsh power spike that can trip breakers or overload generators, the soft start gradually ramps up the motor, so you can use your air conditioner with small generators, limited hookups, or even a 20-amp household outlet.
Tired of your AC tripping the breaker or waking you up with a loud, clunking start? SoftStartRV makes startup quiet and smooth, so your RV stays comfortable and your sleep stays undisturbed, even when you're boondocking or sharing power with appliances.
Run your air conditioner on a small generator, 20-amp outlet, or use two soft starts to power two ACs on a 30-amp hookup. Keep your coffee maker, water heater, or other appliances running at the same time without fear of tripping a breaker or losing your cool, even at high altitudes.
By smoothing out every start, this soft start limits strain on your AC's motor and compressor, helping prevent wear and keep your system reliable for the long haul. The built-in start capacitor and bypass contactor help ensure safe operation and prevent overheating.
Installs vertically using pre-drilled holes and 3M adhesive backing. All the hardware you need is included. Three diagnostic LEDs show you system status and make troubleshooting easy.
This soft start is IP65-rated against dust and water spray, and made to resist vibration and flames. Tested for more than 45,000 hours of use, it's ready for road trips, off-grid campsites, and wherever your travels take you.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
96% were satisfied with this product
4% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Good price, I did have to download the instructions (which seems normal these days). They were very helpful and I wired it with no problems. This is NOT for someone without electrical wiring knowledge however. Not plug n play. Given that yes I would recommend.
Customer service for installation is amazing, very responsive when I was installing the unit.Id give it 5 stars. It was actually quite easy. However, my only issue is that my Durolast 2300 kept tripping the breaker and there was no answer as to why. Online discussions stated that people were using similar units without an issue. Finally, out of frustration, I borrowed a Honda EU2200 from our firehouse to see if that would work as many people online said the Hondas were so good despite the cost. Well, it worked and I then had to shell out the $$ for that with no understanding why it worked and the Durolast didn't. And Im not sure whether the A/C would now work without the softstart. Despite all this, Ill leave it in. Anyone want to purchase a gently used Durolast?
Worked just as advertised ran ac on 20 amp line with a window av unit in the house on same wiring.
The air conditioner with the soft start added to it works perfectly. Thank you for your help. Great customer service was appreciated too.
Awesome tech and troubleshooting support
works better than expected. easy to ins tall.
The soft start did exactly what Id hope for ----Did not like packing around my 3 KW watt honda gen --too heavy. Gave it too my daughter and son in law ---now that my AC will run on a 2200 watt honda. The installation is a snap --even though I'm a electrician---any one who can read and is not color blind can pretty much get this install knocked out. ps---we still love all our American friends --
I was concerned about installing this myself, but it really was as easy as everybody says. The only issue I had was not paying enough attention to which wire end to crimp on. But they did send enough to still make it work. Used it for our first camping trip this weekend and it worked great! Wife said the ac was quieter. Buy this now instead of waiting like we did!
Easy installation. Cut power usage by 6 0%
Easy install. Instructions are set up for ease of wiring but I found that I could eliminate a good deal of extra wire by just looking at the wiring schematic and wiring direct to the compressor instead of bouncing back and forth as per the instructions...I understand they most likely wrote it that way to simplify it, but not necessary. Functions great after a year. I installed it to run my main RV AC unit (15k) off of a 1800W inverter generator after having no power for a week following a hurricane. Even that small generator can handle the load with no problem without bogging down or tripping the EMS on low voltage.
As always etrailer delivers on time. I installed the SoftStart on my 2020 Palomino HS 1803 truck camper yesterday. I'm an avid DIYer and not that young, so limiting trips up and down the ladder was alleviated by putting everything I might need in a toolbox. Installation took me about an hour, with the Dometic instructions and a YouTube video of installation on a Dometic. Mine is a 13.5K and I have a Generac IX 2000, 2200 starting watts. It would kick out the overload before the SoftStart.
I tried it with the full power switch on, the generator grunted and sped up for a second or two and the AC was running! I tried it on ECO mode and it kicked out the overload, but that was expected. I ran it for a half hour, switching the AC off occasionally, it started fine each time.
Success! I was looking at a bigger generator, and with a truck camper there is no way to haul it, and I can't lift 100#. The Generac weighs about 50#, about my limit, and fits nicely on the floor of the back seat of my pickup. I'm a boondocker whenever I can, and I avoided trips on hot summer days. No more!
So glad I purchased. LOVE what it does. A bit of comfort on the unbearably hot days. Not too difficult to install if you can watch some online videos. You need to know how to crimp wires
The soft start kit was exactly what we needed for our van’s ac that was installed without it. Originally the air conditioner came with the soft start kit, but the installer said it was not needed. He was wrong because our AC would shut off after cycling. The soft start kit solved the problem.
Very fast shipping. Easy installation. Works as advertised. Even works when running generator.
Now I can run my Dometic air conditioner with one Honda EU2200i generator and it does it effortlessly. Should have done this sooner.
One of the best and reliable places to buy from...easy ordering and very fast shipping. Pricing is great also...you can't go wrong with ordering from etrailer...
Great device and awesome install support from SoftstartRV.
Great product. Downloaded instructions from SofStartRV. Followed step by step. Everything worked perfect. Compressor startup is very quiet, almost undetectable.
Installed this on our Grand Design 22MLE's 30 amp GE Heat Pump.
I sent a picture of the GE's wiring diagram to SoftStartRV's *tech support and
soon received an e-mail from Danny that he would be calling me soon. Within
minutes he called and explained the installation. While on the phone he did
a scymatic and e-mailed it to me.
I installed the SoftStartRV that afternoon within an hour.
I tested it at first on mt 30 pedestal here at home and it was noticeably quieter.
Then I hooked up our Craftsman 2500 watt generator and ran the heat pump
for over an hour. It worked perfectly.
A side note... I recommend opening up the A/C's control box and replacing the
Wago connector with wire nuts and tape if you haven't already.
Joanne helped solidify my selection then made sure it was what I needed. I needed the Softstart by a specific date. Etrailer got it to me by the date they said it would come that is not always the case with products as I live on an island. Joanne let me know the product went out that day and has kept in touch. We watched the videos and some found instruction for the wiring of my model SoftStart and air conditioner and got it installed. It is comforting to know that if we had gotten stuck we could have call tech support for help.
This is a great product. It helps run our ac so efficiently, I forgot we had it on. No more dimming of lights or fear of tripping the breaker or pulliing too much from our surge protector. If you are good with doing minor electrical repairs, you can do this on your own.
I can now run my 13,500 BTU Air Conditioner on one 2200/1700 Inverter Generator. The peak amp draw was reduced 47% from 22.54 amps before installation to 13.46 amps after installation. The instructions for my particular model were a tad confusing but RVSoftStart has great customer support and responded quickly to answer my questions.
Very nice quality product. Installs fast and easily and i tested it before and after using my watchdog app. This works great with my ac unit and now allows me to run the ac off of my generator. Very pleased with the product and very happy with the staff at etrailer who helped me find the right size for my unit!! Highly recommended.
Working fine 1 year later. The only thing was their wiring procedure and hardware needed to be cleaned to look more in compliance with industry wiring standards.
So easy to install and the technical backup that I called with a question was top notch. The pix show where I mounted the SoftStart on the side of the AC Unit.
Kate F.
5/6/2026
Nice to have that little battery power pack to help with the start-up surge William. What kind of camper is this on, and what trip are you looking most forward to this year?
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Brian
8/27/2026
working as advertised