How to Install a Hard Start Kit on Air Conditioner
The air conditioner is a large and essential part of your home. It’s the system that cools down your house when it gets too hot outside and heats your house when it gets too cold out there. The only problem with these systems is they use up a lot of energy, which means you’ll be paying more for electricity bills to keep them running!
Luckily, there are ways to make your air conditioner work better, like installing a hard start kit! The hard start kit helps get the compressor going faster at startup time by supplying high voltage power from an electric starter motor which doesn’t require any help from the homeowner. In this blog post, we will go over how to install a hard start kit on air conditioner.
10 Steps to Follow on How to Install a Hard Start Kit on Air Conditioner
Step One: Check the Air Conditioner
Check to see what kind of air conditioner you have. It should be either a split system or an outdoor unit with an electrical outlet. The hard start kit is only compatible with the outdoor units that plug into your home’s electricity. The split system does not need a hard start kit. It is installed inside the home and plugs directly into an outlet, so it already has all of the electricity it needs.
Step Two: Purchase a Hard Start Kit and Outdoor Housing
Once you’ve identified that you have an outdoor unit, check to see if your air conditioner needs a hard start kit. You can purchase a hard start kit from an air conditioning supply store or online. The part number of the one you need is listed on the air conditioner’s original manual if you have one.
The outdoor unit housing varies by brand and type of model. Some units may include a capacitor rather than needing to have a separate hard start kit. If you have a capacitor on the unit, it won’t need an additional one installed.
Step Three: Remove the Covers from the Hard Start Kit and Housing
Follow your owner’s manual to remove all of the covers from both units. You may also watch a video that provides step-by-step instructions. The hard start kit attaches to the outside of the outdoor unit with a few screws, but you’ll need to attach it in an area that is free from moving parts and clear of any belts or pulleys. The housing attaches to the home with a separate mounting bracket that comes with it.
Step Four: Mount the Hard Start Kit Onto the Outdoor Unit
The hard start kit usually attaches to the exterior of the outdoor unit with four screws. The housing is mounted onto a bracket that mounts on an outside wall. Unfortunately, there will be a hole in its side, so you’ll need to attach it to a stud within 16 inches of where it will be mounted.
The kit and housing should come with mounting hardware. Use a drill to make the holes for screws, and follow the directions that came with your units for attaching them once you’ve completed mounting them both.
Step Five: Connect Wires Together
Your hard start kit comes with two red wires and two black wires. Each pair will attach to the same color on the housing, which is why you must label them before removing their covers. You can use a simple marker to jot down some color-coded letters on each wire so you know which goes where when you connect them.
The kit also comes with a small white wire that you need to attach to the housing. This is the ground wire, and the kit should come with a grounding screw or label telling where it can be attached.
Step Six: Turn Off the Fuses before Turning on the Power
Before you plug in your air conditioner, you’ll need to shut off the main power switch. Next, go to your electrical panel and find the breaker that powers your outdoor unit. Switch it off, count to 30, then flip it back on again.
Wait another 30 seconds before you plug the units into each other. This lets the electrical system stabilize, ensuring that you won’t get shocked when starting your air conditioner.
Step Seven: Turn on the Power and Watch it Cool.
Once you’ve plugged in your air conditioner, you can turn it on. Let it cool for a few minutes, then feel around the back of the housing to make sure that everything is working properly. If there are any problems at this point, shut off the power again and disassemble the units to find out where the issue is.
If everything works, let your air conditioner run for a few minutes before you shut it off for the day. From here on out, all you’ll need to do is turn it on and off every time you want cool air in your home. If you want to find out more about how to install a hard start kit on air conditioner, keep reading.
When Should a Hard Start Kit Be Installed on an Air Conditioner?
Air conditioners cool many homes in America. These appliances are often powered by electric motors, which draw a high amount of current when they are first energized, also known as inrush current.
This causes problems for the electrical service entering the home and the circuit breakers that protect it. The use of a hard start kit will limit this inrush current and protect both your air conditioner and its electrical supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should a Hard Start Kit Be Installed?
A hard start kit is typically installed when the owner wants to reduce vehicle idling. This can be done by installing a carburetor fuel pump or an electric fuel pump.
In order to answer this question, we need to understand some key things related to starting your car, like: What is the purpose of installing a hard start kit? and finally, what are the steps involved in installing a hard start kit.
Simply put: A hard start kit is a device that helps stop an engine from stalling while it’s being started by delivering extra air into the cylinders of an engine via vacuum created by decompressing intake manifold pressure and valve overlap.
Can Hard Start Kit Damage Compressor?
Hard Start Kit can damage the compressor if not installed properly. If you are installing a new compressor, it should be mounted in the same orientation as when you removed it from the old unit.
To Install the Hard Start Kit, Follow These Steps:
- Install a metal strap to secure an access panel on your air handler cabinet or return the air grille.
- Locate the mounting hole on your unit’s compressor bracket and make sure that it is facing upward so that gravity will assist in aligning and tightening the mounting bolts of your new Hard Start Kit assembly with its counterpart on your unit’s bracket.
- Remove one bolt at a time from each side of your unit’s compressor bracket until you have loosened all four bolts enough to remove them from their respective holes in your unit’s frame (one-quarter turn clockwise).
- Loosen one-half turn counterclockwise on each of two spring clamps attached to the end of each cylinder block assembly to separate them from their corresponding cylinders blocks within their respective cylinder block assemblies (use only needle nose pliers for this step).
Do Hard Start Kits Save Energy?
Hard start kits are typically designed to help prevent a loss of refrigerant in your system. Typically, the service kit is installed by a technician and comes with all necessary parts to install it.
Conclusion
A hard start kit is a device that can be installed on an air conditioner to reduce the time it takes for the unit to turn on. Installing one of these devices should help your AC run more efficiently and save you money in energy costs over time instead of not installing one at all.
If this sounds like something that may interest you, we recommend calling our company so we can send out a technician who has been trained specifically on how to perform installations of these kits.
We have installation specialists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So regardless of what time of day it happens to be outside when you call us, someone from our team will be happy to assist with your HVAC system installation request! At this point, you should feel confident that you know how to install a hard start kit on air conditioner.
Check it out also – How to Make Air Conditioner From Refrigerator Compressor .
