Mermaid AC is tripping GFI shore power

[Gustuv Wynd]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Gustuv-
I don't recall the particulars or the cure, but the problem is that large inductive loads (motors) will pretty regularly trip GFI boxes. Air conditioners, shop vacs, any number of motors that draw light current on start-up will do that.
IIRC installing an Easy Start (which is not just a soft start capacitor) will kill that massive inductive load and allow the motor to start and run more efficiently, without the killer starting draw. You might contact them and ask about that.

The Mermaid comes with a start capacitor already. Adding a second one could damage things...I think. I've never thought about what would happen in a double capacitor setup. I'd need to research that.

Though I might not be familiar with what this "Easy Start" is...could I sweet talk you into a link to what it is? Searching around is just finding start capacitors.

One of my concerns was that the start capacitor was the cause of the problem, but then it should have not run when it was isolated from the breaker box. Unless the AC by itself wasn't enough to trip unless it was connected to the breaker box...but my gut feeling is it would be unlikely to consistently work. I forget what imbalance the GFI trips at the moment, but I know it doesn't take much.

[hellosailor]

Easy Start has a video on YT where they're go into a lot of detail installing one on a trailer roof AC unit. They emphasize that their product is NOT A CAPACITOR and in fact you replace the starting capacitor, if you had one, with their product.

Video includes meter readings to show the performance. It certainly looks like they've got something better, the little feedback I've heard seems to confirm that.

FWIW.