Unless there's something wrong with the 3 year o;ld unit, you shouldn't need a hard start kit. What problem did they diagnose? If there is one, it should be covered under the 5/10 year parts warranty.

They did not diagnose a problem and it seems to start fine.

A hard start kit should not be needed for a 3 year condenser. This is a way to make some money. I also question the need to do maintenance every 6 months. This is also another way to make money in my opinion.

Thanks to both of you for your input. It confirms what I’ve thought all along.

Installing a "hard start" will likely increase the life expectancy of a single-stage A/C or heat pump. I have one on mine. I don't think your HVAC tech is looking to add cost without adding value.

As Mike and Sktn said, no need for it without a reason. It's like putting premium gas in a newer car which calls for regular gas, or using high mileage oil with 20,000 miles on the odometer. It isn't going to do anything except cost you money.

I’m with Charles on this one. I’d rather be sorry and think I did it for nothing than to be sorry I didn’t and facing a compressor replacement.

Look at it this way, if your compressor is just outside its warranty and the compressor blew, you’d have greater leverage arguing that you listened to the tech and did install the “Hard Start” kit than if you didn’t take their advice.

‘Penny Smart; Pound Foolish’

YMMV

IMPO

SR

Adding a hard start to a compressor won't hurt, but it won't prevent compressor failure 100%. There are many types of hard starts just as there are different compressors, putting the wrong type on your system is not or ever has been a good idea.

In some cases the hard start can prolong the life of a compressor that won't start without it. In that case it varies greatly how much more life you will squeeze out of it. If the compressor is over amping -- what is known as drawing more amps than what it is rated for -- a hard start will not fix this problem. Oil return: the compressor gets it's lubrication from oil that circulates with the refrigerant inside your AC system.

If there is a problem concerning oil return a hard start will not fix that. Noise: start up noises can be reduced some with the adding of a hard start but it will not stop all noises due to start up. Short to ground: a hard start will not stop a compressor short. Largely these electrical shorts start out as poor connections and or contaminated refrigerant that degrade the electrical windings (motor) of the compressor. Usually this takes many years if it occurs at all.

A compressor that won't start without a hard start --- is an indication of failure (*most of the time circa 2023). Quite often in this business things don't fail all at once, the symptoms provide clues.

AC repair service is my primary business.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

I would be careful installing a third party hard start kit to a condenser under the manufacturer's warranty. There is the possiblity a warranty claim would be denied due to the modification.

I wouldn't be too concerned about voiding the warranty by installing a hard start on a retrofit basis provided it's furnished and installed by the company performing regular service on your HVAC system.

Conventional "wisdom" is to install parts which extend the useful life of equipment late in the equipment's life cycle. That produces a short-term benefit. By contrast, installing a hard start earlier in the equipment's life cycle will not only extend the useful life, but will also save energy over a longer time period. I consider the cost of a hard start to be a reasonable investment based on either potential benefit, and an even better one considering both.

The hard start would be installed by the company that installed the system three years ago. They also do all my maintenance. From what I understand, there is no downside to installing it now. I live in Florida so the system gets lots of use. The estimate to install it is $250. Does that seem somewhat reasonable?

I haven't seen any independent studies to verify the estimates, but hard starts are advertised to increase the useful life of an air conditioner by 2-4 years and save up to 15% on energy costs. My view is that even if you achieve the low end of expectations, the investment has a reasonable rate of return.

Ask your installer if they will be installing the equipment manufactuer's hard start kit part number. If they are then $250 is reasonable installaion price.

Hard start kits momentarily increase the value of the start capcitor. This causes an increased flow of current in the motor winding. More current means the winding is subject to more heat. I don't understand how this will prolong the life of the compressor or reduce energy. If someone can explain this I would gladly listen.

The hard start would be installed by the company that installed the system three years ago. They also do all my maintenance. From what I understand, there is no downside to installing it now. I live in Florida so the system gets lots of use. The estimate to install it is $250. Does that seem somewhat reasonable?

That's too cheap of a price for it to be a good one that is going to do anything constructive. The manufacturing realm likes to make a whole lot of garbage to sell. Selling something for the sake of selling it because it's cheap or reasonable? I'm afraid you're better off leaving well enough alone... watch the video at the end of this post and how long this compressor lasted with no hard start kit until it wouldn't run without one......

I can't tell you how many times I used this type of garbage early on in my HVAC career trying to rescue a failed compressor. If I had to guess due to the price they quoted you it's probably a 2 wire hard start... it looks like stick of dynamite with two leads coming off of it. (I call them dynamite because they are known to explode under certain events.) People buy fireworks 3 times a year... so if you're into that go right ahead.

a good way to blow up $250 bucks.

The hard starts I sell are 4 wire come in a kit designed to work with what ever compressor you have. The kit isn't in the shape of dynamite...

If you want to see what one looks like watch this video below I got essentially a dead compressor to run for an additional 10 hours until the unit could be replaced. A two wire garbage start kit couldn't do that in a dream. If the only reason you do this is because the price is cheap that isn't a good idea.

I show what the part look like around the 4 min mark. Realize those parts come in different ratings and are chosen based upon the compressor of the unit in question.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

You can purchase hard start kits from less than $20 to around $150 retail. Since the kit would be installed during regular preventive maintenance service there shouldn't be a trip charge. Installation time is minimal (a tech installed one on my air conditioner in less than 30 minutes.) I think $250 would be adequate to cover the cost to furnish and install a good quality kit.

"Hard start kits momentarily increase the value of the start capcitor. This causes an increased flow of current in the motor winding. More current means the winding is subject to more heat. I don't understand how this will prolong the life of the compressor or reduce energy." The hard start increases current to the startup winding, and it greatly reduces the time required to start the motor-- resulting in improved overall efficiency.

"There is no feed back form the motor turning and the hard start kit disengaging. At least not with the type you can buy at the HVAC supply house for $12." As with most things, you get what you pay for. The "feedback" from the motor is either the back emf for hard starts utilizing a potential relay or current for hard starts utilizing a current-sensing relay. I wouldn't use one that drops out based on time.

With regard to energy savings, consider that starting current is typically 4 - 8X running current, that an air conditioner starts 3,000 to 5,000 or more times in a typical season (more where I live) and that a hard start reduces starting time by a factor of 2 or more. Taken together, it's reasonable, in my opinion, to expect an energy savings. I've seen claims of 10% to 15% but no independent studies to confirm that.

" The hard start increases current to the startup winding" Yes it does, but the start winding was engineered to operate at a designed current with windings sized to match. If manufacturers oversized the start winding wire why didn't they just add a hard start circuit and then advertise longer life and higher efficiency? I'd be curious to know what the engineering department at Lennox has to say about a hard start kit on a newer unit.
Just a theory but maybe they might say the start winding wire wasn't sized to take a increased current rise or the heat could effect the varnish insulation on the wire. And for sure they'd say the current beyond engineered specifications would cause the compressor to still run even if the run capacitor failed causing over heating and total destruction of the compressor.
About efficiency, the 15% number floats around on every website but i have a little skepticism too on this savings claim. With a second or less when the rush in current peaks I can't see the savings could equal 15% of the power used for the total run time. And when you add in the additional current draw on the start winding with a hard start kit the high savings claims do not look possible to me, but I could be wrong.
I don't believe a hard start kit saves more then a few percent, and may not even offset paying to installed one. The risk of destroying the unit prematurely if the run capacitor fails is another factor I'd say to avoid using one.

Interesting videos on this subject:

• Capacitor and Hard Start Myths Busted
• How to Install a Hard Start Kit in Your Air Conditioner

OEMs don't have an economic interest that's served by extending the useful life of their equipment beyond the warranty period, especially if doing so adds to the upfront cost as would be the case with hard starts.

With respect to efficiency, EERs, and by extension, SEERs, are determined by tests at steady state conditions. Those tests don't take into consideration the start-up current draw of the compressor so any energy savings contributed by a hard start would not be reflected in the calculated efficiency.

@Charles Ross Homes

I think the problem here is we are discussing hard start and soft start devices. I think you have installed a soft start device which is very different costs more than the $250 the @martir has been quoted for a hard start kit. You were the one who introduced the soft start device to me when we had a discussion about running an AC on a portable generator. This is why I suggested @martir get the part number to be installed. A a device like Easy Start is going to be installed then that would be a good deal.

Here is a video which goes into a deal on hard and easy start kits. Note what is said about saving energy. Hard Starts vs Easy Starts

Yes, Mike, there are hard and soft starts and they are different. I have a hard start on my single-stage air conditioner. My HVAC trade partner installed it for the cost of the parts which was less than $100. We have recommended soft starts as retrofits for clients who want to be able to start their air conditioner utilizing an emergency generator. The hardware alone is $350 or more. I have a portable 6kW generator which I won't ever call on to start my air conditioner. Its job is to keep the TV on and the beer cold.

OEMs don't have an economic interest that's served by extending the useful life of their equipment beyond the warranty period, especially if doing so adds to the upfront cost as would be the case with hard starts.

Distributors that sell the equipment are there to also sell me the garbage that causes damage to a compressor over time. It's a vicious circle to say the least. I know better now (2023) than say 25 years ago... from the perspective of doing HVAC for 29 years. Just because someone or some entity within the HVAC realm is attempting to sell you something doesn't mean you should buy it. Nor that I should sell it.

To gain trust --- home owners trust me with my recommendations for real reasons. My market in Katy, Texas has knuckle heads running around for free advice. I don't do free advice except here on this board to more or less explain the hidden cost of just doing something because someone is selling it. If the advice is free it's not worth anything to begin with. My advice is worth what you pay for it in person. If you don't think so you're fine by me to go that route. I know I can lead a horse to water, I can't make him drink it. I can print truth(s) here all day long I can't make you believe it.

The best case is to buy the OEM spec hard start kit for a particular unit that currently doesn't have any start up issues and doesn't need the hard start to start --- the manufacturer specifies when one is required for certain applications (like long line set application). As I have stated before required hard starts are different electrically from one compressor to another, size of the compressor etc. Put the wrong one on your AC unit and you're doing damage in small bits at a time every time the unit starts.

Extending the life of a unit by adding a part is just regurgitated rhetoric used to sell you something in most cases. It took me a good long stretch of my career to separate the facts from fiction in this regard.

When the hard start fails and it will along with the run capacitor -- these two could be responsible for the demise of your compressor in the future. It may not be evident / hard to prove in many cases what caused the compressor failure.

But I thought you said it won't hurt anything? Yes provided you put the right one on your system, maintain it properly, replace the hard start again when it is determined thru a maintenance visit that it's needed. What I know for sure is that many people have trouble remembering to replace their filter, get maintenance done... not just done but done properly.

If you're worried about what is reasonable in terms of cost to do this right... leave it alone if you don't have the money to do it right AND make sure it is done right. The manufacturer made your unit the way it is to function the way it's supposed to under most installation applications. If you needed a hard start for your particular installation it should have been provided at the time you had your system installed.

If you got $250 burning a hole in your pocket? Find something more constructive to spend it on.

If you wanted to cut your electric bill you should have bought a more efficient unit like a Bosch 2.0 Inverter. That can cut your electric bill by up to 50%.

Like cool stories? Here's a recent one [video below]-- the first AC not cooling call of the summer? In February? (hot climate problems)

This unit has no hard start kit -- it doesn't need one yet.

I service the Katy, Texas area.

@wdccruise,

Thanks for the video links. The quality of those videos is a refreshing change from the majority of videos promoted in this forum-- which will make intelligent people less so after they view them.

Yeah Charles those video links essentially prove I was right all along from the beginning of this post.

this is so funny... Our company just did a video about hard starts and I came across this today watch this Kennon Heating Air & Plumbing