Off to a Soft, or Hard, Start: Are soft and hard start kits necessary for residential applications?

摘要

Not knowing that I was an electrician and well-acquainted with many different aspects of the electrical industry, he proceeded to tell me the many benefits of using these startup units forthe new motors. He did a fairly good job of explaining their function, so when he finished, I explained that as an electrician, I was extremely familiar with the purposes of the startup kits. He stated that he normally had to do a hard sell and a thorough explanation for most homeowners to understand that he was trying to save them money and extend the lifetime of their motors. A motor soft start kit is a device used with alternating current motors to temporarily reduce the startup current of the motor by reducing the torque, which aids the motor when starting from a locked rotor condition and improving the motor's power factor. Adding a capacitor to the motor will reduce the startup current of the motor by giving it an extra boost of current from the capacitor, decreasing the stress on the motor and increasing its lifespan.