I would not recommend any soft starter for your unit and manufacturers won't recommend them because they would have to test it with their unit to be able to recommend it and they don't test every device. A hard start capacitor kit is the best thing for your unit, especially if it runs on a generator. it basically adds a starting capacitor to the compressor so there is much less draw from the electric supply when the compressor starts. A mini split already runs on its own inverter, so no soft starter or capacitors will work as it already has its own vfd.

 

Hyper Sure Start is the one I like, fairly compact, dependable, and reasonably priced. Have one on my own. Micro-Air Easy Start is another option but if I remember correctly more expensive and larger, will need to be installed outside the condenser. Hard start will not help imo.

 

I put in a cust supplied micro-air, the install instructions were like nest instructions, paint by number.

pissed me off, had to figure out which wires were c, s, r to wire it up. called them to add a proper wire diagram but whoever answered didn't understand what I was saying, it seems.

if you know how to wire a unit, its a mess of an install manual. if you're a diyer, better have the exact color wires the manual shows.

 

I'm thinking about getting a soft starter for my Trane XR16 (4TTR6036N1000A) AC Unit so I can run it off of my portable inverter generator.

You have a portable generator that will power the condenser and air handler/furnace? Generators and electronics don't usually play well together.

 

It's an inverter generator, so it's good for electronics.

 

I'm in agreement with others that it is not a good idea to try to run an inverter HVAC system off of any sort of generator. Start assist components are great for AC compressors but are not advisable for any DC system.

 

the generator is invertor, maybe not the ac. inverter ac you can't add a soft start to the comp, since its run through a control bd. invertor compressor boards have soft start built in I believe.

I have seen a battery system that the compressor amp draw at startup, would brown out the battery, the gen would start, but the compressor had faulted out due to the brown out by then. not sure what the customer did to fix it.