Compressor Saver Hard Start Capacitor Model CSR U2 by Five Two One Inc

I recently had my 2 year old Air Conditioner gone over/cleaned....some preventative maintenance to make sure everything was up to snuff. When I was paying the service rep, he mentioned that for $331 they could install a "hard start" modification that he said would help with wear&tear on the compressor. Having a background in electronics, I asked him..."a bigger capacitor, right?" He said yes, so I declined the modification. I instantly went on line and eventually found the 5-2-1 Compressor Saver....cost? $37.00! I have a 48k BTU/sear 16 4 ton Carrier unit.Installation: schematically and hooking up the wiring was a piece of cake....the hardest part was mounting the capacitor. The mounting area had several slits, and holes...but finding a pair that matched size wise, and allowed for a proper mounting position that would be safe and secure was a real pain. So I ended up cutting (2) inch long X 1/8th inch wide slits wide enough apart to accommodate the capacitor size, and allow me to use a "worm drive" hose clamp... allowing it to wrap around the cap, and facilitate tightening to secure it to the mounting plate. I first wrapped the capacitor with Silicone Self Fusing Tape, to insulate and cushion it from the metal clamp. I mounted perfectly!Results: Wow, could actually hear the difference with the start-up....AND...the shut-off of the compressor. Which tells me that those cycles are not exposing the compressor starting coils to long and labored transitions....and a bonus is that it actually uses less electricity in the long run. I highly recommend this product and modification. Well worth the modest cost and hassle in mounting it.

The CSR-U2 kit is the correct one for our Daikin 4 ton unit. The installation was straightforward, as shown in videos and also in the wiring schematic for the compressor. Once installed, the difference was immediately noticeable. The compressor started much more quietly, and everything was working fine.Less than two days later, I heard a loud "whumpf" noise. When it happened again about a minute later, I realized it was the compressor. It happened a third time while I was watching and it was evident the compressor was trying, but not able to start. I shut off the thermostat, killed power to the HVAC system and removed the the hard start kit from the unit. While there was no visible evidence of damage to the hard start kit, the compressor started right up after the power was switched on, etc. The HVAC system has run fine since then.I'm confident the installation was done correctly, and it's possible I just received a defective hard start kit. I do plan to buy another kit from a different source. Hopefully, your experience will be like those in the positive reviews.

A/C went out and called a repair company, they came out and told me I needed a new condenser unit. Well...they made the mistake of using a hard start kit and unit kicked on, he immediately disconnected it telling me he would call tmrw with a price. So off I went to the internet looking at this hard start kit. I figured a small investment would be better than $2500.00 for a condenser unit. It was pretty easy to install and my unit started right up...air!! Not saying in any way that this will last forever or is a fix if your unit is fried. But I know from asking around they could last for days weeks months or years to keep your A/C unit working. I would recommend using this If your condition was similar to mine.

This "soft start" capacitor assist lets my 10k propane generator start up and run my 3.5, hi efficiency air conditioner (heat pump) without so much as burp.Too bad it only lasted a year and a half before popping its top off July 2019. 5-2-1 warranty service won't accept any claims from Amazon purchases now unless made through CPS from one of two newer sellers. So much for the manufacturer warranty of two years. Thankfully, the Amazon vendor that filled my order, Patrick's Supply, honored the warranty since they sold it to me. They don't carry 5-2-1 now but sent me a Mar's 32716 equivalent for shipping costs only, thus demonstrating that there are some very sincere vendors out there. Thank you Pat & Craig!

This 5-2-1 is the second one I had to order. The first one I ordered was $10 cheaper but came already opened and no “5-2-1” packaging... so I had my doubts wether it was still good or even genuine. Anyhoooo I installed this on my 3 ton 16 seer 410A Payne that I installed, with a compressor cover & started April 2018. The start cap tests good but sometimes I can hear the condenser, from inside the house, on start-up. Sometimes it was louder than others and sometimes you could see it causing the LED bulbs in the house to flicker. 410A runs much higher pressures than the old 22 systems so a little extra ooomf is definitely needed. As you can tell by my posted pics, start inrush is substantially lower, start up is quieter (I dont even hear it start now) and the led light bulb flicker is gone. Im happy with my buy. Are there cheaper options available? Yes there is. But I feel that the 3 wire setup is the proper way to do this.

Years ago an ac tech told my husband that putting in a start capacitor would really help our large unit that cools the second floor. I have no idea the cost of the visit, labor, materials, but I’m guess near $300-400.Well I’m single now, kept the house, (I have a lot less $ now) when my ac blew warm air, I decided I’d check. How hard could it be? I noticed the start capacitor had blown up. Watched lots of informational videos, and saw that I needed BOTH parts (not JUST the start capacitor), and found this KIT with both parts on Amazon that I couldn’t find anywhere locally. The price was a little higher than kits for smaller ac units but I needed it. And it was the identical kit the ac tech had put on. So I’m hoping mine lasts YEARS like that one did.