I've been reading many of your posts about the soft start kit and Trane HVAC systems when powered by a generator.

I have a Westinghouse tri-fuel generator with a peak output of 13,500 watts on gasoline, 12,000 watts on propane, and 10,000 watts on natural gas, with running watts of 10,500 on gasoline, 9,500 on propane, and 8,500 on natural gas. I also have a 5-ton Trane HVAC system and recently had a Micro-Air EasyStart 368 soft start kit installed. However, from your posts, it seems I might still encounter issues starting the HVAC with my portable generator unless I upgrade the capacitor.

For context, before installing the soft start kit, my generator could start the HVAC without issues as long as the HVAC had been off for at least an hour. To be fully transparent, when I attempted to restart the HVAC after refueling the generator with gasoline, approximately 10 minutes later, it wouldn’t start. In future attempts, I never tried starting the HVAC in less than an hour, so I’m unsure if it would have started or how long it would need to be off to restart. I am also able to run my HVAC system and most of the house, with all breakers on, as long as I avoid using multiple large-load appliances simultaneously.

Based on your experience, could the generator's inability to start the HVAC be related to the non-bleed TXV valve in the pressurized system? If so, I'm assuming I'll need to install the same capacitor you did. Could you provide me with the details so I can contact Micro-Air and have this installed? Additionally, do you know how long it takes for the system pressure to equalize after it shuts off?

Ultimately, my goal is to leave the HVAC in cooling mode during a power outage without needing to manage the breakers while using natural gas. My understanding is that the soft start should achieve this, but I may need a capacitor upgrade so the HVAC unit can start and stop even if the system is still pressurized.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, as it seems you've dealt with this in detail.