micro-Air ASY-364 EasyStart Home AC Starter Installation Guide

: June 4, 2024
: Micro-Air

Table of Contents

Safety and Warnings
Identify your system
Section 1: Installing EasyStart in most systems
Section 2: Comfort Alert control board systems
Appendix 1: Compressor monitoring system changes
Appendix 3: Maintenance
Appendix 4: Additional Resources
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

ASY-364 EasyStart Home AC Starter
Installation Guide

micro Air ASY 364 EasyStart Home AC Starter

EasyStart Home AC Wiring
Using Micro-Air ASY-364 or ASY-368

Safety and Warnings

AC Power can be dangerous or lethal if the proper safeguards are not understood or performed.
If you are not sure of any aspect of this installation or proper safety when working with AC line voltages, please seek installation by a qualified HVAC or electrical professional.
Turn off all power to the air conditioning system before proceeding.
Read all instructions before starting installation.
Capacitors can store a charge and should be discharged by touching both terminals simultaneously with an insulated screwdriver. Three terminal caps should use the “C” terminal to short each of the other two terminals.

Identify your system

Most users will follow the guidelines presented in Section 1: Installing EasyStart in most systems. This section includes all systems without an Emerson comfort alert control board. Please note that there is a different type of comfort alert system that looks like a black box and connects to the contactor with compressor wires passing through it. These users will also use section 1.
Some users may encounter an Emerson control board in their system. These boards are clearly marked and have the compressor connections made to the circuit board. There is no contractor in these systems since the connection is provided by relays on the circuit board. Please use Section 2: Comfort alert control board systems if you have one of those systems.

Section 1: Installing EasyStart in most systems

Step 1: Identify the components
The two components shown in figure 1 will be used to connect your EasyStart. Locate these components in your air conditioner before proceeding. Some compressors will have additional components and may have a circuit board as well. Power comes in from the bottom of the contactor usually from a breaker or fuse panel on the dwelling. This must be disconnected (Turn the breaker off) before connecting EasyStart.
Step 2: Mounting the unit
EasyStart can be mounted on any flat surface in either a horizontal or vertical position. It can also be mounted with the clear cover pointing up. The wire entry must face down when EasyStart is mounted vertically.
Step 3: Identify the capacitor terminals
Three terminal run capacitors

Many compressors have three terminal group capacitors as shown in figure 1. These capacitors feature labels on the top as indicated by the arrows above. Use the labels on these capacitors to identify where to make connections.
Two terminal run capacitors Two terminal group caps are harder to identify the terminals because they are not labeled. Look for a wire that connects the contactor to the capacitor like the red one shown in figure 3. This wire is connected to the “C” terminal and will be left in place. The other unmarked terminal is the HERM terminal. For the remainder of this document, we will refer to the HERM terminal and C terminal for all types of capacitors.
Step 4: Removing start devices
There is only a single yellow wire connected to the HERM terminal in figure 4. Compressors with only one wire on the HERM terminal have no start components and can go on to the next step.
If you find there is more than one wire in this group, you will need to identify which of these wires, if any, goes to a smart device.
One wire will always go to the compressor which you can verify using your factory wiring diagram or tracing them out. One may be a compressor monitoring wire and should be preserved and explained in the next step. The one to remove can go to a relay, a second capacitor called a start capacitor or a PTC device which is a small disk. Remove this start assist wire from the herm terminal at both ends while leaving all the other HERM wires alone. If you have a PTC or hard start you can just remove the entire device.
Step 5: Check for compressor monitoring systems
Some systems have a monitoring circuit that verifies the compressor is running and provides feedback, like lights or fault indication, when the compressor fails to start. These systems have a control board located in the electrical box and a fault chart located nearby that lists specific compressor faults. If your system contains one of these control boards, you will need to remove the start delay in EasyStart so it does not cause an artificial fault.
See Appendix 1: Compressor monitoring system changes for information on this change if it is required for your installation.
Step 6: Connecting the ORANGE wire
Connect the EasyStart ORANGE wire to the HERM terminal.
Step 7: Connecting the BROWN wire
Connect the disconnected wire to the BROWN wire from EasyStart. Connect only these two wires together and not to anything else.
Step 8: Connecting the WHITE wire
Connect the EasyStart WHITE wire to the contactor where the wire was removed from in the last step. This is typically under the screw terminal on the contactor.
Note: Compressors with an RLA over 18 amps should not use the spade connection like shown in figure 5 but should connect using a ring, fork or direct wire connection under the screw. Be sure to match whatever method is used for the original installation.
Step 9: Connecting the BLACK wire
Contactors are “split” into two electrically separate halves with each half connected to a single voltage line of the incoming service. The red wires are both connected to one side of the contactor in the picture below and the black wires are connected on the other side of the contactor. The wire colors may be different in your installation. Connect the BLACK EasyStart wire to the side of the contactor where the EasyStart WHITE wire is NOT connected using an available connection point.
Step 10: Learning
Start the air conditioner on AC mains power. The fan will come on followed shortly after by the compressor. EasyStart is now installed. The compressor can be cycled normally to complete the learning process. If you are going to test on a generator or alternate power source, be sure the compressor has started five times before starting on a generator or other power source.

Section 2: Comfort Alert control board systems

Goodman GSCZ, Rheem RARL, Goodman GSXC, and possibly others
Step 1: DISCONNECT ALL POWER
Step 2: Disconnect the red wire pointed to by the green arrow in figure 1. Pull it back out through the transformer pointed to by the blue arrow.
Step 3 : Thread the white EasyStart wire back through the transformer like the red wire that was removed and connect it to the connection terminal. It should be connected under the screw for compressors larger than three tons (36,000 BTU).
Step 4: Temporarily connect the black EasyStart wire to the screw terminal shown by the black arrow in figure 2. Use a piece of tape or wire nut to insulate the EasyStart brown and orange wires from touching anything else. Set the thermostat for off then turn on the power.
Load the EasyStart application on a smart device and open the application. Enter “EasyStart_” in the entry box (with the underscore but without the quotes). Press “connect”. When the connection is complete, press the relearn tab. Change the switch for “No Start delay” to on and then press “Send to EasyStart” Once you are successful you can close the app and remove power. Disconnect the black wire after power is removed.
Note: if you have trouble connecting in Android, go to settings-> applications-> EasyStart-> Permissions and turn on permission for location services.
Step 4: Connect the disconnected red wire to the EasyStart brown wire using an end splice joint.
Step 5 : Connect the black EasyStart wire under the screw pointed to by the yellow arrow in figure 3.
Step 6 : Connect the orange wire to the terminal on the run capacitor indicated by the orange arrow in figure 4.

Appendix 1: Compressor monitoring system changes

This section details changes that should be made ONLY if you have a compressor monitoring
system. These systems typically consist of a circuit board located inside the electrical box that incorporates LEDs or a display to indicate a fault. There should be an instruction in the electric box that shows the meaning of the faults. If you do not have such a board or have a board without LEDs or have no such instruction sheet, do not make these changes. IMPORTANT: These instructions are not interchangeable between Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth models. Bluetooth models should not have their cover removed. Using the non- Bluetooth instructions on the Bluetooth model will cause the unit to function improperly.
Models without Bluetooth
See the above appendix 1 description before performing this step.
First place the shorting jumpers from the six-pin header on pins 1 and 3, and pins 4 and 6 as shown below. The next step is to cut JMP2 on the circuit board. This will disable the timer and start the compressor immediately. Your circuit board may look a little different from the image but the process is the same on all boards.

Models with Bluetooth
See the above appendix 1 description before performing this step.
Bluetooth models must be connected to power to disable the starting delay before installation. Turn off the breaker to the air conditioner. Connect the black and white EasyStart wires to the line input side of the contactor indicated by the yellow arrows in figure 8. Tape or wire nut the EasyStart brown and orange wire ends so they cannot make electrical contact with anything. Turn on the breaker to the air conditioner.
Open the smart device application on an Android or Apple device. To start the connection, enter “EasyStart_”, including the underscore (case sensitive), in the white box below “Enter EasyStart Bluetooth ID:” and press return. The “Connect to EasyStart” button will become enabled. Press the button to connect to the starter. The screen will change to show the ID of the starter.
Click the relearn tab and slide the switch from “No pwr on delay” to “ON”. Set the SCPT (minutes) for 1. Press “send settings to EasyStart”. Exit the app and turn off the breaker to the air conditioner. Disconnect the white and black EasyStart wires and continue with the installation.

Appendix 3: Maintenance

The box and entry are watertight and can withstand normal rain events. The box should not be pressure washed since it is not rated for high-power water jet cleaning. It can be washed with a mild soap and water solution.