AC starts hard!

[Jhcowdude]

Got home Sunday from a short adventure. Fired up AC here in the yard a couple times and never noticed this problem. Starting AC on the generator, it pulls the generator way down for 20-30 seconds or so, then takes off and works fine. Till it starts again, then pulls generator way down again. Does this 4-5 times, then gets better. The part that confuses me is, when generator is pulling hard, the 12v lights dim and flicker. Tried at home, plugged into 20 amp, AC still starts kinda hard, and 12v lights dim, just for not nearly as long. While the AC starting hard has me wondering a bit, that's a different question. What has me confused, why does the 120v affect the 12 v so much? No kind of an electrician, but aren't they separate systems?

 

[darsben]

The 12 volt lights are run off your converter when on generator or shore power. A decrease in voltage will cause lights to dim. However your generator should normally respond to the increase in need for power almost instantaneously. The fact that it does not could point to a failing start capacitor in the A/C unit. If that does not cure the prolem then I suggest a hard start kit for tha A/C