[jyl]

Thinking about adding a standby generator to the house and trying to figure out which loads are vital and how to minimize those. I gather starting current for many electric motors is substantially more than running current, and that a soft start reduces the former.

How do soft starts work?

What equipment would you put them on?

How much will they reduce starting amps?

Is there a brand or model of softstart that I can just standardize on?

Loads here at the usual household motors - freezer, fridge, AC, and so on - mix of 120 and 240.