543-0120-00 Copeland SecureStart Compressor Start Module

Our 20 year old 5 ton condenser began having trouble starting and would trip it's breaker and even burned up it's wiring a couple of times. On a few occasions we happened to be outside when the compressor tried to start we noticed it seemed to be locking up during the start process and overheating. Since we couldn't afford a new compressor, we tried different capacitor values and hard start kits that were recommended by various HVAC suppliers or otherwise promised to fix the problem but none of them helped more than a couple weeks. We managed to snag this SecureStart kit at a great price and installed it; we haven't had any re-occurrence of issues over the last 2-3 years. The compressor is starting a lot smoother and starts every time. It also solved our problem with our indoor lighting flickering and dimming that we've just always lived with and assumed couldn't be fixed. It's definitely a bit pricey if you have to buy one at full price but if you can get a good deal it seems like a great way to add a few years of life to an old compressor and save it from the scrap yard. I feel like it would probably help extend the overall life of a new one as well; we will definitely be moving this module into our new system when we do finally replace it.