to hook into your home’s power as a standby.emergency use in power outage situations.
So to give a better answer than, “It depends”, you need to ask yourself, “What do I need the portable generator for?” Some include the running watts already added in the surge watt column. If you have a low to mid watt generator (up to 3500 running watts) you may opt to run your refrigerator most of the time and and rely on it keeping itself cold with the doors closed, then unplug and switch the power to other needs.īe aware when looking at other tables on other sites which explain estimated wattage requirements. So it takes 2000 watts to supply ongoing power to your refrigerator/freezer.Īs it settles into its running watt requirement of 800, the difference of 1200 watts can then be used to power something else. However when the compressor kicks in, it requires a the additional 1200 surge watts. To continuously run the unit, you need approximately 800 watts. In reading this table, take a standard refrigerator/freezer for example. When calculating the watts that you’ll need, you must consider this extra watt requirement. These “surge” watts can be sometimes be two or three time the watts necessary to simply run the device. Listen closely to your refrigerator and you will hear it cycle on periodically as its fan, compressor or defrost cycle starts. “Starting” in a refrigerator is quite different and will start and stop repeatedly.
Starting can be as simple as flipping a switch as in a hair dryer or power drill.
Devices and appliances with an electric motor in them require an additional requirement of watts to “start” them. These are generally heat producing devices such as light bulbs, toasters and coffee makers. Resistive type devices do not require surge watts. A generator should not be expected to run continuously above their rated running watts. Running watts are generally 90% of surge watts on most portable generators. This is why portable generators are rated for their running watts and their surge watts. The difference is that all devices require a certain number of watts to run continuously AND some require an additional number of watts to start or to cycle on. The two columns on the table that you need to understand are the “running” watts and “starting” or “surge” watts. Why one group of people think that one size is what they need and another group of people think a completely different size is what they need is why “it depends”.įor a better explanation of “it depends”, read below and take a look at the handy table which provides the estimated wattage requirements of some standard household devices and appliances. The equally popular Generac xg8000e is an 8000 watt generator that has enough power to hook up to your home’s power panel to supply most of your needs in a power outage. The Earthquake ig800w is an 800 watt inverter generator that can only power one or two items at a time. Take for example two best selling generators. Let’s face it, generators are expensive and you don’t want to waste one while you purchase the one you should have bought in the first place.
Many people go make their portable generator purchase and wish that they had considered all the factors first. Great! A common question that I get from shoppers looking for a portable generator is, “What size portable generator do I need for home use?” The best answer to this question is not very popular. You’ve made a decision to get a portable generator. Although most refrigerators require less than 1000 watts to run, when the compressor cycles on, they need the additional watts. If that is you, look at one that provides at least 2000 surge watts. If you’re visiting this site for a possible emergency, or if you already own a portable generator, just remember, “Always be safe!” To save you some time, many new generator purchasers are only interested in one that can handle their refrigerator/freezer in a power outage. A portable generator is a good investment even when the weather is nice. Will we be lucky again? Or unlucky again? Truth is, it’s better to be safe than sorry. When a storm threatens, we consider our options in a power outage. Here at the Generator Grader, our hearts go out to all those affected by these unpredictable storms. The megastorms don’t happen very often, thank goodness. You want to be ready so you ask yourself, “What size portable generator do I need?”