Generator Power Guide

 


 

How Many Watts Will Your Generator Need to Produce?

Add up the wattage of tools, appliances and motors you want to run at the same time. Then select a generator with the RUNNING wattage rating to match or exceed the total load. Keep in mind that tools and appliances with electric motors require additional tool/appliance SURGE wattage at startup that can be double or triple the normal running wattage requirement. Look at the surge watts required and make sure you choose a generator with enough additional wattage to start them. Keep in mind that you typically are not starting more than half of the items at the same time.

Most home appliances and power tools are 120 Volts; larger appliances like electric stoves and clothes dryers may be 240 Volts. Generator power is measured in Watts: Power = Current x Voltage or Watts = Volts x Amps

You can use our Wattage Chart to estimate the wattage of the tools, appliances and motors you will be operating at the same time. Wattage noted below are approximates only; please refer to tool or appliance itself for specific wattage required or order our easy-to-use tester below.

Generator Wattage Guide

Running Wattage Surge Wattage
Air Conditioner - Central 3750 6235
Air Conditioner - Window 1200 2160
Battery Charger - RV 100-1500 100-1500
Blow Dryer 900-1500 900-1500
Clock Radio 50 50
Coffee Maker 600-1500 600-1500
Computer 750 750
Cordless Phone 3 3
Electric Dryer 5400 6750
Electric Fan 800 2000
Electric Water Heater 4000 4000
Freezer 500 1000
Furnace Fan 1/2 hp 875 2300
Garage Door Opener 550 1100
Heat Pump 4669 11672
Hot Plate 1200-1500 1200-1500
Light Bulb 40-100 40-100
Light Florescent 15-40 15-40
Microwave 600-1500 800
Oven 3410 3410
Radio 300 300
Refrigerator 500 2000
Satellite Dish 30-100 30-100
Space Heater 1000-1500 1000-1500
Sump Pump 1/2 hp 1050 2150-4100
Sump Pump 1/3 hp 800 1300-2900
Toaster / Oven 800-1500 1000
TV 19:" Color / Monitor 160 160
TV 25" Color 300 500
Washer 1150 2300
Water Heater - Electric 4000 4000
Well Pump 1/2 hp 1000 2100-4000
Well Pump 1/3 hp 750 1400-3000




Something to keep in mind when your trying to figure out your power needs is it is very easy to cut down on your power requirements. Use the microwave rather the the stove, replace your incandescent lights in your home with cooler compact florescent bulbs. There is a lot of heat generated by older incandescent bulbs and if your running air conditioning it has to cool all those lights down first. Imagine putting a space heater in your fridge and then expecting your fridge to keep cool. 10 light bulbs put out as much heat as a space heater not to mention all that wasted energy. Most people can power their home and survive off of our silent diesel generator  while using less then 6500 Watts.

Using a Watt Meter


An easy way to measure the power of appliances is to use a watt meter such as the one shown below. You plug it into your power source and then your appliance into it. Instantly it shows you on a digital display the voltage, current, frequency, power factor, power usage per hour and more. Its a very valuable tool and a must have in our opinion. It sells for under $50.00




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