Portable Generators for Alternative Power While Tent Camping, RV Living, Home Power Outages and more...

We have all grown so accustomed to the luxuries that electricity gives us that it is hard to function without it even for an hour or two, much less for weeks. But, lets face it, the power provided by the local utility company does stop working at times. And then there are times we want to go places where the power grid does not yet go, like hiking, camping, boating and even on your own property if you happen to have acres of it.

Portable generators are an easy way to provide electricity, when the local utility power is off, for devices you use most often or when you need electricity while camping, hiking, working around your property, backup for your fridge or freezer, to prevent flooding by keeping power to your sump pumps, keeping medical devices running, etc.

You may choose small wattage generators to keep individual devices supplied with power, such as, your refrigerator or freezer, your sump pumps, your cpap machine, your power tools, etc. Or, you may choose a whole house generator so you can still have all your comforts of home the whole time that the utility power is unavailable.

If you are interested in whole house generators for power outages then you have more electrical needs to consider than when selecting a portable generator. Keep reading and you will learn how to calculate your wattage consumption and how to select the right portable generator for your needs.

Solar generators have become very popular in the last few years. There are some small ones that many campers and hikers use just to keep their cell phones charged while away from the power grid. There is even a wood buring stove available that has a USB port so you can charge your cell phone that way.

Another consideration for solar genertors is that they are quiet, don't use gasoline or propane and don't create exhaust fumes. They do however require solar panels to keep the generator charged. However, carrying around solar panels is easier and cleaner than carrying gas cans with you. With a solar generator you can carry it inside and won't have to have electrical cords running from an outside generator in a door or window to provide you power. You can lock those doors and windows at night and quietly power your refrigerator or some lights. The use of solar generators is something you have to plan out though, such as, what if it rains or is a cloudy day. See other considerations on the page about solar generators.

How Much Wattage Do You Need?

Since your utility company supplies an adequate supply of power to your home you probably give very little thought to how much power any of your electrical devices are actually using.

Portable generators not only come in different physical sizes they produce different output wattages to run your various electrical devices.

To know what size generator to buy you need to take a look at how much wattage your electrical devices need to start up and to keep running.

Running Watts and Startup Watts

Know that some electrical appliances need more watts available to start up than they need to keep runing (reactive loads) and others need the same amount to both start up and to run continuosly (resistive loads).

Many devices with reactive type loads are involved in heating or making heat of some kind. For example, Coffe Pot, Toaster or Light bulbs.

Devices with reactive loads can contain an electric motor, which will require additional wattage to start, but significantly less electrical wattage to run once it gets going. Typically you can figure starting power to be three times the amount of power that it takes to keep the appliance running. Some examples are: Furnace fans, Freezers, Refrigerators, Power Tools, Air compressors, Air conditioners and Well pumps. Some household items, like a refrigerator or furnace, have internal fans that come on intermittently. Extra wattage is needed to start the fan each time. Refrigerators also have fans that turn on intermittently and a defrost cycle that requires extra power.

When using your portable generator to provide power for your work tools then be aware that a number of these tools are reactive load type devices. For example, whan a saw starts cutting wood, its electrical power requirement will increase.

When sizing a generator for your home power backup then understand that a microwave oven may be labeled "900 watt oven" which means that it will produce 900 watts of cooking power, but it will require more wattage than that from a generator to run.

Power requirements are listeed in amps for most appliances and electric motors. The item's Amp requirements are usually found on the nameplate or a stamp on the bottom, or side, of an appliance. Electric motors have a data tag providing power requirements.

This data tag on electric motors will show you amps, volts, phase, cycle, hp and sometimes a code for the electrical motor.

• The volts (V) shown must be either 12 (110-120) or 120/240 which means that the electric motor can be wired to operator on 120V or 240V.
• Amps indicate the amps required to RUN the electric motor but doesn't consider LOADED or STARTING power requirements.
• Horsepower (HP) is a rating of how much actual work an electric motor can perform.
• If the Code is provided on the data tag it represents the maximum STARTING power required by the electric motor. To see a list of codes and the amps check out this chart. You can multiply the code (amps) times the HP to get the starting amps of the motor.

To convert amps to watts multyply volts x amps.

• Watts = Volts x Amps
• Amps = Watts / Volts

Planning Your Power Needs From YOUR Portable Generator?

When using your portable generator for camping or, to carry to a job site to power your work tools or equipment, then you won't have a very long list of items that you need to calculate your wattage requirements.

However, if you need a portable generator for your RV or as a backup power source in your home during power outages your list will be a little longer. You may choose to reduce that list size by choosing to just save the food in your refrigerator or freezer, charge your cell phone and maybe have a light or two during the outage.

Use the information above to calculate the wattage requirements of each device that you want to power from your backup generator.

Power Estimation Guides

If you want to just estimate your wattage needs and you don't want to hunt down all the tags on your electrical devices you can use the Consumer Reports Power Estimation Guide.

Another chart that is helpful is this Wattage Estimation Guide that is located on the Honda website.

What Do You Really Need In Alternative Power?

          July 19, 2024

When figuring your wattage requirements, especially for your home, stop for a minute and give some thought to what you really need. Most home utility power outgages last from a couple of hours to generally a max of a couple of weeks. Don't forget that most portable or home generators are fueled by either gasoline or propane fuel. You will need to think about and plan for not only the cost of this fuel but the availability and / or storage of enough fuel to get you through your outage.

So, do you really need the cook stove or the dishwasher during that time. Or, maybe you could set up a clothes line and dry the clothes outside in the fresh air vs. using the electric clothes dryer.

For someone using critical medical equipment you will certainly want to power those items. You will definitely want to preserve the food items you have in your refrigerator and freezer. Depending on the weather you may be able to get by with fans and not use the central air conditioning unit.

There are whole house generators which turn on automaticly and are really nice to have but that may not be in your budget at this time. However, there are many reasonably priced portable generators available on the market which can be used to save your frozen food and give you some of the comforts of home during a power outage. You can always upgrade to a whole house generator later when you can afford it.

Other Features To Consider When Buying a Generator

• Is The Generator Quiet - Are the campers next to you at the campsite going to hate you; or even your neighbors in town.
• Size and Weight of the Generator - If you are going to be transporting it in the back of your truck for work or play can your easily pick up the generator.
• Conventional vs. Inverter Generator - There are pros and cons for each which are covered on this site.
• Fuel Capacity and Fuel Usage - How much fuel will the generator tank hold and how long will that last based on the electrical load.
• Pull Start or Electric Start - If you are not endowed with a lot of arm strength the the electric start is a nice feature. Be aware that those that are electrical start use a battery for starting. Like a car, if you let your battery drain down between uses then you are going to be stuck with a generator that won't start when you need. In this case, make use of a Battery Trickle Charger for your Generator.
• Wheel Kit - If the generator that provides the alternative power you need is too heavy for you to move around easily then a wheel kit can make moving much faster and easier.
• Safety Features - Such as automaticly shuts generator engine off when low oil is detected by the generator.
• Parallel Kit - Allows you to chain portable generators together to create more electrical power for your needs.
• Availability - Is the generator you have chosen available either online or in a store to purchase.

Additional information will be provided about these features as we review the various generators throughout the website.

Generator Safety Use Guidelines

One additional item for us to cover here is how to safely maintain and use your generator.

A Portable genertor burns fuel that results in exhaust which contains carbon monoixde. Never operate a portable generator inside a tent, shed, garage, home or any other enclosed structure. Carbon monoxide levels can reach lethal levels in just a fewminutes.

When running a portable generator always place it away from home doors and windows, tents and outdoor sleeping spaces. Just a small opening can pull large amounts of exhaust into an enclosed space.

Also consider your neighbors while using a portable generator at home or at a campsite. Position your generator where noise and exhaust won't be a factor for your neighbors as well as yourself..

When adding fuel to your generator, turn it off and let cool for a few minutes befor adding the fuel. While you have it turned off to add fuel it is also a good time to check the oil.

You can further review and purchase a portable generator that fits your needs by clicking on the generator usage link in the right hand column.

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