Vol. XXVI · No. 04 • Workshop Almanac
— The Everyday Handyman —
Est. MMXIX
Vol. XXVI · No. 04 • Workshop Almanac
Est. MMXIX
Inverter, conventional portable, or whole-house standby — the right generator depends on what you need to power and for how long. This buying guide covers running versus starting watts, inverter technology, fuel type and runtime, and transfer switches, so you can size backup power for a storm outage, an RV, a job site, or your whole home.
§ II — Reader’s Manual
Generators are sold on a single big wattage number, but that number is often the surge rating you will almost never use. Sizing, fuel, and power quality decide whether a generator actually keeps your fridge cold and your electronics safe. Here are the six things we weigh in this guide.
Add up the running watts of everything you will power at once — refrigerator, furnace fan, lights, sump pump — then leave headroom for the starting watts appliances draw at startup. Buy for that continuous load. The big peak-watt number on the box is a brief surge rating, not what the generator delivers all day.
Inverter generators produce clean, stable power safe for laptops, phones, and modern appliances, and they run quiet and sip fuel by throttling to the load. Conventional open-frame generators cost less per watt and suit power tools and job sites where clean sine-wave power matters less. Sensitive electronics: go inverter.
Gasoline is everywhere but stores poorly; propane keeps for years and burns clean; dual-fuel and tri-fuel units let you switch. For long outages, a propane or natural-gas hookup beats hoarding gas cans. Diesel suits heavy, continuous use. Pick the fuel you can actually get when the power is out.
Check runtime at 50% load, not the best-case idle figure. A larger tank or an eco-throttle mode means fewer 3 a.m. refuels during a storm. For extended outages, runtime per tank and easy refueling matter more than raw wattage.
Powering your furnace, well pump, or hardwired circuits safely requires a transfer switch or an interlock kit installed by a licensed electrician — never a suicide cord into a wall outlet, which back-feeds the grid and endangers linemen. A generator inlet and transfer switch make backup power safe and legal.
Decibel ratings vary widely; inverter models are far quieter for camping and tailgating. Wheel kits and folding handles matter if you move the unit alone. Above all, insist on a built-in CO shutoff sensor and always run a generator outdoors, far from windows — carbon monoxide is the real danger.
Read the guide. Then close the tab, walk away, and come back to it tomorrow. The tools that still feel right after a night’s sleep are usually the right ones to buy.
§ II — Specimen Pages
§ II — Specimen Pages
Every recommendation here is also a set of generators we left out. Below are the kinds of generators we have stopped recommending — not to fault one brand, but because the type tends to disappoint when the lights actually go out.
A big conventional generator with dirty power can fry laptops and modern appliance boards. If you are running electronics, pay for an inverter with clean sine-wave output instead.
Gasoline goes stale in months and vanishes from stations during a storm. For real resilience, choose a dual-fuel or propane-capable generator you can feed from stored tanks.
Carbon monoxide from generators kills every storm season. Skip any portable generator without an automatic CO shutoff — the feature is cheap insurance against a silent, fatal mistake.
A 3,000-watt generator cannot run central AC, a well pump, and a kitchen at once. Size to your actual running-watt load; do not trust a marketing label over a wattage worksheet.
If a unit cannot connect through a proper inlet and transfer switch, you are stuck running extension cords or back-feeding dangerously. Choose one that supports a safe, code-compliant hookup.
At 75-plus decibels it will get you thrown out of any campground and drown out conversation. For recreation, a quiet inverter generator is worth every extra dollar.
§ IV — Directory
One email, every Sunday. New tool reviews, the best tip of the week, and a single recommendation from the editors. No clutter.
