If you’re a camping fan, an RVier or you live in an area the received heavy storms or prone to power blackouts, then you know the benefits of having a generator. A generator is handy life-saving equipment and a perfect solution to a power emergency. Having said that, are you planning to buy a 1000-watt generator, or do you already have a 1000-watt generator? It doesn’t matter! The golden question is, what will a 1000-watt generator run? Well, all the answers are here; all you have to do is read it this article to the end.
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Understanding the 1000-watt generator wattage
Before we even get to what appliances or tools you can run with the best 1000-watt generator, you must understand the generator rating. A generator has the starting and running watts. But what do these terms mean? For sure, the two can get you confused. Let get introduced.
Just because your appliance is rated 1000-watt of the load does not mean it needs 1000-watts to run; it might take more than that to have it running. The issue here is, starting some appliances might take more energy than what it needs to run it. It all depends on the type of the tool; is it a reactive or resistive load? A reactive generator load needs the starting watts while resistive doesn’t.
The running watts, or rather the rated watts, is the amount of power the generator is cable of providing continuously. It’s the amount of energy that keeps the appliances running all through. Mostly, these are all you need to start and run a resistive load.
The starting watts, or rather the surge or peak watts, is the amount of power the generator can provide over a short period, around 5-seconds. It’s usually higher than the running watts, around 20% more. It’s the power used by the reactive appliances or load that need extra energy to start their motor. Some of these appliances include a refrigerator, dry-cleaner, air conditioner, drills, and the likes. Most of them have an inductive electric motor using a capacitor to start.
What can a 1000-watt generator run or not run?
Now that you understand the two wattage terms, we can dip our feet in what the generator can run and cannot run.
What it can run
Basic household appliances
You probably tried this or seen someone doing it. A 1000-watt generator has the power to run typical household appliances that include 10-watt-30-watt CFL lights, a 200-watt box fan, a 150-watt -200-watt TV, and a 400-watt -800-watt mini-microwave. However, when the generator is supplying 75% of its rated running watts, you risk damaging your appliances with harmonic distortion (HD).
Even if you connect them through an efficient Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), some of the sensitive electronics might be damaged at high load. It’s best to use an inverter generator, especially when you want to use a small generator like a 1000-watt unit. To run safely, you have to keep the power supply below 50% of it running watts.
Selected power tools
If you have small projects at home or a worksite that need a small amount of power, you can still use a 1000-watt generator, mostly one tool at a time. However, there are those tools that can you can run together, for instance, a quarter-inch drill (250W), an 8watt-15watt battery charger for your cordless tools, a portable nail gun using a built-in compressor of 450-watt to 650-watt. Tools like an air-compressor, a table saw, and the like will need a more significant 1000-watt generator.
What it cannot run
Heavy kitchen appliances
Most of the standard refrigerator requires around 1200 of starting and running watts averagely. It’s not possible to supply this amount of power with a 1000-watt generator. You need to run the low-energy rated appliances, those with a starting wattage of between 100-watts and 700-watts. They are quite rare to find, and if you come across one, it might push your generator to its limit, which is a bad idea as it accelerated its wear.
Appliances Suited For a 1000-watt Generator
The list of appliances you can run with a 1000-watt generator isn’t that long. The devices you can power are limited in usability and functionality. So, if you need an appliance that works a lot, then you might want to get a higher-power generator. The rating might differ, so it’ll be best if you confirmed with the appliance’s user manual for the right power ratings.
Even though there’re online generator calculators out there, the most useful formula for determining the appliance wattage is Volts x Amps = Watts. That means if your portable fan is rated 5A and requires 120-Volts, then it wattage is 5*120 = 600 watts.
For home and recreational use
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3watt-15watt LED lights
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10watt-30watt CFL lights
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25watt Satellite receiver or cable box
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150watt-300watt surround sound system
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600 (starting and running) 4-cup coffee maker
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250 to 500 watts (starting and running) Laptop
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500 to 600 watts (starting and running) Dishwasher
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170 to 300 watts (starting and running) slow cooker
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Blender with 400 running watts and at 850 starting watts
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Portable fan with 120 watts starting and 40 watts running
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600 to 800 watts (starting and running) typical desktop computers
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120 to 150 watts (starting and running) 20 and 46 inches Flat-screen TV
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1-4 horsepower (600 watts running and 1000 watts starting) Furnace fan
For worksite use
It is not much you can do to run power tools with a 1000-watt generator. One thing that sure is, you cannot run a table saw or an air compressor with this generator. Nevertheless, you can power a few drills or some other small power tools. The following are some of the tools you can run with a 1000-watt generator. The rating is estimated, so you have to confirm it on your user manual before connecting it to the generator.
All the following power tools use an inductive motor with a capacitor, meaning you have to include around a 50% increase on the generator load every time one device starts. The trick here is, if you plug two of these tools, do not start them at the same time as they can push the generator to its limit.
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A 250-watt quarter-inch drill
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A 750-watt half-inch drill
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8-watt-15watt cordless tools battery charger
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450-watt-650-watt portable nail gun w/built-in compressor
Final Verdict!
A 1000-watt generator can be quite powerful if utilized the right way. It can also help you complete a small home project, go camping, or run some worksite power tools. The running and starting watts of various 1000-watt generator might differ. So when you’re out there searching for the best 1000-watt generator to buy, consider your starting and running watt requirements. Good Luck!
