Generator help

[Mark_C]

Never having owned a generator I’ve been looking into them and am down to 2 choices. Both are 4,000w give or take. One is a standard portable, the other an inverter.
I’ll be running, at most, a fridge/freezer, a small tank pump, and maybe 2 box fans.
I like the idea of the inverter as it’s quieter, less fuel use, and more sensitive for electronics , but every time I read about the inverters they talk about powering phones and computers, not big stuff.
Im guessing a 4K inverter should have no trouble with a fridge and fan.
Am I wrong?
Any advice, guidance, or opinion is welcome and appreciated, but please don’t confuse me any more, I’m already a pain in the ass on over analyzing stuff like this.
Thanks

 

[reefsandrotts]

I would think you would be more than ok.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Mark, I have a 3650 Watt generator from Sam's (cost $300) and that generator ran 24/7 for over seven days during Sandy. It ran my entire tank....lights, pumps, heaters....everything, plus my kitchen fridge/freeze, boiler (to heat the entire house), television and a couple lights. I had all the old people in the neighborhood in my living room during the day to watch TV and stay warm! So a 4000 watt job will easily handle what you wish to run. If you wish to get real technical, you can simply add up the watts of everything and make sure you don't exceed 4000 watts.

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[Mark_C]

Thanks guys. Dropping the order tonight, appreciate the reassurances.

 

[hcker99]

Make sure when you are looking at a generator you are looking at the WATTS in RMS not the PEAK or Starting. Alot of times they label them 4000 watts and then have (starting) in small print. RMS is how many watts it can supply always. Starting or Peak is how many watts it can supply in a VERY brief second.

 

[horseplay]

I was able to run the tank with heater, refrigerator and TV/internet with a 2000 watts Honda inverter. Holmdel lost power for about 3 weeks during sandy and the small generator ran 3 weeks non-stop except for the time for oil change, which is every two days. Later on when it got cold I ran the furnace with it too. With 600 Watt average it consumes about 2.5 gallon of fuel. That is a big plus as during these extended outages fuel can be hard to come by. My sister just bought a westinghouse inverter 2000 watts from Amazon and it is just as good, low noise and low fuel consumption, although the longevity is not proven.

 

[Mrx7899x]

I have a 5000 watt it runs my tank, fridge, lights, tv and my neighbors fridge and lights. My tank alone is close to 1000 watts

 

[Wilson416]

Hey I have a Honda 8750 watts and I run my whole house plus 3 fish tanks

 

[deepblue68]

Mark, I have a 3650 Watt generator from Sam's (cost $300) and that generator ran 24/7 for over seven days during Sandy. It ran my entire tank....lights, pumps, heaters....everything, plus my kitchen fridge/freeze, boiler (to heat the entire house), television and a couple lights. I had all the old people in the neighborhood in my living room during the day to watch TV and stay warm! So a 4000 watt job will easily handle what you wish to run. If you wish to get real technical, you can simply add up the watts of everything and make sure you don't exceed 4000 watts.

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I like your setup! Thats being prepared!!

 

[Mark_C]

Thanks for all the advice. I went bigger, with this...

WEN GN400i RV-Ready 4000-Watt Open Frame Inverter Generator, CARB Compliant

Generate clean power to safely operate sensitive electronics such as phones, tablets, televisions and computers Parallel-ready panel allows you to connect any two WEN inverter generators for increased wattage output 212cc 4-stroke CARB-compliant OHV engine produces 4000 surge watts and 3500...

wenproducts.com

We hardly ever lose power and in the past 8 years or so its never been out for more than 24 hours. but this will give me some peace of mind woth the upcoming season, plus I can share with neighbors.