THE GENERATORCALC FIELD GUIDE
Generator Sizing & Backup Power Guides
Generator sizing guides built on our free generator calculators: appliance watts, RV setups, outage planning and finding the generator size that fits.
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Practical answers. Clear next steps.Appliances and equipment 5 min read
How Much Power Does Satellite Internet Use?
For the two 120 V AC dish classes in this lookup: - Compact dish: average running power is 33 W range 25–40 W. - Standard residential dish: average running power is 88 W range 75–100 W. These are class-level planning values, not measurements of your particular equipment. Use the compact range onl…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
RV Furnace Amp Draw at 12 V DC
This lookup covers two propane RV furnace classes while their blowers and controls are operating: - Compact 12,000–19,000 BTU/h furnace: 2.8 A at 12 V DC, represented as up to 34 W at 12 V DC. - Ducted 30,000 BTU/h furnace: 7.0 A at 12 V DC, represented as up to 84 W at 12 V DC. These are maximum…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
Roof Vent Fan Amp Draw at 12 V
For the 12 V DC variable-speed roof vent fan in this lookup: - 10% speed: about 0.15 A, equivalent to about 2 W at 12 V. - Full speed: about 2.66 A, equivalent to about 32 W at 12 V. - Minimum 12 V service: 5 A for this planning example. This is a circuit-capacity requirement, not the fan’s conti…
Appliances and equipment 4 min read
How Many Watts Does a Pressure Cooker Use?
The registered 6-quart, 120 V AC electric pressure cooker has a rated input of 1,005 W. Use that as a planning value for one cooker unless the rating label or manufacturer documentation for your exact model gives a different value. This is a power rating, not daily energy use. After the cooker re…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
How Many Watts Does a Home Espresso Machine Use?
For one 120 V AC home espresso machine, this lookup uses 1,513 W range 1,425–1,600 W. The 1,513 W typical figure is the midpoint of the supplied range, not a measured average, measured consumption, or universal espresso-machine rating. Use the wattage on your machine’s rating label whenever possi…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
EV Charger Wattage for Level 1 and Level 2 Charging
For planning, the registered Level 1 value is 1,900 W at 120 V. The registered Level 2 home-unit value is 7,200 W range 2,900–19,200 W at 240 V. The typical 7,200 W Level 2 value represents the supplied 30 A home-charging case. Use the value that matches your charging voltage and current setting.…
Appliances and equipment 4 min read
1.7 L Electric Kettle Wattage
For one 1.7 L, 120 V AC electric kettle, use 1,500 W running watts and 1,500 W starting watts as planning values. The kettle is modeled as a short, full-power load that switches off when the water boils. These are low-confidence typical values, not the confirmed rating of every 1.7 L kettle. No m…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
Aquarium Air Pump Wattage
For the registered small AC aquarium air pump, the rated running input is 3 W range 1.5–4.5 W. Use this range only as a preliminary estimate of the steady operating load. The 3 W value is the dataset’s planning midpoint, not a measured market average or a specification for every pump. Starting-wa…
Appliances and equipment 4 min read
Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum Wattage
For the wet/dry shop vacuum registered in this lookup, use 900 W as the running-load planning value. Starting demand is not published: read the nameplate LRA is not starting watts. The unknown starting demand is the decisive constraint. The running value can help you total steady loads, but it ca…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
How Many Watts Does a Slow Cooker Use?
For planning, this lookup uses 245 W range 240–250 W for one 120 V AC slow cooker. The registered starting field is also 245 W range 240–250 W because the tool adds no separate motor-starting surge in this scenario. These are generic planning values based on two generator-maker table entries, not…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
RV Water Pump Amp Draw and Power Use
For the registered 12 V DC, 3 GPM RV fresh-water pump, the supplied maximum current is 7.5 A. Its maximum input is up to 90 W at 12 V DC. This is a maximum rating, not a typical draw or a measurement of your installed pump. Typical running current, minimum running current and startup current are…
Appliances and equipment 5 min read
Electric Pressure Washer Running and Starting Watts
For the two registered 120 V AC pressure-washer classes, the planning values are: - 1,500 PSI: 1,350 W range 1,200–1,500 W running and 2,700 W range 2,400–3,000 W when the motor starts or restarts. The one-appliance generator check calls for 1,688 W running, 2,700 W starting. - 2,500 PSI: 2,250 W…