Generators come in all sizes and in a variety of sizes. The same is true for all appliances such as freezers. If you want to run a freezer on a generator during a power outage, or for other reasons, this can make it difficult to know what size generator is right for you. In this article, we will show you exactly which size generator is right for your freezer.
WHAT SIZE GENERATOR DO I NEED TO RUN A FREEZER?
In general, a freezer will need a generator size from as low as about 350 watts up to about 2200 watts, with an average of about 900 watts. This is based on data from over a dozen freezers with an average size of 225 running watts.
To properly determine what size generator you need to run a freezer, you first need to know the “starting watts” of your freezer. The starting watts is the amount of power your freezer needs to start up and is usually about 2-3 times higher than the running watts. The running watts is the amount of power your freezer needs while its running.
Starting watts is often difficult to find, but you can calculate an estimate based on other information about your freezer.
First, you’ll need to look at the running watts of your freezer. If it’s not available on the freezer information tag or in the manual, you can calculate it. To do so, simply multiple the current by the voltage.
As an example, the freezer above has a voltage of 240 volts and a current of 1.4 amps. This gives us 336 watts of running power. To determine startup power, multiply your running watts by 3. In this case, starting watts would be about 1000 watts, or 1 kW.
However, you don’t want to max out your generator, so you should add on a bit of extra capacity to make sure it continues to run properly. Divide your starting watts by 0.8 to determine the generator size. In this case, you would need a 1260 watt generator to run your freezer.
While it’s important to make sure your generator has enough capacity to start your freezer, it’s also important to know how long you’ll need your freezer to be powered by a generator.
WHAT SIZE GENERATOR DO I NEED TO RUN A FREEZER DURING A POWER OUTAGE?
The amount of time a generator can run a freezer will change based on conditions such as the power use of the freezer and the generator efficiency. Whole-house generators connected to your gas line can run indefinitely, with only short down times for refueling and maintenance. Generators that instead run off of a fuel tank will only be able to run as long as fuel lasts.
For example, a 900 watt portable generator powering an average 225 watt freezer may run for about 5 hours before it needs to be refueled. With the average total power outage in the US at less than 7 hours per year, and that freezers don’t need to constantly run to keep food frozen, this should meet your generator needs.
In most cases, you’ll probably want a generator that is a bit larger, so that you can power other things other than a freezer. Many smaller portable generators start around 1400 watts and can run at full capacity for about 9 hours, while a large generator, such as a 12000 watt generator, will run for several days or weeks.
With that said, as long as your generator is able to provide enough power for your freezers starting watts, you’ll likely also have enough fuel to make it through an average year of outages.