What Can You Run On A 2000 Watt Generator?

If you plan to use a 2000 Watt generator when the power goes out, what can you run on it?

A generator is an excellent addition to your home.  The unit plugs in to the wall and feeds electricity, without going through a main power line.

You can use your appliances and other devices as you normally would. It gives you peace of mind knowing that if there is ever an outage, you have a backup that will keep everything running for at least eight hours.

One of the most common questions that people have about generators is what you can run on them.  Because they are intended for short-term usage, they are not good for constant running of certain devices.

It is important to know what you can run and how many things you can have operating at one time. It is also a good idea to know about running power tools because these can be very dangerous as well as a huge energy drain.

Today we will discuss what you can run on a 2000 watt generator. Stay tuned!

What Can You Run In The home wth A 2000 Watt Generator?

What Can You Run In The home wth A 2000 Watt Generator?

You want to use your generator in ways that make sense and will provide the most benefit in an emergency.

Depending on the time of year, you can usually run either a space heater or air conditioner. If it is cold outside, then a space heater is the best way to go.

You need to know how much wattage you will be using with both of these devices depending on what you are trying to do and what kind of power settings they use.

If your generator has an automatic shut off feature, this will save energy by shutting off the unit when it has been running for a long time. Make sure that your generator works well and that you do not overload it by having too many devices plugged in at one time.

This will damage the unit and cause further problems or even keep it from working at all in an emergency situation.

  • Television – 200 watts
  • Phone charger – 5 watts
  • Office computer – 300 watts
  • Coffee Maker – 800 Watts
  • Refrigerator/Freezer – 700 Watts
  • Microwave – 800 Watts
  • Toaster – 850 Watts
  • Dishwasher – 300 watts
  • Laptop Computer -200 watts
  • Cell Phone charger -5 watts
  • Printers/Fax machine -300 Watts

Television – 200 watts

Television – 200 watts

Television is a big draw on most of your household energy needs.  Many people don’t realize how much they use, but a good rule of thumb is to have one TV per room.  Some rooms need two if they are extra large or are used for other purposes.

If you have two televisions in the same room, it will double the amount that your generator needs to produce in order to run them both.

You will need a maximum of 2000 watts in order to run one television at full capacity. If your home has a lot of other electronics that need to be on at the same time, you might need more than that.

Phone charger – 5 watts

Phone charger – 5 watts

A phone charger can be as small as a wireless mouse to a massive desktop one. If it is plugged into a wall outlet, it draws power just like an extension cord would and will draw 500 watts.

You don’t need anything more than that for this device. Because of this, most chargers will require you to have an outlet right next to where they are plugged in.

Office computer – 300 watts

Office computer – 300 watts

In a typical office situation, it is probably safe to assume that each person using the computer will require 300 watts or less for their use. Most people won’t be taking full advantage of all the functions available and will typically leave a lot on standby.

If you have a few people using the computer at the same time, it might exceed 1000 watts, but that is still well within the power capacity of most 2000 watt generators.

Coffee Maker – 800 Watts

Coffee Maker – 800 Watts

A coffee maker can be any type of machine that makes small amounts of coffee or espresso.  They usually average about 800 watts for use and brewing.

If they have an automatic timer that runs for hours, this can really burn through your generator power. It is best to plug it in and unplug it when you need it or when you have a full pot of coffee ready to go.

Refrigerator / Freezer – 700 Watts

Refrigerator / Freezer – 700 Watts

You should not have a freezer running at the same time as a refrigerator because they will pull too many watts for the generator to handle.  If you only open them up occasionally, then no one is going to use that many watts.

A freezer will pull more than a refrigerator and should only be left on if you have food items in there that require cold temperatures for storage.

Microwave – 800 Watts

Microwave – 800 Watts

A microwave has the capacity to use 800 watts when it is turned on full power. You don’t need to use very much power for this device. 

Most of the time, you just want to heat up food, not cook it. You will have a nice shower and hot water heater when you need it – all without burning through your power supply.

Toaster – 850 Watts

Toaster – 850 Watts

A toaster is a good way to make toast and other snacks in the morning for breakfast before heading off to work or school. As long as you are careful not to overheat it, then most generators should be able to handle this device’s 800 watts in short bursts of power if need be.

Dishwasher – 300 watts

Dishwasher – 300 watts

Dishwashers are surprisingly low on the list of energy users because they take longer to run and are usually run with other devices that will limit the amount of energy use.

If you want to open it up and clean it out while running, you can do that as well. Just make sure to unplug it first or turn the dial that turns off the power when not in use.

Laptop Computer – 200 watts

Laptop Computer - 200 watts

A laptop computer is one of the smaller power draws for your household generator because most people only use them for a few minutes at a time throughout the day and night. Anything under 1000 watts is fairly safe for your generator to handle at once.

Television – 1,000+ watts

Television – 1,000+ watts

Televisions vary widely in the amount of power they take to run the television and its functions. If your home theater system is set up and you have a lot of speakers running all at once, you could be looking at 1,000+ watts of power for your generator to handle.

Make sure you run it with several other systems unless your generator can handle it without a problem.

Electric Blanket – 600 watts

Electric Blanket – 600 watts

An electric blanket can be as low as 200 watts or as high as 800 depending on what kind of setting you use for it.  Most blankets are set to turn off after a few minutes or hours so they don’t burn through the generator’s power supply.

What Can You Run In Your Work Station wth A 2000 Watt Generator?

There are a few different items you can use in your workstation that takes up less than 2000 watts of power.

Another device that is used for entertainment purposes is the television and its associated devices.

What Can You Run In Your Work Station wth A 2000 Watt Generator?

Television with all of its functions and a home theater system could be anywhere between 500 and 2,000 watts when the system is turned on at once.

If you have several other items running, then you will want to limit this draw to 1,000 to 1,500 watts if possible. There are other systems available that you can use to lower the amount of electricity your generator uses at one time if it needs an upgrade or repair.

How Many Devices Can You Use At One Time?

How Many Devices Can You Use At One Time?

Your generator will not be able to handle the energy drain of certain devices.  Your unit should be able to handle a computer, but it will not be able to handle one that is running with a printer plugged in as well.

It is best to keep the number of items you have running at one time to a minimum. If your family has a television, DVD player and video game system, you can run these on the generator for about half an hour before it shuts off automatically.

If you have too many things going at one time, they may get damaged or they will continue to draw energy even though the generator has been shut off.

How Many Power Tools Can You Use?

Power tools are also not good to use with a generator. The main energy drain is the amount of air that is used, not the amount of electricity that is being used.

This means that you are better off just running any tool by hand than trying to plug it into a generator. Because generators are rated for a specific number of watts, they will not be able to handle something like a circular saw or even an electric drill at high speed.

How Many Power Tools Can You Use?

Even if you turn down the setting, you may end up frying the unit or taking out some of your electricity in the home.

You can also use starting spray to remove stubborn stickers from you car windows. Once you have cleaned the window, you can use starting spray on the sticker to make it easier to remove. Use a scraper and carefully pull off the sticker without causing any damage to your car.

Conclusion

You should be able to use your 2000 watt generator for pretty much anything in your home or office that does not need constant electricity. 

Most people are happy with the amount of power they have available because they will never need to use a large amount of electricity.

However, if you plan on keeping a generator in an area that is prone to power outages, you might want to have more than one unit because you can keep an extra on reserve or even transfer one to another room if needed.

If there is ever a problem with the main power line, you can move your units over into that room and continue using them as always.

I hope now you know What Can You Run On A 2000 Watt Generator. Thank you!

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