What GeneratorSizer is for
Generator sizing calculator for homeowners who need to know exactly what wattage keeps the house running during an outage.
Not a commercial paralleling-switchgear manual. Transfer-switch work is licensed-electrician territory.
This map lists pages that exist. It is not a keyword dump and it does not treat every article as its own niche. The calculator (or the pack) is the hub. Guides sit under one pillar each.
Lab tools (not a wattage clone)
Methods the home calculator does not run. These are the unique pages.
- Lab hub — Sequencer, derate, runbook, TCO, lot-line noise.
- Load sequencer — Always / wait / never-overlap coincidence.
- Altitude + heat derate — Usable watts at your pad, not the sticker.
- 72-hour storm runbook — Printable fuel, oil, circuit order, CO distance.
- 5-year ownership cost — Portable fuel vs standby install.
- Lot-line noise — dBA at the fence, not the brochure.
- Our math + three worked houses — Well ranch, city sump, RV weekend.
Load math
What actually draws watts when the grid dies.
- Generator size calculator — Add appliances. Get running watts, surge, headroom, and fuel.
- Outage cheat sheet — Printable fridge / well / furnace stack.
- Fridge and freezer — Food preservation, sized from the nameplate.
- Well pump watts — Running vs starting vs locked-rotor.
- Sump pump watts — The other motor that kills undersized inverters.
Machine class
Portable, standby, or whole-house — pick from the load, not the brochure.
- Portable vs standby — Which wins for this house.
- Whole-house sizing — Central air and the larger class it can force.
- Best portable generators — Ranked by the sizing math, not Amazon stars.
Hookup
Getting power into the panel without killing a lineman.
- Transfer switch sizing — 30 A vs 50 A, interlock vs ATS.
- Find a pro — Vetting checklist for installers.
Scenario sizes
Same math, different jobs.
- RV generator size — Coach loads, not house loads.
- Generator for a well pump — Machine class after you know the watts.
Questions
One appliance, one sizing answer. Every watt figure below is named with its source on the page.
Home appliances
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Refrigerator?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Chest Freezer?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Refrigerator and Freezer?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Window Air Conditioner?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a 3-Ton Central Air Conditioner?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a 4-Ton Central Air Conditioner?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Gas Furnace?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run an Electric Water Heater?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run an Electric Clothes Dryer?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Washing Machine?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Dishwasher?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Microwave?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run an Electric Range Burner?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Space Heater?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a CPAP?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a TV and Router?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Sump Pump?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Well Pump?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Garage Door Opener?
RV
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a 13,500 BTU RV Air Conditioner?
- What Size Generator Do I Need for a 30 Amp RV?
- Honda EU2200i vs Champion 2000W Inverter (100705)
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a 15,000 BTU RV Air Conditioner?
Shop and jobsite
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run an Air Compressor?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Table Saw?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a Pressure Washer?
- What Size Generator Do I Need to Run a 120 V Welder?
Guides
Longer pages than the one-appliance questions. Each one runs a worked example through the calculator and cites the figure's source.
- How does a generator work?
- Best generator for a food truck
- Diesel standby generator
- How to run a generator safely
- Backup generator installation
- How to use a generator when the power goes out
- Kubota standby generator
- Best portable generator for camping
- kW to kWh calculator
- Generator vs battery backup
- How much propane does a generator use?
- 20 kW home standby generators
- 10 kW generator for a home
- Best solar generator
- How to size an industrial generator
- Which generator is right for me?
- What is an inverter generator?
- kVA, kW, and amps
- Generator sizing chart
- Portable generator watts chart (spec sheets)
- Embed the generator size calculator
- How long can a generator run?
Sisters
Sourced data
- Device wattage data — 28 maker-published watt figures with a CSV you can download.
- What size generator for a heat pump — Goodman amperage by tonnage, sized for starting load.
Adjacent math lives next door, not here. SolarSizer · Battery Bank Sizer
Sources & Standards
Method context (not a design stamp):