Portable Generators

Benefits of Portable Generators

Portable generators are an alternative source of electrical power when hardwired electricity is not an option, or when power goes out due to an outage. Portable generators are great in an emergency such as a blackout. They are a great way to keep the power running to your essential home and small business appliances.

Portable generators are also handy for pneumatic and power tools on construction jobs. Air tools can be plugged directly into the generator receptacles. Alternatively, the generator can be connected to the electricity panel in homes and buildings as a backup source of power, using either an automatic or manual transfer switch.

For many businesses, a power outage means unused resources and time that ultimately results in lost profits. For that reason, mid-sized to larger companies that have more extensive communication systems or production of goods will want to install a permanent commercial standby generator instead of a portable one.

Fuel Options

Portable gas generators are the most common type of generator due to the availability of fuel to run portable power. For our selection at ISC Sales we also offer a bi-fuel generator that runs on gas or natural gas, a tri-fuel generator that uses gas, natural gas, or liquid propane and a portable diesel generator.

Choosing the Right Portable Generator

Wattage Needed

You will want to confirm that the portable generator you buy can hold the wattage capacity needs of the appliances you want to use during a power outage. There are several ways to go about finding how much wattage is right for you.

If you are wanting to power your whole house, you can observe the wattage used on a previous electricity bill from your highest month and day and estimate an additional 10 – 15% on top of that to cover your needs plus any future surprises or additions. This will allow your generator to push the right amount of power during an outage.

As is most often the case, you might not be able to, or want to, power the whole house as this can be expensive. Instead, look at each of your essential appliances individually and add up the sum of all of the running watts you wish to power. Most appliances either have a data plate on the appliance that shows the wattage, or you can find it in an operations manual online.

Generator Run Time

The longer a generator can run, the less often you will have to refuel it. Generators with a long run-time at half load, of, say, 10 hours, will allow you to sleep a full night before having to add fuel.

Electrical Cords and Transfer Switches

You will also want to work with an electrician to confirm your generator capacity needs and whether you want a manual or automatic transfer switch installed to connect to circuits in your home or small business. If you are running directly to specific appliances or to the transfer switch you will want to confirm that there are electrical cords that fit the distance to run power from the generator to the source that needs power.

Wattage Applications

Portable generators often power houses and farms in the case of a power outage, including appliances or computer electronics. They also provide electric power to contractor tools at job sites, RV’s and other motor vehicles, as well as air compressors.

Below is a starting point for how much wattage you need from your portable generator in common applications. Remember that it is always best to consult with an electrician to get a clear understanding of your electrical power needs especially when you want to send power from a generator into your home or business.

3,000+ watt generators

Typical for small construction jobs, 3,000 watt generators can power a couple of hand drills (estimated around 600 running watts and 900 starting watts each) or jobs that don’t need a lot of man power and continual run-time.

5,000 – 6,000 watt generators

• For emergency power situations, you can keep several essential items running, such as a refrigerator, window AC unit and a few other appliances.
• For job sites, this is the most common starting point, as it provides enough power for multiple power tools, a table saw, and miter saw.

7,000+ watt generators

At this size, you begin to lose some of the portability as this size generator can weigh over 200 pounds. With a 7,000 watt generator you can:

• Run the majority, if not all, of a job site with power from the generator.
• For a power outage in a home, you can operate key appliances. For example, 5,000 watts will cover a refrigerator at a 1,200 starting wattage, freezer at 1,200, furnace at 1,000 – 2,350, and maybe a sump pump at 1,300 – 2,150. If you include some house lights or a microwave, you will be near the max of what this machine can do. Keep in mind, as you consider starting watts and running watts, that the starting watts are normally more than the actual running watts. For the above I included only starting watts. Therefore, you could potentially run multiples of these at the same time with less power usage, as long as you are not starting them at the same time.

At this generator size, small and mid-sized homes should be able to easily cover the essentials of a home during a power outage. Keeping the sump pump, the refrigerator, and freezer running will keep your home safe from flooding and spoiling food. At the same time, when running power to specific rooms and appliances you’ll be able to keep minimal lights on and possibly heat up your dinner using a microwave.

10,000+ watt generators

At this size, you can power larger residential job sites and all of the power needs in a small home in the event of a power outage. You will not typically run power to specific appliances in a home, as you might have in the 3,000 to 7,000 watt generator sizes previously mentioned. Now, you will want to add a transfer switch into your main electrical panel in order to connect to specific circuits and get more efficiency out of your machine. You can now power a central air conditioning unit, in addition to your core home appliances. There is also often enough power to run a variety of computer electronics as well.

16,000, 18,000, 22,000, 31,600 Watt Generators

If you get into this range of wattage power for your portable generator, you are looking at powering a mid-sized to larger house with air conditioning, lights, and key appliances in the case of a power outage. The 22,000 wattage range and higher is our most popular options as they cover much of the power you could need. If you are looking for power at much higher levels, you might consider our commercial standby generators or PTO generators for other power solutions at much higher wattages.

Portable PTO Generator

By their design, Power-Take-Off (PTO) generators are portable as they attach to the back of tractors in order to drive a shaft and generate electricity. They are ideal to power tools, farming equipment, and can provide a temporary backup to a house.  These generators run from small to very large amounts of wattage to cover a wide range of needs. As a rule of thumb, 2 HP are needed from your tractor for every KW you want to produce. There are many benefits to using a PTO generator due to the fact that you get to use the tractor’s engine instead of the generator’s engine to produce energy that converts to power.

In remote farming locations, power companies are more likely to be slow in restoring power compared to the city. Therefore, having a quality PTO generator and fuel stored will ensure you can withstand electrical needs during an outage.

You can connect a PTO Generator to a home electrical panel the same way you would any non-PTO generator, through the use of a transfer switch. The only difference is that there is a bit more work to use the tractor’s power. You have to connect the generator, crank up the tractor and put in place to connect to the transfer switch. If that is realistic for you, using the tractor’s engine to fuel power to your home is a very resourceful option.

Buy Portable Generators from ISC Sales

ISC Sales has been in business for over 30 years, serving the industrial sector with expert solutions and products. Contact our generator experts and account managers to get help on which generator is best for your needs. Call us at (877) 602-0010 or buy portable generators directly online.