Wattage for Household Appliances
Wattage for Household Appliances TIPS
- Look on label of appliance for watts
- Small things can draw LOTS of watts - e.g. hair dryer
- Microwaves need more power than refrigerators
- Start-up power can be double the running load
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Watts - Measurement Of Power
Watts are a unit of power. You probably studied that in high school physics class.
Remember James Watt?
I'm sure you've seen the wattage rating on a light bulb. Most older incandescent bulbs have a rating from 60 to 100 watts.
LED light bulbs can produce the same amount of light but require far fewer watts.
Appliances Need More
If you want to operate a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a hand-held hair dryer, a vacuum cleaner or even a cell-phone charger, you're going to need lots of watts at the same time.
A double oven that operates on 240 volts in your home is perhaps the biggest energy glutton. It consumes thousands of watts per hour.
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Typical Watts For Appliances
- cell phone battery charger - 25 watts
- furnace fan blower - 700 watts
- electric crock pot - 240 watts
- microwave - 700 to 1,200 watts
- video game device - 40 watts
- refrigerator - 550 watts
- water well pump - 575 watts
- hand hair dryer - 1,200 watts
- window air conditioner - 1,500 watts
Lights That Go Dim in the Night
Have you ever noticed your living or family room lights dim for just a second or so when your refrigerator, AC or washing machine turns on?
The dimming of the lights is caused by the reactive load of the major appliance that was starting up.
Have you ever had to push a car? It takes a tremendous force to start it rolling. However, once it is rolling, the effort to keep it rolling is reduced.
Electric motors and refrigeration compressors are no different.
Start Up Load Can Be Double!
The reactive loads can be double the running load! Wattage demand can soar!
Unfortunately, you must account for this when sizing a generator.
You'll find out very quickly that if your power is interrupted, and you depend on a portable generator, the experience will remind you of a backpacking trip.
You'll have some fun, but for the most part your life will be miserable until the power is restored.
Right-Sized Portable Generator
Portable electric generators are very nice. When I lost power for three days in a winter storm, my kids had fun for the first eight hours.
You don't realize how much you depend on light bulbs, TV and even the toaster each day. I didn't have a generator, but wish now I had this one:
Here's a beefy portable electric generator that produces 5,500 watts. These are what you need to be reasonably comfortable for an extended power outage. CLICK THE PHOTO NOW TO HAVE THIS GENERATOR DELIVERED TO YOUR GARAGE.
It's also very depressing to go to bed at 7:30 p.m. when the sun goes down. Flashlights are no substitute for a table lamp. Buy as much generator as you can afford. You will never ever regret it!
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