Size against starting watts.Not running watts.
A refrigerator draws 700 watts, then pulls 2,200 for the instant its compressor spins up. Manufacturers advertise the first number. Buy to it and the generator stalls the moment the fridge kicks in. Every unit here is listed with both.
Refrigerator2,200
Well pump, ½ HP3,000
Furnace blower2,350
Running Startup surge
What the manufacturers actually publish
- Wattage125/125every unit
- CO shutoff stated113/12587 of them fitted
- Noise rating93/12532 print no dB figure at all
By manufacturer
By what it has to do
Inverter GeneratorsInverter generators produce clean, stable power safe for laptops, phones, and anything with a sensitive circuit board, and they throttle the engine to match demand instead of running flat out.Dual Fuel GeneratorsDual-fuel generators run on gasoline or propane.Tri-Fuel GeneratorsTri-fuel units add natural gas to the gasoline-and-propane pairing.Portable GeneratorsConventional open-frame portables run the engine at a fixed 3,600 rpm regardless of load.Home Standby GeneratorsHome standby generators are permanently installed, wired to a transfer switch, fuelled by natural gas or propane, and start themselves within seconds of an outage.Quiet Generators (Under 60 dB)Most campgrounds and RV parks cap generators at 60 dB, and neighbours apply their own limit.Generators With CO Shutoff SensorsCarbon monoxide from portable generators kills roughly 85 people a year in the US, almost always because a unit was run in a garage, a porch, or too close to a window.
By output
Quietest published figures
Measured at different loads and distances — hover a figure for its conditions
| Unit | Output | Run | Start | Fuel | Noise dB | Run h | CO | MSRP | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DuroMax XP2300iH | 1,800 | 2,300 | GAS·LP | 52 | 7 | fitted | $649 | Price | |
| Westinghouse iGen5000DF | 3,900 | 5,000 | GAS·LP | 52 | —— | not fitted | $1,199 | Price | |
| Westinghouse iGen5000DFc | 3,900 | 5,000 | GAS·LP | 52 | —— | fitted | $1,299 | Price | |
| Westinghouse iGen2800 | 2,200 | 2,800 | GAS | 52 | —— | not fitted | $529 | Price | |
| Westinghouse iGen2200 | 1,800 | 2,200 | GAS | 52 | —— | not fitted | —— | Price | |
| Westinghouse iGen2200c | 1,800 | 2,200 | GAS | 52 | —— | fitted | $579 | Price | |
| Westinghouse iGen1500c | 1,000 | 1,500 | GAS | 52 | —— | fitted | $399 | Price | |
| Champion 201122 | 1,850 | 2,500 | GAS·LP | 53 | 11.5 | fitted | —— | Price |