What Can a 3500-Watt Generator Run? For Home & Outdoor Use

What Can a 3500-Watt Generator Run? For Home & Outdoor Use

R
Renogy
Oct 11th 2024

Power outages can occur for several reasons, including overload, bad weather conditions, human error, or natural causes. When a power outage occurs, the electricity supply from the main grid gets cut off. As a result, the power supply from all your essentials, like refrigerators and water pumps, gets disconnected.

If you are experiencing this situation, you will need a reliable backup power source to run the refrigerator. When it comes to choosing the generator for your refrigerator, don't forget to ensure that it meets at least the minimum power required for the refrigerator. Doing this will ensure that your refrigerator runs safely and efficiently.

This article explains everything, from the power rating of a refrigerator to choosing the right generator for safe operation and much more.

What is a 3500 watt generator?

When you don't have an electric power supply or it goes out all of a sudden for a couple of hours, a 3500-watt generator lends you a helping hand by providing a cleaner and consistent backup power source.

Whether you want to run a refrigerator, charge your mobile devices, or turn on the lights and fans, this generator can help you with everything. The market offers various 3500W generators, such as gas, inverter, and solar. Let's look at them one by one.

  1. 3500W gas generator: As the name depicts, it uses gas as a fuel and converts it into electricity to power up all home appliances. Since gas generators are noisy, they are not usually preferred.
  2. 3500W inverter generator: When it comes to powering up sensitive electronics, a 3500W inverter generator is considered ideal for safe and clean power.
  3. 3500W solar generator: It uses PV panels, batteries, and a solar inverter to store and convert solar power into electrical energy.

The power of a generator is generally categorized into two types: starting wattage and running wattage. The starting wattage is the power drawn by an appliance the moment it starts (it is also called surge power), whereas the running wattage is the power required by that appliance to perform its routine operations smoothly.

What is a 3500 Watt Generator

What size generator do you need?

Are you concerned about choosing the right generator for your home or office appliances or equipment? Don't know how to calculate the size of the generator you exactly need? Don't worry. The following steps will help you determine the right generator size.

Step 1: If you are out of power, note all the appliances you want to run with the generator.

Step 2: List the starting and running wattage of all the chosen appliances. If you can't find them, you can simply look at their current and voltage rating and multiply both to get the power rating of the selected appliances.

Step 3: Once you have the running wattage of all the appliances, add them all to calculate the total running power required.

Step 4: Note the highest value of the starting wattage among all appliances and add it to the total running power calculated in the previous step. The final answer shows the starting power your generator should provide.

Let's understand this subject with an example. Suppose your refrigerator has 400W running wattage and 850W starting wattage and the water pump consumes 1000W while running and 2100W while starting. Here, you can see that the highest starting wattage is 2100W. Let's calculate the minimum and maximum power a generator should supply.

Total running power = 400 + 1000 = 1400W

Total starting power = 1400 + 2100 = 3500W

The calculation above shows that you need a generator that can provide at least 1400 total running watts and 3500 total starting watts.

What can a 3500 watt generator run?

A 3500W generator can power up almost all appliances, but not simultaneously. It is always recommended to check the running and starting wattage of appliances you want to run with a generator. Remember, the total power required should never exceed 3500 watts.

Can a 3500 watt generator run a house?

Yes, a 3500-watt generator is enough to power up a wide range of appliances we usually use at home, including but not limited to refrigerators, water heaters, water pumps, air conditioners, irons, microwaves, coffee makers, and juicers.

Can a 3500 Watt Generator Run a House

Before you connect the generator with your home appliances, make sure the total power of the appliances (you want to run) does not exceed the generator's total capacity, which is 3500W in this case. To see the power requirements, you can check the rating plates or manufacturer's specifications.

Home Appliances

Running Power (W)

Starting Power (W)

Washing Machine

800

1600

Microwave

1000

Iron

1000

Water Heater

2000

3500

What can a 3500 watt generator run at the work site?

Are you a site engineer who is looking for a consistent backup power source to run electrical equipment so that your work is not affected during power outages or failures? A 3500-watt generator can be an ideal choice to run equipment at work sites.

Whether you want to power up an air compressor, an electric cutter, or a circular saw, a 3500W generator will be your go-to partner. Remember, you can't run all high-power appliances simultaneously. Running one at a time will work absolutely fine. If you are a team of two to three people working on a remote site, you can carry a 3500W generator as a dependable backup power source.

Site Equipment

Running Power (W)

Starting Power (W)

Circular Saw

1400

2300

Bench Grinder

1400

2500

Electric Mower

1500

Electric Cutter

2200

3700

Can a 3500 watt generator run an RV?

Yes, a generator with this much capacity can easily power up many appliances installed in your RV. However, you won't be able to run all at the same time. It is always better to use one at a time.

Can a 3500 watt generator run an RV

As you know, RVs mostly use energy-efficient appliances, which means they use less power. Therefore, a 3500W generator can run such appliances for long hours.

Tired of worrying about power outages when you're off the grid? Let's find the perfect generator size for RVs to be humming along on every adventure.

RV Appliances

Running Power (W)

Starting Power (W)

AC

1000

1500

Outdoor Lights

250

Electric Heater

1000

Electric Blanket

200

Renogy LYCAN 5000 Power Box

Renogy LYCAN 5000 Power Box

Do you want to take control of your own energy? If so, try LYCAN 5000 - an all-in-one energy storage solution offered by Renogy. It is a perfect backup power source during outages and emergencies. It offers unmatched features, including powerful output (3500 watts), seamless expansion (of up to 19.2kWh), and super fast charging (0 to 80% in one hour).

Other key functions this Power Box offers include Bluetooth connectivity, solar inverter charge display, circuit breakers, a 20A AC inlet, a 20A AC outlet, and a 30A AC outlet. You can use the grid power and solar energy simultaneously to recharge LYCAN at 6800 watts. To know more about LYCAN 5000, don't forget to watch this video.

Can a 3500-watt generator run high-power appliances?

Yes, you can use this generator to power up many high-power appliances, but not all at the same time. Let's look at what exactly you can run with this generator.

Can a 3500 watt generator Run a Refrigerator?

A compact or mini refrigerator only needs 70W to 90W to run and 280W to 360W to start. In comparison, a full-size refrigerator consumes 350W to 750W as the running wattage and 1000W to 2000W as the starting wattage.

If you look at the power rating of compact and full-size refrigerators, you can see that it falls within the range of 3500W. Therefore, you can easily run both a mini and a larger fridge with a 3500 watt generator.

Can a 3500 watt generator Run a Refrigerator

Can a 3500 watt generator run an air conditioner?

If you want to charge an AC unit in an RV or a window AC at home, a 3500-watt generator can power up both. A small RV air conditioner requires 1600W starting and 1050 running wattage. Similarly, a midsize AC requires 2800W starting wattage and 1800W running wattage. A 3500W generator can run both of them.

If you want to install a high-power AC that needs a starting wattage of more than 3500 watts, you won't be able to power it up with a 3500-watt generator.

Can a 3500 watt generator run an air conditioner

Can a 3500 watt generator power a water heater, well pump, or sump pump?

A small water heater runs on 1125W on average and requires around 2800W as a starting wattage. Similarly, an average well pump draws approximately 700W to 800W, whereas the midsize pump needs 2000W to 2500W to perform smooth operations. If we talk about the sump pump, it consumes between 800W and 1050W.

Power ratings of all appliances (water heater, well pump, and sump pump) are within the range of 3500 watts, so you can power them all efficiently with a 3500-watt generator.

Can a 3500 watt generator power a water heater

Conclusion

You can run almost all home appliances, medium-sized equipment at work sites, and some high-power appliances with a 3500 watt generator. However, don't forget to check the running and starting wattage of appliances you want to run with this generator to make sure the overall power consumption does not exceed 3500 watts.

Plus, don't run multiple heavy appliances simultaneously to prevent the generator from overloading. If you need multiple devices or appliances, you can run one at a time. If you need a reliable and cleaner backup power source for your home or RV, try Renogy LYCAN 5000 Power Box.

Frequently asked questions

How long will a 3500 watt generator run on a tank of gas?

With one gas tank, a 3500 watt generator can run for approximately nine hours. The more appliances you run with it, the lesser its running time will be.

How long does a 3500 watt generator last?

The running time depends on the number of appliances connected, and the make and model of the generator. However, a traditional 3500W gas generator can run for about 8 to 9 hours.

Will a 3500 watt generator run an AC unit?

Yes, this generator can power up small to medium-sized air conditioners in your homes and offices.

Download DC Home App
Follow Us