In Ed Pawlowski writes:

I have to do some more checking, but mostly the fridge is the big value
thing to keep going. Gas range and grill takes care of cooking, city
water.

Be _very_ careful when measring the electrical usage
of "must run" items (and spec'ing out the generator).

a: Many, especially those with motors such as
water (well/sump) pumps and air conditioners
and... refrigerators (but see next point)
have much higher "starting surge" power
draw requirements than the label list.

Similarly, using something like a Kill-A-Watt
meter (a really great device, about $30) won't
necessarily tell you about the starting issue

b: frost free refrigerators draw a _LOT_ of power
when they're running the auto-defrost cycle.
In my own system the power demand when just
cooling down is less than 100 watts. HOWEVER,
when it's i defrost mode, it's more like 500.
And again, unless you happen to measure it at
just the right time, you won't know this.

c: Oh, and a VERY big annoyance with a big chunk
of modern gas stoves/ovens. They're often
"elctric start", so to speak.
The stoves tend to be a spark ignitor whic
doesn't draw much, but..
BUT, the ovens are often a problem. Many if
them use an electrical glow plate to ignite
the gas, and it can draw 500 watts. And what's
even worse is that... they'll often stay on,
pulling all that electricity ... the entire
time the over flame is lit.



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