What Appliances Will A 3500 Watt Generator Run (What Will A 3500 Watt Generator Run)

One of the most important uses for a generator is to power appliances, either at home or on the go in your RV.

The utility and convenience of being able to power your essentials should the power go out, or if you are on a camping trip, can’t be overstated. 

There are many different types of generators with varying sizes, however, the 3500W generator is regarded by many as the sweet spot in terms of size and power capabilities, as well as noise and fuel consumption.

The 3500W generator, particularly an inverter style generator will offer a great many benefits, and compared to a 1000W or 2000W generator you will have far more wattage to work with, giving you room to use more devices and appliances with your generator.

This also has the added benefit of making it less likely for you to overload your generator which can result in damage to your electronics or the generator itself, and the lower load the generator is running at, the more fuel you will save which is another excellent bonus.

This size of generator should give you enough power for a wide range of appliances, and in this guide, we’re going to look at what appliances specifically you can run with this amount of power at your disposal from a single generator.

While it is possible to link some generators and combine their power output, a single larger generator such as this is more convenient and avoids the sometimes awkward parallel process and as well as needing to make sure your generator is compatible.

Safety For Your Appliances

Before we look at the appliances, in particular, it’s also important to note that most sensitive electronic devices are only really suitable for use with an inverter generator.

This is due to the fact that conventional generators provide a slightly unstable or ‘dirty’ type of electricity which can damage microprocessors and sensitive electronics.

Inverter generators on the other hand are a little more expensive but are completely safe to use with even the most expensive and delicate devices such as computers and laptops, so you can rest assured that your generator won’t damage your appliances provided you use it correctly.

The Appliances

Aside from being an excellent choice as an emergency backup generator should the power go out at home, a 3500W generator can be used to power a range of different devices and appliances around the home.

Typically a generator of this size can capably power several mid-sized devices, and can usually provide 14 amps at 240 volts or 28 amps at 120 volts, although this can be different for some generators.

In terms of actual appliances that can be powered, please find a list below of what you can power.

At Home

• A freezer, which consumes around 600 to 800 watts of standing power and around 2100 watts for surge power. This means you can run your freezer and have plenty of headroom for additional appliances.
• A refrigerator, which again uses around 700 watts of power while standing, and requires around 2000 watts of surge power to turn on.
• You can also power a decent sized sump pump of around ⅓ hp, which will use around 500 watts of standing power and 1500 watts of surge power to turn on.

Additional Appliances

Other nonessential appliances you can run with a 3500W generator include;

• A blender 850 watts
• A grill 1700 watts
• A hair dryer 1800 watts
• A Coffee maker 600 watts
• An Electrical heater 1500 watts
• A flat-screen TV 120 Watts
• A Laptop 250 watts

The only thing that’s important to remember is that you can only plug in some of these appliances, and if the total power you are drawing from the generator is too much you will cause an overload which will damage both your generator and the appliances you have plugged into it which can be costly and dangerous.

It’s also really important to note that not all appliances are exactly the same wattage and different brands and even models of appliances may have different wattages and power demands.

To avoid dangerous issues like overloading it’s best to check your own appliances carefully and make a note of their wattage and their surge wattage to avoid overloads and to ensure you have a large enough generator to accommodate them.

As you can see by the estimations above, however, a 3500W generator can handle several essential appliances such as refrigerators and sump pumps, and can even be used to power more delicate appliances and laptops if it’s an inverter.

This gives you unparalleled flexibility and utility and means that wherever you are or whatever happens, you will be able to keep your home and supply safe even if the power goes out.

It’s also important to make a note of the voltage appliances required to be absolutely sure they’re compatible with your generator.

Final Thoughts

A 3500W generator provides a great mixture of power and value and is an incredibly versatile option for homeowners or campers.

This amount of power will be enough to handle most appliances quite easily, while still retaining good efficiency and portability. 

A generator of this size will also be relatively quiet and provide good fuel efficiency and is also great value for money compared to larger generators or buying multiple smaller generators and linking them together.