Load Lists

What a whole-house, a managed-load and an essentials-only setup each cover.

7 articles

• Water In and Water Out — The Pumps That Decide Whether a House Is Habitable

  A house without power is inconvenient. A house without water, or without a working drain, is uninhabitable within a day.

• Building the Load List — The Document Every Quote Should Start From

  A generator quote without a load list is a product recommendation, and the list is something a household can build itself.

• Load Shedding — How a Small Generator Runs a Whole House

  The generator does not have to be big enough for everything. It has to be big enough for everything that is on.

• Choosing the Essential Circuits

  The list is shorter than people expect and it is not the same list in every house.

• Starting Watts — The Surge That Decides the Generator Size

  The well pump runs on 1,000 watts and needs 3,000 for a second, and the generator has to have that second.

• Backing Up a Heat Pump — The Strip Heat Is the Problem

  The generator runs the heat pump comfortably until the temperature drops, and then the house asks for ten kilowatts of strip heat.

• Can a Generator Run a Well Pump? — Size It on the Surge

  A 1 hp pump runs on 1,000 watts and starts on 3,000. Generators are chosen on the second number and sold on the first.