Call 888-339-4248

24/7 Emergency Service:
Call 508-295-7336

Beginners Guide to Portable Generators

April 24, 2023      

South Shore Generator Sales  & Service

These beasts can back up your home in the midst of a power outage, power a campsite or weld a house without breaking a sweat. If you're thinking of buying one, we're sure you have questions. So, let's break it down for you.

What is a portable generator?

Portable generators provide instant power virtually anywhere. So whether you're camping in the great outdoors, tailgating before the big game, powering your job site, or adding back up power to your home, portable generators give you the power you need where you need it most.

And the best part, there's no installation required. Just add some gas and plug in your items for instant power on the go.

How is a portable generator rated?

All portable generators have two power ratings: Continuous Power (aka Running Watts) and Maximum Power (aka Starting Watts).

Running Watts are what the generator can produce continuously while it's running.

Starting Watts are what it can produce for a short time to help start motorized electrical tools like drill machines, circular saws, inflator pumps, nail guns, refrigerators, window air conditioners, etc.

What's a Watt?

A 'Watt' (denoted with a capital 'W' after James Watt) is a unit of electrical energy. You can find Wattage estimates on the labels of your tools.

If you can't find the wattage amount, don't worry. All you need to know is the volts and amps of your product. To calculate the wattage, simply multiply volts X amps. So, a saw that operates on 110 volts and consumes 15 amps needs 1,650 Watts to run and requires a generator with a Continuous Power rating of at least 1.65 kW (1,650 Watts).

Find your perfect generator.

All you need to do is some good ol' grade school math. First, list out all the items you want to power.

Find the item with the most Maximum Power (aka Starting Watts). Then add that number (2,500 W) to the Continuous Power (aka Running Watts) from all the other units (100 + 1,800 + 700). For this example, the total is 5,100 W. So you'll need a generator with a Continuous Power rating of at least a 5.1 kW (5,100 W).

Note: Only equipment with electric motors requires more power to start than run.

If you're looking for an estimate, use our Generator & Accessory Selector tool.

For more information, contact South Shore Generator Sales & Service today.

Source: kohler.com


< Go Back to Blog

Generator Products

Whether your need is to power your business to keep on your production schedule or your home to keep your family safe and sound;.South Shore Generator has the product diversity to meet all of your generator requirements. We are proud to sell and service generators from 2kW to 2000kW single set units and up to as large as 100MW utilizing Generac's innovative Modular Power Systems (MPS).

Industrial Generators

Residential Generators

Automatic Transfer Switches

Manual Switches and Tap Boxes

Mobile Generators and Light Towers


Mobile Link Login

Will you be ready when the lights go out?

Click Here to get your Maintenance Quote!

Does your current generator provider stack up?

Authorized dealers for