Sizing by scenario
The questions people actually ask, answered with the full math and the units that fit. Pick the one closest to yours — then fine-tune in the sizing tool.
Power station for a home outage (fridge + CPAP + sump pump)
The classic storm-night kit: keep the fridge cold, run a CPAP overnight, and keep the sump pump ready so the basement stays dry. The sump pump’s 1,500 W startup surge is what sets the minimum inverter — here is the unit that covers all three, with room to grow.
What size power station runs a CPAP all night?
A CPAP without the heated humidifier sips power, so the real question is how many nights you get per charge. Here is the size for one night with comfortable headroom — and what it takes to cover several nights or to run the heated humidifier.
What size power station / battery backup for a sump pump?
A sump pump only runs when the pit fills — minutes per hour, even in heavy rain — so its energy is modest, but its startup surge is brutal. The inverter has to clear about 1,500 W on a 1/3 HP pump. Here is the size that starts it reliably and keeps the basement dry through a storm.
What size power station / solar generator for van life?
Van life is a steady, modest load — a 12 V fridge, lights, devices — that you recharge with solar every day. So you size for the overnight buffer between charges, not a full 24 hours off the battery. Here is a 12-hour buffer for a typical build, plus the solar-input note that matters most: pick a unit whose solar input can replace a day’s energy before the next night.
What size power station runs a refrigerator in an outage?
A refrigerator is the load everyone wants to save first. The trick: it only runs about a third of the time, so the watt-hours it actually needs over a day are far below its running watts × 24. Here is the size that keeps your food cold through an outage — and the math behind it.
What size power station runs a 1500 W space heater?
Be warned: resistive heat is the worst-case battery load. A 1,500 W heater needs a 1,500 W+ inverter and drains capacity fast — run time is roughly usable Wh ÷ 1,500. Here is the honest math, plus far more efficient ways to stay warm in an outage.
What size power station runs a window AC?
An 8,000 BTU window unit pulls about 715 W running with a ~1,250 W compressor surge. The compressor cycles, so capacity stretches further than you’d think. Here is the size to keep one room cool for an evening — and the step-up for a bigger unit or all night.
What size power station / solar generator for an off-grid cabin?
A weekend cabin runs a fridge, lights, WiFi, and electronics off solar, topped up each day. You size for the overnight-and-buffer window the battery carries alone, then match solar input to replace it by day. Here is a 12-hour buffer for a modest cabin, and the expandable units worth it if you want to coast through cloudy stretches.
What size power station for partial-home backup?
The essentials circuit: fridge, sump pump, furnace blower, lights, and internet — the loads a transfer switch usually feeds. The furnace blower’s startup surge dominates the inverter requirement. Here is the size that carries an essentials panel through a multi-hour outage, with expandable picks for longer.