Generator Starting Watts vs Running Watts – Vales Wood
Two things play an important role in a generator. One of them is the generator running watts while the other is the starting watts. It is very important to know about the difference between both before making your purchase. A person needs a type of generator that provides power to home appliances when the power is out.

Generator Starting Watts
Hearing this name, one must think about what are starting watts and how are they different from running watts.
The generator starting wattage is the measure of power supplied by a generator to start its motor. Starting watts are also known as Surge watts.
This type of wattage is used for only a few seconds when the generator is turned on. They are essential to start a generator motor. The starting wattage is required for only 2 to 3 seconds.
Importance of Starting Wattage
Now the question is that how are the starting watts in a generator important? Well, I have an explanation for this question. Starting wattage is a very important function in a generator. While turning on the generator, it is important to supply power more than the power of running wattage.
The power supplied to a generator’s motor must be higher. The reason behind supplying peak power is that if the power supply of a generator is close to its running power or the power of home appliances, it can burn the generator or the appliance down. The following example can clarify the importance of starting wattage.
If a person wants to run an air conditioner on a generator, the generator must have starting watts higher than the watts of air conditioning. If that is not the case, the generator will be overloaded because of the insufficient power supply to start the motor. As a result, either the generator or air conditioning will burn down.
Generator Running Watts
Coming to the generator running watts, let’s find out the meaning and importance of running wattage.
The generator running wattage is the power that is needed to run the appliances continuously. After the generator is turned on, it uses the running wattage to run the appliances till it is turned off.
The running wattage is smaller than the starting wattage. But greater than the wattage of home appliances running on a generator. These watts are also known as rated watts or continuous watts. The rated watts are 2 to 3 times smaller than the surge watts.
Importance Of Running Wattage
Now the question is why and how are running watts important? The running wattage is important to run an appliance. Rated watts of your generator will tell you what and how many appliances a person can run on it.
Generators having high starting and running wattage will have a high power supply. Which in turn will be beneficial to run more appliances on it. The following example is an explanation of the importance of a generator running watts.
If a generator does not have sufficient running watts to run Air conditioning, one can not run it on the generator. On the other hand, if the running wattage is more than the wattage of the air conditioning, it will easily run without overloading. Before buying a generator, one should estimate the wattage of the appliances to be run on a generator. This will help him in finding a generator with sufficient running wattage to run the appliances easily.
Also, learn what will happen if you run your generator all night.
The Best Generator With The Most Starting And Running Wattage
DuroMax XP13000EH is among the selling portable generators. This generator weighs around 234 pounds which are 106 kg. The length of the generator is 30 inches, the width is 29 inches and the height is 26 inches. Moreover, the generator consists of a 500 cubic centimeter powerful engine.
One can easily run heavy appliances on this generator during a power outage. It can be run on propane or gasoline. This is very beneficial because a person has a choice to go for the better option that suits him. Most importantly, this generator has a starting wattage of 13000 watts and a running wattage of 10500. Because of the high power supply, air conditions, refrigerators, televisions, water dispensers, and much more.
From the above comparison, the difference between the starting and running watts on a generator is very clear now. It is clear that before making a purchase you should calculate the wattage of appliances that are going to run on a generator. The generator starting and running wattage helps a person to know if the generator will be able to supply power to heavy appliances or not.
The above guide can help you find a better generator for yourself. Choose a generator having high starting and running wattage to avoid any risks of damage. In this way, the risks of overloading and damaging a generator or the appliances will be minimized.