Just to be clear, there are a few ways to discuss current draw in regard to motors. All of the following need to be measured with a decent multimeter and not guessed at:
- inrush amps: this is the super-short high-peak demand which dumps energy into the windings
- start-up amps; this is the current draw as the windings come up to the designed steady-state rpm (for a fixed rpm motor)
- running amps; the current required to sustain the load while running at steady-state
Inrush amps are overblown IMO. I've got a very nice multimeter, and the inrush on things like fridges, freezers and small motors like fans is inconsequential. On a large a/c compressor it does very much matter, but not on small motor appliances. Generally the inrush is small enough and short enough in duration that any adequately sized generator can handle the inrush. I advice against worrying about this for the OPs stated desires.
Start-up amps are generally about 3x of the running amps for typical PSC type and similar motors. I've seen this be true most (not all) of the time. This is something you need to pay attention to as this "start up" demand can last 2 to 5 seconds. Those few seconds are enough that they can drag down a generator if it doesn't have enough engine power to overcome the demand from the genny power head during this start-up. You need the electric power to supply the device(s), and you need the engine power to supply the electric power head. Again, for the OPs intended uses, a typical 2200w or 2500w genny should suffice. My 2200w genny has no problems whatsoever starting my fridge or freezer, even with some other (minimal) loads concurrently running.
Running amps are the easiest to measure and typically don't vary much.
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Real life summer time example: My house has ...
* a fridge that runs about 1.9A in steady state, and about 5.7A for start-up. So I round up to 6 amps for this.
* a box fan in my TV room runs at .6A, with 2.0 start up. I count this as 2 amps. (can move the fan to bedroom if it's time for sleep)
* my TV takes .5A, and since there's no motor, there's no "start-up" draw; it's always about 1/2 amp
* my internet modem/router also takes about .5A; again there's no motor so it's only 1/2 amp
* an LED lamp or two for light in the house; a few tenths of an amp; a pittance
* perhaps a phone or laptop charging; max of an amp or so
When you add them all up, they only come to about 11 amps (worst case at start up of the fan and the fridge at the same time). Since my little 2200w genny is capable of 18 amps for short duration I'm WELL within a safety margin. And when it's in "running" ops (no start up), I only draw about 4 amps or so (confirmed with the clamp-on multimeter). That's low enough that the genny is only running about 1/3 throttle; very quiet and reasonably fuel efficient.
In winter, I can run my furnace (5 amps running at 15 amps start-up). I don't need the fridge in winter; I can put the food in a cooler and place it outside, because mother nature provides the cold. And I don't really need a fan in the TV or bedroom because my forced air gas furnace already moves the air around. While it does take more energy to run the furnace (6 amps), I lose the 2.5 amps for the fridge and fan. So I'm still well inside the start-up and running amp capacity of my generator. Again, I've actually had to do this in my home in winter; it works fine.
I highly recommend that anyone who wants to use a genny go buy a good quality multimeter with an amp-clamp, and truly measure the loads during the start and run cycles. Then sit down and simply do the math.
