Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Get a 3600 RPM generator with around a 5.5 hp motor. It'll have about a 2500 watt head. Save the inverter gadgets for the yuppies. With presumed infrequent use, the capacitors & such will dry out before they pay for themselves. The "Chonda" generics, especially the Champion brand, give lots of bang for the $$$.
The flywheel effect of the spinning mass will help kick the fridge on.
Incidentally, I ran my fridge off a $79 HF 2-smoke. The secret was running a hair dryer first to get it to rev up, then cutting off the hair dryer at the same time as plugging in the fridge. Once the fridge started, it only drew 280 watts.
Yea, that will get the fridge to run for one cycle, but refrigerators cycle on and off and the next cycle when it tries to start will not work unless you run the hair dryer again. What you really require is a generator with enough Watts to handle the start-up load without you doing anything fancy with a hair dryer, or any other load.
Why I mentioned "incidentally"... if a 800 watt rated will pull it off with drama, so would a 2000 watt without.
There are many who overbuy generator capacity, and waste gas, and weight.