What Can a 12000-Watt Generator Run

What Is A 12000W Generator?

A 12,000-watt generator can pretty much run most household or outdoor appliances. Generally, an average home requires around 5000 to 10000 watts of power — though the exact wattage consumption will depend on the size and power rating of the appliances.

Investing in a 12000W generator will help you charge most electrical appliances at home or outdoors. Different types of 12000W generators are available, including gas, propane, and solar. While gas or propane generators emit toxic fumes and might not be ideal for indoor use, solar generators are a safe and clean power source.

Starting Watts: Sometimes called peak or surge wattage, it refers to the extra wattage an appliance requires for two to three seconds when it starts up. It is generally higher than the running watts of the appliances.

Running Watts: Also referred to as rated wattage, it is the amount of power an electric device continuously consumes when running.

Surge Wattage: It is known as the peak watts or surge power that the generator can provide to the appliances for an initial surge. The surge wattage supplied by the Jackery Explorer Portable Power Stations is typically double its rated wattage, helping you charge many tools.

Watt-Hour: It is the battery capacity of the power station or solar generator and is equivalent to one watt of power delivered in one hour of time. The higher the Wh of the battery, the longer it can charge the appliances.

What Size Generator Do I Need?

The size of the generator directly depends on the appliances you want to power "at the same time." For example, you would need a larger solar generator to power multiple heavy-duty appliances simultaneously, whereas a smaller generator can supply power to a few small devices.

Here are the simple steps to calculate what size generator you need to meet your power needs.

Step 1: Select the electrical appliances you want to run on the generator first. Remember, not all appliances can run simultaneously, so list the appliances that are more important to you or will be used often.

Step 2: Next, determine the running and starting wattage requirements of the appliances you've chosen. You can usually find the wattage in the user manual or on the appliance. If you can't find the wattage consumption, use the following formula:

Watts = Volts × Amps 

Step 3: Add the appliance's running watts and the highest starting watts to determine the size of the solar generator you'll need. Choosing a slightly bigger generator is always a wise idea to avoid overloading and ensure you've enough power to run the appliances you need.

What Can a 12000-Watt Generator Run?

Generally, a 12000W generator can run most medium to large appliances, like AC units, lights, refrigerators, etc. It's an ideal home backup source for power outages and off-grid living. Before you start charging appliances with the solar generator, calculate the total wattage consumption and match the number with the rated and surge wattage of the battery backup.

Will a 12000 Watt Generator Run a House?

Yes, a 12,000-watt inverter generator can efficiently run most home appliances, including central AC, heat pump, electric water heater, dishwasher, microwave, and light bulbs. However, it's advised to check the running and starting wattage of the appliance you want to charge.

If you want to charge multiple home appliances at the same time, add the running wattage of all the appliances you plan to power simultaneously and the highest starting wattage. The obtained wattage should not exceed the power capacity of a 12,000-watt generator for a house.

Work Site

A 12000W generator can charge many power tools with high running and starting wattage. This unit can handle the power requirements of several drills, benders, portable rebar cutters, and other heavy machinery. It's capable of supplying high power that ensures you can complete your work even if there's no nearby electrical outlet available.

RV

RVs often come with built-in generators that typically range from 3000W to 12000W. A 12,000-watt generator can typically run most RV appliances, including lights, RV air conditioning units, refrigerators, furnace blowers, fans, and more. But if you already have a built-in generator and want something portable and lightweight for outdoor adventures, you may consider Jackery Solar Generator 300 Plus.

Off-Grid Living

A 12000 running-watt generator is a whole-house power source and can charge most off-grid appliances. You'll be able to run multiple lights, fans, TVs, refrigerators, ACs, computers, and space heaters for a relatively longer time.

Jackery 12000W Portable Generators

How Many Amps Does a 12000-Watt Generator Put Out?

The 12000-watt generator working at 240V produces around 50 amps. The amps can be easily calculated by dividing wattage by voltage.

If you want to calculate the amp hours of a solar generator, start by checking the battery capacity and the voltage at which it can operate.

Suppose you have a Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station with a power capacity of 5040Wh operated at 112V DC. The amp-hour can be calculated as follows:

Amp-Hour = 5040Wh / 112V = 45Ah.

How Long Will a 12000-Watt Generator Run on Propane?

The time for which a 12,000-watt dual fuel generator runs on propane depends on various factors like the generator's fuel consumption rate, the size of the propane tank, and the appliances it's powering. On average, a 12,000-watt generator can run for about 8-12 hours on a 20-pound propane tank at half load. Remember, this can vary significantly depending on the specific generator model, its efficiency, and factors like weather conditions and altitude.

What is the Quietest 12000 Watt Generator?

Solar generators are one of the quietest generators as they do not have any moving parts. If you need a generator that would not disturb your sleep, consider the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station with a power capacity of 5040Wh and a 7200W high output. It works at a noise level below 30 dB. If you want to run multiple appliances for a longer time, you can expand the power station's capacity from 5kWh to 60kWh with Jackery Battery Pack 5000 Plus.

How Long Does a 12000-Watt Generator Last?

The running time of the best 12000-watt generator will depend on the wattage consumption of the appliances you're charging simultaneously. If the wattage of the appliance being charged is higher, the running time of the generator will be less. Let's take an example to understand:

Suppose you want to run a refrigerator (1000W), a laptop (50W), and a TV (100W) simultaneously. The total wattage consumption, in this case, will be 1150W.

If you are using the Jackery Solar Generator 5000 Plus to power these appliances, the running time can be calculated using the Running Time Calculator available on the Jackery Buying Guide page. All you need to do is choose the Jackery Portable Power Station’s name from the dropdown and then enter the wattage consumption to get an estimated runtime. For example, the Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus can run these appliances (1150W) for 4 hours.

Conclusion

If you want to power a whole house, a work site, or a large outdoor event, you may consider investing in a 12,000-watt generator. As these solar generators come in various wattage sizes, it is advised to check the battery capacity, weight, size, noise level, and power needs before choosing the best one.

Jackery Explorer 5000 Plus Portable Power Station is an expandable and robust battery backup with a capacity of 5040Wh. With the help of an additional Jackery Battery Pack 5000 Plus, you can increase the capacity to 60kWh and power most of the electrical appliances.

Since the power station comes with double wheels, suitcase design, and robust handles, it's easy to move the power source from one place to another.