When it comes to choosing the correct petrol generator there are a few facts you must understand. Portable electric generators are used to supply power in places where normal electric service is non-existent or is temporarily out of service. Where I live the power goes out a few times each winter. The worst was when it was out for 5 days and it was snowing outside. Luckily we have a wood stove for heat so we weren't going to freeze to death whether we had electricity or not.

When choosing a portable generator I would recommend going a little bigger than what you think you need at this time. I will guarantee you that when you get the portable electric generator fired up there will always be one more think you want to plug in. It is really not fun to plug in too much load and have the circuit breaker pop plunging everything into pitch black darkness.

There are three general classifications for portable generators.  Planning ahead for your electrical needs will help you to choose an electrical generator out of the proper category.

The first category is recreational power generators.  These are generators that are used to power only a very few items when you are out camping or Rving.  Recreational generators are classed as either tiny or small.  Tiny produces about 1000 watts (see watts to kva conversion below) and a small produces up to about 2000 watts.

The second category is emergency power.  These portable generators are bigger because they need to power several items in the home if the power goes out.  They come in three sizes

• Medium     3000-6000 Watts
• Large       7000-9000 Watts
• X-Large   10,000 Watts and larger

Determine your load and choose the generator that will cover the load easily.  Don't forget about things like freezers and water pumps.

The last classification is Professional.  These are large, heavy duty portable generators that are engineered to run several power tools all day every day.  If you are looking for emergency power or a little tailgating there is no need to purchase a professional grade generator.  It will be over kill and you will probably get a bad back from lugging it around.

There are literally hundreds of sizes, shapes, and power ratings available when you decide to purchase a petrol generator. Below are some good units.

Watts and Volt-Amps are related by the power factor of a system.  In a purely direct current system the watts equals the volt-amps because there is not inductive or conductive load.  There is only resistive load.  In an alternating current system the voltage and amperage values do not travel in since if there is a capacitor or inductor in the system.  The power factor is determined by how far apart the peaks for voltage and amperage are.

VA * PF = Watts

VA = Volt-amps

PF = Power Factor

Watts = Energy Used