Gas-powered generators—which must be run outside—should be kept at least 20 feet from the house, and away from windows and ...

Adding up the running watts and the highest starting wattage of all the devices you wish to power with a generator will help you determine the size of the generator you will need.

When the power goes out, a generator will have to deal with a surge from all the appliances that run all the time: water heater, refrigerator, freezer, HVAC unit, etc.

What's your wattage requirement? Knowing what size generator a home would need means determining the power requirements of the appliances the generator would be running.

Q. We are considering a propane generator with 20-gallon tank to run our sump pump and refrigerator during power blackouts. We feel gasoline gets stale too quickly. What size generator do you ...

As power outages become more common, purchasing a home generator may be a top priority. Use this as a guide before you make the investment.