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c/diy-apocalypse-prepeva908eva9081mo agoOG Member

Blew $200 on a generator that couldn't even run my fridge

The startup surge is killer. I lost $200 and now I'm stuck with a paperweight. Check the compressor label on your fridge before you buy anything. Has anyone found a cheap way to test generator load without frying your gear?
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2 Comments
olivia_bailey
Oh man, I gotta disagree with you here. $200 for a generator that can't run a fridge sounds like user error, not a bad product. You're supposed to match the starting watts, not just the running watts. Most generators in that price range are meant for lights and fans, not kicking on a compressor. Maybe you should've read the fine print instead of blaming the unit. Is there any chance you just overloaded it and fried the thing yourself?
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king.stella
Had a buddy who bought a similar cheap generator last year for camping. He hooked up a mini fridge and a phone charger, thought he was golden. Fridge kicked on maybe twice before the whole thing just stopped working, wouldn't even crank after that. I mean, maybe we did overload it, but we followed the wattage chart in the manual, so who knows. Kinda soured me on those budget ones, honestly.
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