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One of the best purchases you can make as a homeowner is a portable generator, it can be a much better option than having one permanently installed in your home. Either way, maybe you’re a California resident and tired of summer blackouts, or you live in a coastal region that gets hammered by hurricanes, a portable generator can literally be a real life-saver. So what are the best portable generators for storms?
That’s exactly what we’ll show you in this article. let’s have a look.
5 Best Portable Generators for Storms
Generators allow you to power your home when the power grid goes out, and portable generators are both a cheaper and more versatile option. The best portable generators can power your whole home, but more inexpensive generators can still run the necessary appliances to keep you safe and comfortable.
1. Westinghouse wGen 7500
Our favorite
- 7500 Watts
- Transfer switch ready
- 11 hours runtime
- 420cc 4 stroke engine
- Remote electric start
- Dual Fuel- runs on propane or gas
Westinghouse is a trusted name in electronics and manufacturing, and this generator certainly lives up to their reputation. It’s a great generator to have as your home backup option, but it’s versatile enough you can use it for all sorts of DIY projects and for camping.
For home use, we highly recommend connecting it to a transfer switch. Combined with the remote electric start, the transfer switch will make switching to generator power as easy as possible in the event that your home loses power from the grid. This option is without question one of the most popular and best portable generators for storms.
2. DuroMax XP12000EH
Most power
- 12000 Watts
- 240 Volts
- 4 Stroke 457cc engine
- 8 hours runtime
- Approved in all 50 states
This is by far the most powerful generator we’re listing. With 12000 Watts, it’s more than capable of powering everything in your home. It can run on either gasoline or propane, which is a wonderful feature to have. If a situation arises that causes lots of people to turn on their generators, gasoline is going to start disappearing quickly.
It isn’t transfer switch ready, which is certainly a downside, but this beast makes up for it with tremendous power available and the dual fuel capability. When you need lots of power, this is the generator you should be reaching for.
3. DuroMax XP5500EH
- 5500 Watts
- Dual fuel- runs on propane or gas
- 4 stroke 220cc engine
- Camping/RV ready
Smaller than the other DuroMax, this generator offers a bit more flexibility by virtue of being less powerful. You can definitely use it to power your home when needed, but it’s also a great choice for an RV. Like the other DuroMax generator the flexibility to choose between gas and propane as your fuel source is a major selling point, and one that could prove vital in the event of a natural disaster.
Because it’s a smaller, less powerful generator, it costs quite a bit less, too. If you liked the robust features of the DuroMax XP12000EH but don’t want to spend that much money on a generator, this model offers many of the same benefits in a more affordable package.
4. WEN DF475T Dual Fuel
- 4750 Watts
- Dual fuel- runs on propane or gas
- 4 stroke 224cc engine
- Electric starter
- 11 hours run time
The WEN generator is an affordable dual-fuel generator that can really be a lifesaver when the power goes out. Since it’s less than 5000 watts, it probably can’t power everything in your home, so you’ll have to choose to shut off some appliances unless you’re in a very small home.
It does accept both propane and gas, and in the event of a big storm knocking out power, having this generator would be better than going without electricity. It’s affordable, easy to set up, and very reliable.
5. All Power America 2000 Watt Portable Generator
Best budget option
- 2000 Watts
- 1.3 Gallon gas tank
- 9 hour run time
- Lightweight and compact
This generator can’t run your whole house. Not even close. But it can run enough power to keep, say, a window unit AC, mini fridge, and a TV or two going while charging phones and powering a couple of lamps.
In a disaster situation when you’ve lost power, every little bit helps. Generators that can power the whole house are expensive, and if you can’t afford one of those, there’s a good chance you can still afford this one. It won’t do everything the big, expensive generators will, but it can keep you comfortable and provide what you need for a time.
Top Recommendations
Best Overall Choice
The Westinghouse wGen 7500 is our top choice for portable generators. It can power the entire house, it’s transfer switch ready, and the remote start function is especially useful. It’ll run on propane or gas, giving you the flexibility you need in emergency situations. It’s easy to set up, runs a long time on a full tank, and it’s reliable.
Best of all, it’s reasonably priced. It’s not cheap, but it’s not outrageously expensive, either. Most homeowners can likely afford to buy it, even if they have to save up for a bit. It’s also transfer switch ready, so if you save a bit extra to pay the electrician you can tie it directly into your home’s wiring. Then, switching to generator power is literally as easy as flipping a switch.
Budget Option
Sometimes you just can’t justify a big expense like a generator, but fortunately the All Power America 2000 Watt generator is pretty cheap. It won’t power a whole house, but it will definitely power a fridge. Or a window unit AC plus a mini fridge, with power to spare.
It wouldn’t be ideal, but budget options never are. It would definitely be a lot better than finding yourself without power after a big storm like a hurricane.
Conclusion
Not everyone needs a generator. But when you need one, boy do you need one. If you live in areas prone to hurricanes or other major storms, or just prone to blackouts for any reason, you will never regret purchasing a generator.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the generators we’ve suggested, and whichever you choose you’ll be glad you bought the next time a big storm rolls around.
