Backup power tools

Pick the appliances you need during an outage and get the running watts, the largest starting surge and the generator size that covers both.

Estimate hours per tank, gallons per hour and what a three-day outage costs on gasoline, propane, diesel or natural gas.

Choose the circuits you want backed up and see the switch type, circuit count and inlet amperage to ask an electrician for.

Find the wire gauge a generator cord run actually needs, based on load, distance and acceptable voltage drop.

Convert your load list into watt-hours, size a battery power station and see how long solar takes to refill it.

A 30-point interactive checklist covering equipment, fuel, water, medical needs and the day-three failures. Progress saves in your browser.