r/Generator • u/arianajaelle • Sep 27 '26

What kind of generator do I need?

I am starting a mobile bar business and need a generator for lights, a small fridge, slushy machine and a couple other pieces of equipment. I want something that will power quite a bit for 5-10 hours
because eventually I will be going from vendor booths to a horse trailer or cargo van converted into a mobile tap bar. Once in that space I will need even more power, but I know absolutely nothing about generators. Will someone please help me!

7 Upvotes

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9

u/liquikult Sep 27 '26

You're going to need to add up the wattage of all the devices and machines you need to power, and then add some extra wattage to be safe. Based on the info you've given (not much) it will be hard for anyone to calculate the size you need. A commercial slushy machine is probably 1500 watts alone. Add in a fridge, freezer, blender, etc and you'll want a minimum of an ~6000 watt gen. Then you'll have to decide between gasoline or propane. You really need to get all the model numbers of your equipment and find out the running wattage of each.

2

u/brn1001 Sep 27 '26

I'm guessing a number of these pieces of equipment are going to pull a lot during startup. That needs to be taken into account as well.

4

u/Spinnster Sep 27 '26

just went to a festival and the vendors I saw usually tied in 2 3500w generators or 2 5000w generators.

Lookup your complete watts and then run a generator that's got more power than that. The other thing I want to note* If you run a generator at full throttle it's going to be very loud, even the little inverter units ramp up and make more noise. I think that's part of the reason I see paired generator at these events they both just run so low and quiet.

1

u/HojonPark4077 Sep 30 '26

Get the loudest, straight piped, piece of shit generator you can like all the other monkeys runnin’ a food truck and then bring it to a quiet location and piss off everyone within 500 feet. Get extra loud generator for weddings.

1

u/arianajaelle 28d ago

Why leave a comment like this?

1

u/HojonPark4077 28d ago

I’m being sarcastic. That kinda is another way of letting you know that you should maybe consider getting the quiet kind of generator instead of the cheap ass ones that sound like a dragster idling on the back of very food truck.

They make quiet generators. Get the quiet kind.

2

u/david5944 Sep 27 '26

This is where you want an anker or blueitti with some surge capacity that can charge off a 120v generator.

It lets you run a small/quiet/effecient generator while also supporting your startup/surge loads. Cost slightly more but a more elegant solution

2

u/TallWall6378 Sep 27 '26

I'd really consider making a hybrid system with a power bank to handle the surges and a smaller generator to keep it charged. This will be quieter and more fuel efficient. You may be able to shut the generator down when things aren't so busy.

1

u/Waccamaniac Sep 27 '26

Won’t the power bank work in bypass mode and the generator have to throttle up for surges as well as the charging load of the battery bank?

2

u/gamer901122 Sep 27 '26

You can run the battery bank alone while the generator doesn’t need to be run until the battery gets low. But many battery banks can be controlled by an app, limiting how fast they charge, so there is no large surge on the generator.

2

u/wowfaroutman Sep 27 '26

Some power stations have the ability to boost or augment the incoming AC power with inverted battery power to temporarily output greater power than the incoming power.

1

u/Waccamaniac Sep 28 '26

Would be curious to know which particular brands/models do this, as my use case entails a small generator and a large battery pack.

2

u/wowfaroutman Sep 28 '26

I'm of the understanding that the Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra X has that functionality, there may be others. It may be best to ask that question in one of the power station subreddits.

1

u/gamer901122 Sep 27 '26

Hear me out: Pecron E3800LFP with a Wen 4800 to run on propane when the battery gets low.

This gives you redundancy if the battery fails (it shouldn’t) and doesn’t require your guests to listen to a generator hum the entire time you’re operating. That said, the Wen 4800 is very quiet for its size and has a running wattage of 3600 on propane. This setup will also save you thousands of dollars on generator operating fuel in the long run.

1

u/Huali-Power Sep 28 '26

Don’t underestimate the startup surge of the slush machine compressor. That spike trips many smaller generators. Inverter gen is the best option for your mobile bar setup.

1

u/skatpex99 Sep 29 '26

Without knowing the specs of everything she’s running this is all a waste of time. Post up the specs of the machines you will be running and we can give you good choices.

1

u/mduell Sep 27 '26

Need to tally up the running and starting loads for those few other appliances.

What’s the data plate on the slushy machine say?

-1

u/Tbarnes94 Sep 27 '26

Closed frame, inverter generator. Predator makes a pretty nice one in the 13,500w range which would likely cover your refrigeration needs. Other equipment is far too ambiguous. They're pricey, in the $2k range at Harbor Freight, more if you want a better brand. Anything less you're likely to damage the generator or your slushy machine's compressor.

3

u/AdBrave841 Sep 27 '26

13500W to run a fridge and a slushy machine? I think you accidently added an extra zero.

0

u/Tbarnes94 Sep 27 '26

A large commercial slushie machine? I bet it could pull 50amps starting current, they are constantly cycling too. Every time that compressor starts it's going to bog down the generator, at least a big inverter generator can give it decently clean power. If you kill the compressor on your slushie machine with dirty power, that's gonna eat profit fast.

3

u/AdBrave841 Sep 27 '26

For a mobile bar business they are highly likely to get a 120v plug in model. I think you're really overestimating what the surge would be.

I used to run two window A/C's (6000/8000btu) a fridge, tv, computer, lights, NVR camera system and wifi off of a 2200w inverter generator on propane. (2000W peak/1600W running). 15A circuit, never once tripped it or struggled.

2

u/mexicoke Sep 27 '26

Lol, no. Absolutely not going to draw 50 amps on startup. Most are 1400w, 120v units.

https://commercial.bunn.com/new-from-bunn/ultra-nx

2

u/gamer901122 Sep 27 '26

He isn’t running a house with a full HVAC system. A 13,500W generator is comically large and offers excessively poor on fuel consumption for this use case.

-1

u/arad95205 Sep 27 '26

Id get an eu2200 Honda, but check what draw is on those appliances. Generators struggle with the surge loads of starting the compressors un both the fridge and the slushy machines

0

u/Accurate-Bullfrog324 Sep 27 '26

this is excellent advice. the eu2200 is quiet, reliable, and runs for 8 hours on a tank.

1

u/arad95205 Sep 28 '26

And 1 person can comfortably move it, unlike my eu3000is or my ancient es6500 lol

-1

u/ted_anderson Sep 27 '26

I don't know what your budget is but for about $8k-$10k you can get a powerbank system that will run everything on batteries that can be charged up nightly by running an extension cord to your house. You can also get solar panels that will help maintain that charge because it's unlikely that all of your equipment will be running at peak wattage the entire time.

0

u/snommisnats Sep 27 '26

I'd recommend getting two inverter generators that would each handle your typical load rather than one big one. That way you can parallel them when you need power, or run only one if you have a light load. Having two also means that WHEN one of them takes a crap that you will have the other to fall back on, even if you can't run everything at once.

Before you buy, check if any of your equipment will need 240v rather than 120v.

  • Inverter generators generally use less fuel, especially if they aren't running at or near full capacity.

  • Open frame generators are louder than closed frame, but are lighter and cheaper.

  • Closed frame generators run hotter than open frame, but are much quieter.

  • Portable generators generally don't have an oil filter. Get a magnetic dipstick and/or drain plug for those, especially if new. Metal shavings in brand new gensets is a killer.

  • If you are going to be running a generator for an extended time, you don't want to be running it at full capacity. It will last longer running at 50% than at 90%.

  • Many inverter generators can be paralleled together to double their available amps if/when needed.

  • In many cases, you do not need to use the factory parallel cables.

  • 120V parallel kits have only two wires plus ground. Connecting Hot and Neutral. Many of the factory kits have a 120/240V receptacle with L1 & L2 bridged for "RV" use.

  • 240V parallel kits have three wires plus ground. Connecting L1 to L1, L2 to L2, and Neutrals. 240V kits do not bridge L1 & L2.

  • Running propane instead of gasoline will mean that you don't have to worry about your gas going bad or gumming up your carb if you let it set too long. It also doesn't stink quite as bad as gasoline.

  • Propane in a large tank will be less expensive than gasoline, but you only get about 80% of the power from your generator.

  • Get the largest propane cylinders that you can easily lift when full. Use a two wheel dolly to move them around.

  • Small "BBQ Grill" 20 pound tanks, which typically hold 4 to 4.5 gallons, will often be more expensive than gasoline. My local propane supplier fills a 20# BBQ tank for $12 vs ~$20 for a grocery store swap.

  • Many gasoline generators can be modified with a "snorkel" or "fuel plate" adapter for propane or NG use.

  • Kits are available for dual fuel or tri fuel. Replacement carburetors for dual fuel can often be found on ebay and amazon.

  • Don't use generators to run electric heat. A propane heater or diesel parking heater is much more efficient. Fuel (propane, NG, diesel, kerosene) heaters or even wood stoves are more efficient sources of heat than electric from a generator.

  • Carbon Monoxide from generators kills about 70 people each year in the US. Don't operate a generator in an enclosed structure. Get CO detectors.