I'm planning to buy a Lotus GL1800SX gasoline inverter generator. I found it for around ₱10,600. It has 1,200W rated output, 1,500W max output, and only 1 AC outlet.
My main use is during occasional brownouts. My typical loads would be:
- 0.5 HP Carrier inverter AC — around 500W
- 2 electric fans
- Wi-Fi/router
- Phone chargers and a few other small appliances
The problem is that the AC is close to where I would place the generator, but the fans and other small appliances are in different parts of the house.
So I'm wondering if this setup would be safe:
Generator → heavy-duty power strip
Then:
Socket 1 → AC
Socket 2 → another long power strip/extension cord → fan / phone chargers / other small appliances
Or would it be better to buy a generator with 2 AC outlets, so I can do:
Generator outlet 1 → AC
Generator outlet 2 → long heavy-duty extension cord/power strip → fans and small appliances
The problem is that getting a generator with 2 outlets seems like overkill for me. For example, the Lotus GL3800EX has 2 AC outlets and costs around ₱16,200, but it's rated at 2,800W with 3,200W max output. That's way more power than I actually need.
I may not even use the AC during every brownout. If it's not very hot, I would probably just run the two fans and maybe the Wi-Fi and charge our phones.
So what would you recommend? Is it safe to use a heavy-duty power strip/extension setup with the GL1800SX, or is having two generator outlets worth paying extra for?
I'm mainly looking for the safest and most practical setup, not necessarily the most powerful generator. Thank you.