Which power stations run a refrigerator 12 hours

Specifications checked against manufacturer pages on 2026-08-23.

A refrigerator is the appliance most people are actually trying to save in an outage, and it is the one that power-station spec sheets answer worst. Capacity tells you how long the compressor can run; it does not tell you whether the compressor will start. This page puts every unit in our spec-verified database through the same refrigerator scenario and says, for each, what the manufacturer’s own figures allow us to conclude.

In short. 20 of the 29 units carry a typical refrigerator (150 W running, 900 W start, running 35% of the time) past 12 hours on our assumptions — from 16–17 hours on the C1000 Gen 2 to 55–64 on the DELTA Pro 3. Start-up is the first test, and 24 of the 29 clear it: DELTA Pro 3, DELTA Pro, Apex 300, Elite 200 V2, C2000 Gen 2, AC200L, AC200Max, DELTA 2 Max, Explorer 2000 Plus, Explorer 2000 v2, AC180P, Explorer 1000 Plus, AC180, Explorer 1000 v2, C1000, C1000 Gen 2, Elite 100 V2, DELTA 2, DELTA 3, DELTA 3 Plus, C800, AC70, RIVER 3 Plus, EB3A (five of those on their continuous rating alone, because the maker states no conventional surge figure). RIVER 2, RIVER 3 state a surge rating below the start-up draw. For RIVER 2 Pro, C300, Elite 30 V2 the published figures do not let us say. Note that the DELTA 2 has left its maker’s catalog (checked 2026-08-23). Note that the EB3A is marked discontinued on its maker’s store (checked 2026-08-24). Note that the C800 is no longer listed new on its maker’s US store (checked 2026-08-24).

Calculated refrigerator runtime for each verified power station, with the 12-hour line

Table of Contents

Why start-up comes before runtime

A motor draws a brief surge when it starts — for a typical refrigerator we assume about 900 W, against roughly 150 W once running. A power station whose inverter cannot supply that surge will trip, and the battery’s capacity never enters the picture. That is why the table puts start-up in the first column and runtime in the second. Where a manufacturer states a surge rating, we compare it with 900 W. Where it states none, or states a resistive-load boost figure rather than a motor-start rating, we fall back to the continuous rating: any load below the continuous rating is deliverable by definition, so a 900 W start is covered by an inverter whose continuous rating exceeds it — by a wide margin on some of these units and a narrow one on others; each row shows its own. Only when neither figure settles it do we say the start-up cannot be assessed.

Every spec-verified unit, one refrigerator, same 12 hours

Sorted by refrigerator runtime; assumptions are under the table.

29 spec-verified power stations, one refrigerator scenario: start-up check first, then calculated runtime. Hours are calculated ranges, not measurements.
Unit	Refrigerator start-up	Refrigerator runtime	Runs 12 hours?	CPAP without humidifier	Gas furnace blower	1/3 hp sump pump
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 4,096 Wh · 4,000 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (8,000 W surge stated)	55–64 hr	Yes	3.0–3.5 days	20–22 hr	44–48 hr
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3,600 Wh · 3,600 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (7,200 W surge stated)	48–56 hr	Yes	2.6–3.1 days	18–20 hr	38–42 hr
Bluetti Apex 300 2,765 Wh · 3,840 W continuous	Starts on the continuous rating alone (3,840 W continuous > 900 W start; the maker’s surge figure is a boost mode, not a motor-start rating)	37–43 hr	Yes	2.0–2.4 days	14–15 hr	29–32 hr
Bluetti Elite 200 V2 2,074 Wh · 2,600 W continuous	Starts on the continuous rating alone (2,600 W continuous > 900 W start; the maker’s surge figure is a boost mode, not a motor-start rating)	32–34 hr	Yes	36–43 hr	10–11 hr	22–24 hr
Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 2,048 Wh · 2,400 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (4,000 W surge stated)	31–34 hr	Yes	36–42 hr	10–11 hr	23–25 hr
Bluetti AC200L 2,048 Wh · 2,400 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (4,800 W surge stated)	31–34 hr	Yes	36–42 hr	10–11 hr	23–25 hr
Bluetti AC200Max 2,048 Wh · 2,200 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (4,800 W surge stated)	31–34 hr	Yes	36–42 hr	10–11 hr	23–25 hr
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max 2,048 Wh · 2,400 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (4,800 W surge stated)	31–34 hr	Yes	36–42 hr	10–11 hr	23–25 hr
Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus 2,043 Wh · 3,000 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (6,000 W surge stated)	31–34 hr	Yes	36–42 hr	10–11 hr	22–24 hr
Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 2,042 Wh · 2,200 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (4,400 W surge stated)	31–34 hr	Yes	36–42 hr	10–11 hr	23–25 hr
Bluetti AC180P 1,440 Wh · 1,800 W continuous	Starts on the continuous rating alone (1,800 W continuous > 900 W start; the maker’s surge figure is a boost mode, not a motor-start rating)	22–24 hr	Yes	25–30 hr	7.7–8.1 hr	16–17 hr (start-up not assessed)
Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus 1,265 Wh · 2,000 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (4,000 W surge stated)	19–21 hr	Yes	22–26 hr	6.7–7.1 hr	14–15 hr
Bluetti AC180 1,152 Wh · 1,800 W continuous	Starts on the continuous rating alone (1,800 W continuous > 900 W start; the maker’s surge figure is a boost mode, not a motor-start rating)	18–19 hr	Yes	20–24 hr	6.1–6.5 hr	13–14 hr (start-up not assessed)
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 1,070 Wh · 1,500 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (3,000 W surge stated)	16–18 hr	Yes	19–22 hr	5.7–6.0 hr	12–13 hr
Anker SOLIX C1000 1,056 Wh · 1,800 W continuous	Starts on the continuous rating alone (1,800 W continuous > 900 W start; the maker’s surge figure is a boost mode, not a motor-start rating)	16–17 hr	Yes	18–22 hr	5.6–5.9 hr	12–13 hr (start-up not assessed)
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 1,024 Wh · 2,000 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (3,000 W surge stated)	16–17 hr	Yes	18–21 hr	5.4–5.8 hr	about 12 hr
Bluetti Elite 100 V2 1,024 Wh · 1,800 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (3,600 W surge stated)	16–17 hr	Yes	18–21 hr	5.4–5.8 hr	about 12 hr
EcoFlow DELTA 2 1,024 Wh · 1,800 W continuous Left EcoFlow’s catalog; superseded by EcoFlow DELTA 3 (checked 2026-08-23)	Clears 900 W start (2,700 W surge stated)	16–17 hr	Yes	18–21 hr	5.4–5.8 hr	about 12 hr
EcoFlow DELTA 3 1,024 Wh · 1,800 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (3,600 W surge stated)	16–17 hr	Yes	18–21 hr	5.4–5.8 hr	about 12 hr
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus 1,024 Wh · 1,800 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (3,600 W surge stated)	16–17 hr	Yes	18–21 hr	5.4–5.8 hr	about 12 hr
Anker SOLIX C800 768 Wh · 1,200 W continuous The maker’s US store no longer carries a new-condition listing for this model (checked 2026-08-24)	Clears 900 W start (1,920 W surge stated)	12–13 hr	Borderline	13–16 hr	4.1–4.3 hr	8.7–9.2 hr
Bluetti AC70 768 Wh · 1,000 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (1,500 W surge stated)	12–13 hr	Borderline	13–16 hr	Unlikely to start	Unlikely to start
EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro 768 Wh · 800 W continuous	Cannot assess from published figures	12–13 hr	Borderline	15–17 hr	4.1–4.3 hr (start-up not assessed)	8.7–9.2 hr (start-up not assessed)
Anker SOLIX C300 288 Wh · 300 W continuous	Cannot assess from published figures	about 5 hr	No	5.8–6.3 hr	Will not run	Will not run
Bluetti Elite 30 V2 288 Wh · 600 W continuous	Cannot assess from published figures	about 5 hr	No	5.8–6.3 hr	1.5–1.6 hr (start-up not assessed)	3.1–3.4 hr (start-up not assessed)
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus 286 Wh · 600 W continuous	Clears 900 W start (1,200 W surge stated)	about 5 hr	No	5.7–6.2 hr	Unlikely to start	Unlikely to start
Bluetti EB3A 269 Wh · 600 W continuous The maker’s own page marks this model discontinued (checked 2026-08-24)	Clears 900 W start (1,200 W surge stated)	4–5 hr	No	5.4–5.8 hr	Unlikely to start	Unlikely to start
EcoFlow RIVER 2 256 Wh · 300 W continuous	Below 900 W start — unlikely to start (600 W surge stated)	about 4 hr	No — unlikely to start	5.1–5.6 hr	Will not run	Will not run
EcoFlow RIVER 3 245 Wh · 300 W continuous	Below 900 W start — unlikely to start (600 W surge stated)	about 4 hr	No — unlikely to start	4.9–5.3 hr	Will not run	Will not run

How to read this. Appliance assumptions — Full-size refrigerator: 150 W, 900 W start, 35% duty; CPAP without humidifier: 40 W, continuous; Gas furnace blower: 400 W, 1,600 W start, 40% duty; 1/3 hp sump pump: 500 W, 1,800 W start, 15% duty. DC-to-AC efficiency assumed by load: 70%–82% below 5% of the inverter rating; 80%–87% from 5% up to 20% of the inverter rating; 85%–90% from 20% up to 80% of the inverter rating; 82%–88% from 80% up to the continuous rating. Formula: hours = rated Wh × efficiency ÷ (appliance W × duty cycle). “Unlikely to start” means the start-up surge exceeds the unit’s stated surge rating. “(start-up not assessed)” means the start-up surge is at or above the unit’s continuous rating and the maker states no conventional surge rating to check against. Appliance figures are CalmWatt assumptions for typical household units; your own nameplate is the number that matters. We have not bench-tested any of these units. We note catalog status — delisted, discontinued or superseded — but not day-to-day stock, which changes faster than this page. EcoFlow DELTA 2: the manufacturer’s store listing now redirects to the EcoFlow DELTA 3 and the unit is gone from the series catalog; its marketing page with the spec tab was still online when checked. Bluetti EB3A: the maker’s own product page carries a (Discontinued) prefix, so the manufacturer no longer sells this model new. Anker SOLIX C800: the new-condition product page has been removed from the maker’s US store, so the figures describe a model the manufacturer no longer lists new.

What changes the answer

Your refrigerator, not ours. Compact units start on less; older full-size units need more. The running watts and the duty cycle are on the compliance label inside the door or in the manual. Substitute them into the formula.
Door openings and room temperature. Every opening and every degree of summer heat raises the duty cycle, and the hours drop in proportion.
The rest of the house. A router and a few chargers are small loads, but they run continuously.
Recharging. If the outage runs past the first day, the unit’s solar and AC input figures decide how fast you get back to full. Those are on each comparison page.

So which one

Clearing start-up and lasting the night are different tests here: 24 of the 29 units that can carry the running load start a typical refrigerator, but only 20 run it past 12 hours — DELTA Pro 3, DELTA Pro, Apex 300, Elite 200 V2, C2000 Gen 2, AC200L, AC200Max, DELTA 2 Max, Explorer 2000 Plus, Explorer 2000 v2, AC180P, Explorer 1000 Plus, AC180, Explorer 1000 v2, C1000, C1000 Gen 2, Elite 100 V2, DELTA 2, DELTA 3, DELTA 3 Plus. The rest get the motor turning and then run out. If you want margin for a hot room, frequent door openings or a second appliance, the 2 kWh units carry roughly double the hours of the 1 kWh units. Between units of the same class, the deciding figures are recharge speed, UPS switchover and price per watt-hour — the head-to-head pages below put each pair on those measures.

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Check current prices on Amazon

Links go to the exact base unit in the table, not a bundle. Amazon prices change daily.

No confirmed Amazon listing for the exact base unit, so we do not link a guess: Bluetti AC200Max, EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max, Bluetti AC180P, Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus, Anker SOLIX C800, Bluetti AC70, Bluetti EB3A. Listed but not linked here, because they do not clear this job: EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro, Anker SOLIX C300, Bluetti Elite 30 V2, EcoFlow RIVER 2, EcoFlow RIVER 3.

Head-to-head comparisons of these units

If you were considering a gasoline generator instead

A properly sized gasoline generator will start almost any household motor and run it for days on fuel. It also kills people every year when it is run indoors, in a garage, or near a window, and the official count keeps rising after first publication:
Generator carbon monoxide deaths: the CPSC revision matrix.

Ordering before a storm? Check the arrival date at checkout — a unit that ships tomorrow can beat a better one that ships next week. Amazon Prime includes fast delivery on eligible items and starts with a free trial; we earn a commission if you join.

Sources and method

Rated capacity, continuous output and surge ratings are manufacturer-published figures, each traced to a sentence on the maker’s product or bundle listing and checked on 2026-08-23 and 2026-09-04; the listing, the date and the footnotes are given per unit on the comparison pages. Runtime is calculated by CalmWatt, not measured. Our full method is in How we verify; more comparisons are on the
Comparisons page.