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. Every one of the 28 units has the battery to run a typical full-size refrigerator (150 W running, 900 W start) well past 12 hours on our assumptions — from about 4 hours on the 1 kWh units to 55–64 on the DELTA Pro 3. Start-up is the real test, and 23 of the 28 clear it: DELTA Pro 3, DELTA Pro, Apex 300, Elite 200 V2, C2000 Gen 2, AC200L, AC200Max, DELTA 2 Max, 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). For RIVER 2 Pro, C300, Elite 30 V2 the published figures do not let us say. Note that the DELTA 2, RIVER 3 Plus has left its maker’s catalog (checked 2026-08-23).
Why start-up comes before runtime
A refrigerator compressor draws a brief surge when it starts — for a typical full-size unit 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 rated well above it.
Only when neither figure settles it do we say the start-up cannot be assessed.
Every spec-verified unit, same refrigerator, same 12 hours
Sorted by refrigerator runtime; assumptions are under the table.
| Unit | Refrigerator start-up | Refrigerator runtime | Runs 12 hours? | 40 W CPAP | 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 | 72–84 hr | 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 | 63–74 hr | 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 | 48–57 hr | 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 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 |
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 | about 6 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 | about 6 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 Left EcoFlow’s catalog; superseded by (checked 2026-08-23) |
Clears 900 W start (1,200 W surge stated) | about 5 hr | No | about 6 hr | Unlikely to start | Unlikely to start |
| Bluetti EB3A 269 Wh · 600 W continuous |
Clears 900 W start (1,200 W surge stated) | 4–5 hr | No | 5–6 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 | 5–6 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 | about 5 hr | Will not run | Will not run |
How to read this. Refrigerator: 150 W running, 900 W
start, compressor running 35% of the time. CPAP: 40 W without humidifier, continuous. Gas furnace
blower: 400 W, 1,600 W start, 40% duty. Sump pump: 500 W, 1,800 W start, 15% duty. DC-to-AC efficiency
assumed by load: 70%–82% at 0%–5% of the inverter rating; 80%–87% at 5%–20% of the inverter rating; 85%–90% at 20%–80% of the inverter rating; 82%–88% at 80%–110% of the inverter 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)” in the furnace and sump columns 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 refrigerator’s label is the number that
matters. We have not bench-tested any of these units. 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. EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus: the manufacturer’s store listing now redirects to the and the unit is gone from the series catalog; its marketing page with the spec tab was still online when checked.
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
Any of the 23 units that clear the start-up check will run a typical refrigerator well past
12 hours. 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.
Check current prices on Amazon
Links go to the exact base unit in the table, not a bundle. Amazon prices change daily.
Not linked: Bluetti AC200Max, EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max, Bluetti AC180P, Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus, EcoFlow DELTA 2, Anker SOLIX C800, Bluetti EB3A — we could not confirm an Amazon listing for the exact base unit, and we do not link a guess.
Head-to-head comparisons of these units
- Bluetti AC200L vs Bluetti AC200Max
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 vs EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- Bluetti AC180 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- Anker SOLIX C1000 vs Bluetti AC180
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 vs EcoFlow DELTA 3
- Bluetti AC180 vs EcoFlow DELTA 2
- Anker SOLIX C1000 vs EcoFlow DELTA 2
- Anker SOLIX C1000 vs Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
- Anker SOLIX C1000 vs EcoFlow DELTA 3
If you were considering a gasoline generator instead
A properly sized gasoline generator will start almost any household refrigerator 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.
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; 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.