How long will a power station run a chest freezer?
Longer than most people expect. A chest freezer’s compressor draws around 100 W when it runs, but good insulation means it runs only part of the time. Averaged over a day, a typical chest freezer uses about 720 Wh, or 30 W continuous. Older or larger models can use twice that.
| Station | Runtime |
|---|---|
| 500 Wh | 14 h 10 min |
| 1,000 Wh | 1.2 days |
| 1,500 Wh | 1.8 days |
| 2,000 Wh | 2.4 days |
| 3,000 Wh | 3.5 days |
Surge and output
The compressor pulls several times its running power for a moment at start-up, often around 600 W. Most stations of 500 W output and up handle that, but check the surge rating on smaller units.
Stretching it
- Keep the lid shut. According to the USDA, a full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours with no power at all (24 hours if half full), so you can run it in shifts.
- Fill empty space with jugs of water. Frozen mass holds the cold longer.
- Share the station with the fridge: the calculator adds both and shows the combined runtime.
See 1000 Wh power stations on Amazon
Figures assume 85% efficiency on AC and typical draws. The label on your appliance, or a plug-in power meter, gives the exact number; enter it in the calculator.