I work from home every day for my job, so I have to have reliable electricity. Unfortunately, on occasion we have power outages where I live. Most of these last less than a minute, so my UPS handles them without a problem. But sometimes they can last for a few hours.
I tried using a 400W voltage inverter connected to my car; I plugged the UPS into the voltage inverter, and I plugged all of my devices (computer, monitors, router, modem) into the UPS. But after about 10 minutes, the UPS ran out of power and died. Apparently it was using more power than the inverter could put out.
I finally ended up getting a WEN 2000W inverter generator. And it came in very handy today, because the power went out about an hour before I needed to clock in. I cranked up the generator (it’s pretty quiet compared to standard generators), plugged my UPS into it, and ran the computer and other devices off of the UPS. The generator ran like a champ all day (8-1/2 hours) on one gallon of gas! (I probably could have gone longer.) The UPS didn’t fail at all; it worked perfectly.
Here’s what I bought:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-Super-Quiet-2000-Watt-Gas-Powered-Inverter-Generator-with-CARB-Compliant-Engine-56200i/205825829?MERCH=REC-_-rv_homepage_rr-_-NA-_-205825829-_-N
The generator was $431.23, and the 3-year extended warranty was $75. With sales tax and a few other things I needed to buy (grounding wire, gas can, gas, oil, magnetic oil dipstick), the total came to about $600.
I said earlier that it was pretty quiet. It was a lot quieter than a traditional generator; and no one I spoke with on the phone could hear it running. But it was right outside of my house, about 10 feet from where I work, and my walls are thin; the noise got on my nerves a bit.
I wanted to get a Honda inverter generator – they say that Honda is the best one you can buy. But it costs $1009 at Home Depot, so I decided against it.
with Windows 8.1 running in a VM