Throwing an outdoor tented party is a great way to have a good time – so long as you have enough power to keep the party going. First and foremost, it’s important to figure out what size generator you need to fuel your tented party without fail. Without the right generator, your entire party can go down in a flash, and that’s the last thing anyone wants. There are a variety of factors that’ll influence the right size generator for you so you can throw the perfect party.
3 Things You Need to Know to Find the Ideal Generator Size for a Tented Party
What items require power during your party?
The first order of business is to determine how many different aspects of your party will require power – are you going to be cooking on-site? What about AC, lighting, and a sound system?
How many watts will this add up to?
Add up the number of watts each item on your list requires and then tally them up.
Find the largest possible surge watts you’ll need.
It’s better to have more than enough power, so make sure to add up the largest possible sum of watts you will use at any given time. Keep in mind that different items will require more watts at certain points of the event. For instance, a small bounce house may only need 800 watts to maintain its bounce, but it’ll require 1955 watts to blow up. Of course, not all of your watts will surge at once so simply add the highest surge watts to the total running watts.
Average Running Watts Needed to Fuel Popular Items
Just to give you an idea, here’s a look at how many watts some common party items require:
Large screen TV: 500
50 small string lights: 20
Small appliances: 350 (surge watts: 500)
AC/ Heating (13,500 BTU): 1600 (surge wats: 2,300)
Popcorn or Cotton Candy machine: 2100
Computer: 800
Watts quickly add up, and it’s easy to forget the little things like food warmers, perimeter lighting, dance floor lighting and coffee makers, and don’t forget about that photobooth! We recommend making a list and then coming back to it several times in order to ensure you’ve got it all. In addition, talking to your vendors ahead of time will help give you a better idea about all of the elements you’ll need to power up.
Doing the Math
Once you calculate the total sum of running watts you’ll need, add the highest number in the surge column to determine the appropriately sized generator you’ll need to rent. Generators come in a wide range of sizes, from 2,000 watts to 7,500 watts.
Another factor that may influence how many generators you need is availability to hook ups. You may only be able to hook up a couple different items to each generator so it’s important to consider this and ask about it when pricing out generators for rent. Extension cords can increase electrical requirements and aren’t always recommended.
Sound Levels Matter
Some generators are incredibly noisy and can actually impact your party in a negative way with sound pollution. Luckily, there are higher quality generators that are not nearly as noisy. It’s worth the extra investment to get a generator that doesn’t make more noise than the party you’re throwing.
Rent Generators & More from Cooling Power
Cooling Power is here to help you throw an awesome party! We offer a variety of generators and spot coolers for tented events. Need help determining the right size generator for your party? We are more than happy to help.