The Westinghouse WGen20000 is the biggest and most powerful portable generator on the market. It stands head and shoulder above almost all other portable generators. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone to see that Westinghouse is pushing the boundaries in terms of what size of a generator can be placed on wheels and still remain “portable.” They’ve been in business since 1886, so they’ve had a lot of time to refine their manufacturing process.
The engineers at Westinghouse have created the ultimate portable gas generator for demanding applications. Specifically, this is targeted for people who want a heavy-duty emergency home backup generator, or for those working on a high-power demand jobsite. Either way, the WGen20000 is intended to provide a lot of power in a mobile form, anywhere you need it.
VIDEO / An Overview of the Westinghouse WGen20000
Review / Westinghouse WGen20000
Pound for watt, at 540 lbs. you won’t find a better price per watt then the WGen20000. Westinghouse is clearly trying to make a statement with this generator and establish themselves as a leading brand in the manufacturing of portable generators. These past few years I’ve really noticed a shift in Westinghouse in their design of their latest generation of generators. The quality of their generators is excellent, and for the money, you won’t find a better value across their entire generator lineup.
The WGen20000 is one more example of how Westinghouse is pushing the industry forward and forcing other brands to take notice.
Amazing Value : Price to Features Ratio
What impresses me the most about this generator is almost everything, and by “everything” I mean — the combination of features, power output and price — the combination of these three things is impressive and hard to find any fault in. The MSRP on the Westinghouse site is $3599, but you’ll likely find the retail price a tiny bit cheaper. Either way, you get a lot of generator for your money. It’s a remarkable value, and probably the cheapest Watt per dollar generator you’ll find.
After making that statement I suppose it’s time to dissect the features of the WGen20000.
Features Overview / Westinghouse WGen20000
Why Should you Buy it?
What Could Be Better?
The WGen20000 is for a very specific segment of the market and any criticism directed at this generator needs to be filtered to what it was built to accomplish. In our modern world, with lightning fast communication, people have become masters at complaining about every little thing and it annoys me. I often read generator reviews consumers are quick to conclude a generator is garbage, and then you find out he received a defective unit. This happens all the time. There’s little nuisance in what people criticize.
For the people that need a lot of power on wheels, this is the best portable generator money can buy. The only other generator in this category, that I’m aware of, is the Powerhorse 99932 (27KW / 18KW), and the WGen20000 is better in every department, including : Price, Quality and Features. When you look at the power output you can’t help but wonder if the engineers at Westinghouse set out to beat the Powerhorse 99932, especially in the numbers department. Well, mission accomplished.
Competition breeds more competition and in the end, consumers like you and I benefit, as prices fall.
What Can you Run with the Westinghouse WGen20000?
20,000W of running power is a lot but it’s also a little abstract unless your brain has a detailed database of what every electrical device and the peak/run wattage required to run them. Most people don’t know, which is why I decided to give you an example of what the Westinghouse WGen20000 can run simultaneously. This next section will give you a clear breakdown of what this generator can handle at once. Unless you live like a king, I’m certain this 28KW generator can meet all of your power needs during a power outage, with plenty leftover.
Diagram : Example of how much power the WGen20000 can output
Breakdown : Electrical Devices the WGen20000 can run Simultaneously
It’s quite impressive to see how much the WGen20000 can power all at once. Even after all of this, you’ll still have some wattage remaining.
| Devices | Start / Run : Watts |
|---|---|
| Incandescent Lights (5 x 60 watt bulbs) | 300W / 300W |
| LED Lights (5 x 11 watt bulbs) | 55W / 55W |
| Freezer | 1750W / 810W |
| Refrigerator (20 cu.ft.) (Energy Star) | 2000W / 200W |
| 2X Laptop | 480W / 480W |
| 42″ Television | 200W / 200W |
| Air conditioner | 2200W / 1500W |
| Furnace Fan | 400W / 400W |
| Coffee Maker | 1100W / 1100W |
| Dishwasher | 1450W / 1400W |
| Electric Range | 1500W / 1500W |
| Garbage Disposal | 450W / 225W |
| Microwave | 1500W / 1300W |
| Toaster | 1050W / 1050W |
| Electric Clothes Dryer | 6000W / 3500W |
| Washing Machine – Clothes | 1650W / 900W |
| Hair Dryer | 1950W / 1300W |
| Home Security | 180W / 180W |
| Space Heater | 1800W / 1800W |
| Vacuum Cleaner | 1100W / 1075W |
If you add up all of these numbers, you get the following total wattage for Starting and Running.
Starting = 27,115 Watts
Running = 19,275 Watts
These numbers are here to give you a rough idea of what the WGen20000 can power at near maximum capacity, but it’s never a good idea to push your generator to 100% capacity. Would you drive you car at full speed all day long? Doing so puts a lot of stress on the generator and will shorten its lifespan — assuming you do this as your regular usage pattern. Also, the generator will produce more noise the closer you move to maximum output, which might drive you crazy. If you were to power all of these devices listed, putting it close to maximum load, you’d be able to keep them all running for about 5.5 hours to 6 hours. Then you’d have to refuel.
If your total running watts equals 10,000W (50% load), you’d be able to keep all of your devices running for about 11 hours before you have to refuel. It’s wise to buy a bigger generator than you think you need, then aim to run it below its maximum load capacity. Numbers are often misleading, especially if you don’t understand that real-world conditions are messy and never optimal.
Hire an Electrician to Connect to your Home Transfer Switch
The WGen20000 will easily connect to your home with two 50A outlets but please make sure you have it installed by a professional certified electrician to avoid any problems. I know a lot of homeowners like to DIY everything and save some money, but unless you’re electrician, it’s not worth the risk. You might end up creating a fire hazard if you don’t know what you’re doing. I personally stay away from any electrical work as I know my limits. Please be honest with yourself and pay a professional to do it for.
Rear View — Westinghouse WGen20000
Should you Buy A Portable Generator for Emergencies / Natural Disasters
The Westinghouse WGen20000 fills a need for homeowners who want to guarantee they will never be without power. People want to be self-sufficient. It’s a human need. Ever since the pandemic I’ve noticed that people have become less trusting of the government and because of how the pandemic was handled, people realize that when a disaster happens, it will take a long time before anybody will come to help. This is an unsettling feeling as we all want to believe that the world is somehow looking out for us, but the truth is we’re generally on our own.
Natural disasters just happen. It’s difficult to prepare for them, but you can bet they will eventually happen. It’s inevitable. Let’s say an earthquake destroys the power grid and you find yourself without power for an extended period of time, you need to be able to take care of your energy needs for weeks. In extreme cases, the power could be out for a long time, an uncomfortable amount of time. Personally, I’d feel a lot better knowing I had the WGen2000 ready to go or a heavy-duty solar battery generator, so you can easily recharge it with solar panels.
The one drawback of a gas generator during a natural disaster is that you still need to source gasoline. It’s entirely possible to go out into the world and find gas if you have transportation — On the other hand, if you don’t have a generator, you’re screwed because you can just go out and find a generator. I’ll take the gasoline problem every time. But, don’t count out having a solar generator as they do have advantages over gas. Nowadays many companies have created some truly impressive scalable portable power station generators that can run your entire home.
something they can rely on and trust and I think that a lot of people will want to own the WGen20000 to keep their entire house functioning especially during the hottest and coldest days of the year.
Another growing market for portable generators is for people who live in ares where natural disasters are expected and/or likely to happen in the near future. Sadly, natural disasters are a part of the natural world, and because humans live in all areas of the planet, this means that any natural disaster, no matter how remote, will likely affect a lot of people. If you live in a region susceptible to hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, or severe weather events such as drought or massive winter storms, then investing in a powerful portable generator like the WGen20000 is a wise place to put your money.
I assure you, when a disaster strikes you will wish you spent the money long before, and you’ll likely wonder why you didn’t prepare for something that was inevitable. And, I bet you’d happily pay double the retail price. I understand why a lot of people hesitate buying a portable generator as emergency backup power. It’s not natural to spend a lot money today for something that you might not need or use for a couple of years, or five years from now.
It’s a conundrum for people to do something they don’t have to do. But, I will also say that it’s important that you think it through rationally and make a decision with your intellect, rather than make a knee-jerk reaction. It seems to be a flaw in our thinking that we wait for a crisis to hit us before we change. Sadly, it happens again and again to people and it’s possible to avoid some of the pain and suffering that happens after emergency events, like natural disasters and power outages. By planning ahead and getting all of the gear and supplies you need long before the disaster happens. This is a choice you can make, and I ask you to seriously look at the risk of not being prepared.
Whether or not the Westinghouse WGen20000 is for you, I have no idea. It might be, but maybe you will be fine with a smaller portable generator. Only you know the answer, but if you want as much power you can get your hands on, to maintain your life no matter is going on outside then you won’t find a better portable generator than the Westinghouse WGen20000. This is the biggest portable gas generator on the market target for consumers.
Rolling Blackout, Brownouts & the Decline of Electrical Power
We live in a world where we can no longer rely on the power grid to always be there when we need it. Rolling blackouts in Texas and California are becoming more common because their power grid cannot meet the power demands of everybody who needs it during extreme weather events.
Rolling black-outs are a way to prevent the entire power grid from shutting down by reducing the number of people who can access electricity. They are simply a crude preventive measure but it highlights the deficiency of the power grid in certain regions. The vulnerability of the power grid in Texas and California are revealed are most vulnerable during extreme heat condition when everyone turns on their air conditioners and in winter, when freezing temperatures force everyone to turn up their heaters.
Basically, when you need electricity the most, there’s a chance it might be taken away from you.
If they don’t implement rolling blackouts, the entire power grid may shut down completely, leaving everybody in the region in the dark and without power. They are way to control the power grid and ensure it’s never gets pushed to the point of breaking. On the other hand, brownouts are another method used by the electric companies to manage the power grid. With brownouts, they reduce the amount of energy available to every household, limiting the number of electrical devices you can use at one time.
Portable and stand-by generators are a way for people to guarantee they’ll never be without power. This trend is growing fast, especially now because technology is a fundamental need to keep our lives moving forward, and ensuring we’re productive. Without electricity, we are quite useless, unable to to be productive. Like it or not, we are a species dependent on electricity for our well-being, peace of mind and ultimately, our survival.
VIDEO / Walk-Around the WGen2000 — A Closer Look
Final Thoughts / Should you Buy the WGen20000?
It’s always tricky to tell someone whether or not they should buy something because it always depends on the problem you’re trying to solve. I don’t know your situation but I’m assuming you need backup power. The WGen20000 provides more power than a lot of standby generators, so if you want backup power for your home, why not just buy a standby model? They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Obviously, the advantage of the Westinghouse WGen20000 is that you can move it around to where you need it. It gives you more flexibility to where you can use it.
For example, lets say something were to make your home unlivable due to a natural disaster, well, in theory you can lift the WGen20000 into the back of your Ford F150, or other heavy-duty pickup, and drive off with the WGen20000 and take it wherever you go. You can’t do that with a standby generator. Also, you can use this to power your high-powered tools if you’re involved with construction industry, or maybe you own a construction company and you want to provide power to your workers.
This is targeted for high-power situations. I can see the prepping community getting behind this as well, although the lack of solar charging does limit its usage. I really wish Westinghouse made this a dual-fuel generator because it’s much easier to store propane than it is gasoline. I’m sure they have their reasons to keep this a gas only generator but maybe if this becomes popular they will add a dual fuel option. They usually have both types in all of their other portable generators so I find it a little odd that they didn’t take the same approach with this generator.
Either way, the Westinghouse WGen20000 stands high above other portable generators on the market and is easily the best powerful portable generator money can buy. There’s little to criticize it for. Time will tell how it holds up over time. It’s impossible to know how reliable it will be in 5 years from now, but based on the history of other Westinghouse generators, I feel confident in saying this will be very dependable and will live up to your expectations. Let’s revisit this in five years and see how it all turned out.
