Write running watts, then starting watts, then watt-hours. Brand comes last.

Updated August 26, 2026 · The Home Backup · thehomebackup.com

Order of operations

Most returns in this category start with a cart, not a circuit list. Reverse that. The Home Backup uses the same sequence on every money page. Job first. Inverter second. Kilowatt-hours third. Cables and panels fourth. Brand last. Method: how we review.

1. Running watts. Add the loads that will be on together. Not the nameplate of everything in the house.
2. Starting watts. Compressors and motors need a short spike. If the inverter cannot do that second, the fridge never starts.
3. Watt-hours. Rough runtime hours ≈ usable Wh ÷ average running watts. Plan conservatively.
4. Chemistry. Prefer LiFePO4 / LFP for home-backup cycling unless you have a specific reason not to.
5. Recharge. Wall watts recover the pack between flickers. Solar is weather. Voc must stay under the station’s solar maximum.
6. Ports. UPS pass-through, a 12 V path for some CPAPs, and whether you actually need a TT-30 are lifestyle details. They are not afterthoughts.

Running watts

Running watts are the continuous draw while the device is doing its job. A modern refrigerator often sits in a 150–250 W band once the compressor is spinning. LEDs and a laptop brick are rounding error. A microwave is a short 1,000 W-class punch. An ONT plus Wi-Fi is usually well under 50 W combined — measure yours.

Add only what will run at the same time. Fridge plus network plus lamps is a different inverter problem than fridge plus microwave plus a space heater. Heat empties 2 kWh before dinner. If heat is non-negotiable, leave this class for whole-house generators or home batteries. Clamp if you can. Nameplates beat a guess.

Starting watts

Starting watts are the first second. Compressors, pumps, and some power supplies demand several times running watts. If the inverter folds, the fridge clicks and sits warm. That is a failed backup, not a “runtime” problem.

This is why we care about continuous output and, when a manufacturer prints it, peak. Among the named cores:

• Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus: 3,000 W continuous. Surge left blank — the live page was unclear or conflicting. We will not invent a 6,000 W peak.
• BLUETTI AC200L: 2,400 W continuous. Surge left blank for the same reason.
• Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2: 2,400 W continuous, 4,000 W peak. Peak is the one printed number in this trio.

3,000 W continuous is more headroom than 2,400 W for stacked 120 V loads. 4,000 W peak is a documented spike, not a well-pump rating. None of these inverters is 240 V. A 240 V well belongs on the Anker SOLIX F3800 (6,000 W, 9,000 W surge, 120/240 V) or a pad plant. Test: plug your fridge in on a calm afternoon. Your compressor is the experiment.

Watt-hour math

Watt-hours are the tank. Watts are the engine. Runtime hours are tank divided by average engine load, after you admit inverter loss and that you should not plan on 100% of nameplate.

Nameplate capacities we copy: Jackery 2,042.8 Wh, BLUETTI 2,048 Wh, Anker 2,048 Wh. For planning, treat them as ~2 kWh packs. A conservative usable figure is 80–90% of nameplate on lithium iron phosphate. We still quote nameplate because that is what the cart shows.

Examples, not promises. Network only at 20–40 W lasts a long time. Fridge plus network at an 80–150 W average is a half-day to day-plus band, not a week — duty cycle is the unknown. Microwave bursts and a 1,500 W heater empty the tank in minutes. Do not buy this class for heat.

Expandability changes the tank, not the math. BLUETTI lists up to 8,192 Wh on the AC200L. Anker lists up to 4 kWh on the C2000 Gen 2. Jackery names the Battery Pack 2000 Plus. Extra packs help multi-day 120 V outages. They do not help a 240 V load. Details: Jackery vs BLUETTI vs Anker SOLIX.

Chemistry

Jackery lists LiFePO4. BLUETTI lists LiFePO4. Anker lists LFP. Same family. For a station that sits, then cycles in a storm, lithium iron phosphate is the chemistry we prefer. We copy that word and stop — no cycle-count slides. Keep the case dry and indoor-adjacent. Follow the live page for temperature limits. We do not invent storage numbers they did not print.

Voc matching and recharge

Wall AC is how most households refill a station between flickers. We do not invent wall-charge wattages or “0–100% in X minutes” because those numbers were not in the dated spec set we are allowed to quote. Read the live product page for charge rates the week you buy.

Solar is a weather machine. Nameplate panel watts are not what you get at 4 p.m. under clouds. A 200 W folder in decent sun might return on the order of 0.6–1.2 kWh/day, not 200 × 8. Overnight fridge backup is a battery problem. Multi-day grid-down is a battery-plus-panel problem.

Open-circuit voltage (Voc) must stay under the station’s solar maximum, including cold-sun rise. Series wiring raises Voc. Parallel raises current. If you cannot say which one you are doing, buy a single matched panel first.

Stay in-family:

• Jackery core → SolarSaga 200W (200 W, 14.33 lb, IP68, Voc not clearly listed on the page we copied).
• BLUETTI core → SP200L (200 W, Voc 24.6 V, 17.15 lb).
• Anker core → PS400 (400 W, 35.3 lb, IP67, Voc not clearly listed).

Full matching rules: portable panel buying guide. Named folders: best portable solar panels. Silo: portable solar panels.

Ports, UPS, and TT-30

We will not invent port maps. Ask three questions on the live page, then test.

1. UPS / pass-through. Some stations pass wall power and pick up the load if the grid drops. If that matters for a PC or modem, confirm switchover and test it. Do not assume every 2 kWh case is a UPS.
2. 12 V path. Some CPAPs prefer DC. Ask the device maker, then match a port. We are not a clinic. House-use notes: stations for home backup.
3. TT-30. A 30 A RV-style outlet is useful if you already own the cord. It does not turn 120 V into a 240 V house feed.

Use a cord rated for the load. Do not backfeed a dryer outlet. Inlet and interlock work is licensed work.

Apply the math to the three named SKUs

Job-based “who should buy which” lives on the best-of. Here is the arithmetic only.

Jackery

Explorer 2000 Plus

Fridge and essentials on 120 V. Extra packs if the outage lasts.

Capacity

2,042.8 Wh

Output

3,000 W

Voltage

120 V

Weight

61.5 lb

$899 $2,199

Street price on the manufacturer page, August 26, 2026. Sales move.

See Jackery price

BLUETTI

AC200L

Same ~2 kWh job as the Jackery, with a modular extra-battery path.

Capacity

2,048 Wh

Output

2,400 W

Voltage

120 V

Weight

62.4 lb

$899

Street price on the manufacturer page, August 26, 2026. Sales move.

See BLUETTI price

Anker SOLIX

C2000 Gen 2

Lighter 2 kWh station. Still 120 V — not a well-pump inverter.

Capacity

2,048 Wh

Output

2,400 W

Surge / peak

4,000 W peak

Voltage

120 V

$999.99

Street price on the manufacturer page, August 26, 2026. Sales move.

See Anker SOLIX price

Photos are official manufacturer product shots. Specs and street prices from the linked product pages, August 26, 2026. Blank cells were not stated clearly on those pages.

All three are ~2,048 Wh and 120 V. Treat the tank as the same size on day one. Differences that change the math:

• Inverter. 3,000 W (Jackery) vs 2,400 W (BLUETTI and Anker). Stacked running watts care. A fridge plus a microwave is closer to the 2,400 W ceiling than to 3,000 W.
• Peak. Only Anker printed 4,000 W peak in this set. Jackery and BLUETTI surge cells stay blank. Starting-watt confidence is therefore uneven on paper. Your fridge test is the tie-breaker for those two.
• Weight in the runtime plan. 41.7 lb (Anker) vs 61.5 lb (Jackery) vs 62.4 lb (BLUETTI). Weight does not change watt-hours. It changes whether the station is in the kitchen when you need it.
• Tank growth. 8,192 Wh ceiling (BLUETTI) vs 4 kWh (Anker) vs Battery Pack 2000 Plus (Jackery). Multi-day 120 V math belongs here. 240 V math does not.
• Street price, August 26, 2026. Jackery $899 (was $2,199). BLUETTI $899. Anker $999.99. Price per nameplate watt-hour is close. Do not let a compare-at sticker do the sizing for you.

Next: best stations · home backup use · silo hub