Do you have a tailgate generator? Have you ever been to a tailgate party? What’s your team, and what’s your sport? Is it Oregon Ducks football, is it Boston Celtics basketball, Oakland A’s baseball, what colors do you fly? Either way, you’re watching the game.
Every week on the hour, at kickoff, at tipoff, just before the first pitch you’ve got a drink in your hand, a burger on the grill, and you’re surrounded by friends and family, that’s what it’s all about. Whether you’re at Autzen Stadium, TD Garden, The Coliseum, or just in the backyard, that doesn’t matter, it’s game time ,and today we will talking about Growatt's powerful product, a wonderful tailgate generator, that’s only going to make gameday that much better.
What is a Tailgate Generator?
A tailgate generator is a portable generator specifically designed for tailgating events. Tailgate generators are perfect for powering small electrical devices and appliances while tailgating since they are portable, lightweight, and compact. These generators are frequently distinguished by their lightweight construction, practical features, and comparatively modest power output.
Benefits of Tailgate Generator
Tailgating is an interesting social outdoorsy activity that is sometimes even more enjoyable than watching the game live. As people learn more about tailgate parties, it can create a great experience and atmosphere by adding some electrical equipment, especially using a generator to power the entire party! There are several ways to get power outdoors/ camping (we've discussed this topic before), and you may have used a car battery or battery pack as a tailgate power source before, but now let's take a look at the benefits of having a generator for tailgating.
- TV, one of the most important devices for tailgating, whether it's watching a pre-match report or a live game, can give you something fun to talk and cheer about with your tailgating friends.
- Cellphone, you may say to use the power bank, but if enough friends attend tailgating, the sockets of the power bank are not enough at all, and it’s even easy to run out of power.
- Kitchen appliances, it is now more and more popular to use electric ovens in tailgating to cook hamburgers and buns, and even barbecue. Not only that, if you have a tailgate generator, you can also bring your coffee maker, blender, and other equipment to make delicious food, which will keep your friends who attend the game lingering.
- Lights, even if it's dark, the generator can power your tailgating lights anytime, anywhere, even though you may have a portable lighting device.
Types of tailgate generators
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Gasoline Generator
This is the most common type of portable generator for tailgating, suitable for low-power equipment and appliances, and it can only be used outdoors. This generator is also commonly used as a home emergency power backup for power outages. Some of them are inverter generators.
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Diesel Generator
This type of generator is more fuel efficient than gasoline generators and is suitable for use in harsh conditions, for example, soccer game season is usually throughout the winter, and some areas can be very cold so it may be the best choice to use this type of generator when holding a tailgate party in freezing temperatures.
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Solar Generator
This is the only type that can run indoors, it may be the best portable generator for tailgating, it consists of a portable power station and solar panels. It is a clean, renewable energy source, relatively safe and reliable. It relies on solar energy to charge and store electricity during the day, and it has multiple outlets, supporting charging and discharging at the same time, which is very easy to carry and move. Its advantages over other generators include low noise. You can imagine that when people watch the game and discuss it at the tailgate party, they don’t want to hear the huge noise generated by the generator. Therefore, the solar generator may also be the best quiet generator.
Things to consider when choosing a generator for tailgating
Before purchasing a generator for your tailgate party, you need to consider the following points to determine the best tailgate generator for you.
- Running time: You don't want your generator to break down midway and interrupt the process of enjoying the party with your partners, so you need to determine the running time you want, which depends on your power consumption and the capacity of the generator, i.e. calculate your power need.
- Output: This generally refers to the operating power. You may run several appliances or devices at the same time, which requires the generator to provide sufficient power.
- Noise: Many generators are noisy, and the loud generator is annoying, but many people had to accept it before. As I said before, you certainly do not want the tailgate party to be drowned in the noise of the generator, so the noise level is one of the important factors that people will consider when choosing a generator.
- Portable: Some generators weigh hundreds of pounds, and you can't move them at all. You need to consider that you will move it to a specific place outdoors, so the portability needs to be considered.
- Price: The price of generators varies greatly from brand to brand, type to type, and wattage to wattage. People are used to measuring whether they are expensive in terms of price per watt, which depends on your budget.
Hosting a tailgate party with a best tailgate generator
There’s only a few things which are necessary for the perfect backyard tailgate, you’ll need to have a grill for burgers, hotdogs, and all the veggies, you’ll need a cooler stocked with ice cold drinks, and a big screen TV with some great speakers to broadcast the game. Technology is meant to make our lives easier, and that’s just what Growatt’s new Infinity 1500 power station has done.
The usual tailgate might include a traditional charcoal grill, an icebox filled with bags of ice, and the TV in the living room with the speakers blasting for all to hear. While the traditional tailgate has been perfected over decades of gamenight’s, you might want to consider something new and improved with today’s modern tech.
Imagine next Sunday’s rivalries fueled without any dirty charcoal briquettes that soil your clothes, not by dripping wet ice and water leaks, or the lack of outdoor socialization that’s tied to your TV’s living room, imagine a tailgate party powered 100% by battery powered electricity.
The grill is electric and fires right up without hassle, a portable refrigerator keeps the drinks cold without the mess, you can power a large outdoor speaker, a few sets of outdoor lighting, and even your TV if you want to bring it in the back, all plugged into the Infinity 1500, capable of powering all the party essentials simultaneously.
Most people wouldn’t even think of moving the tailgate outside of the parking lot or the backyard, because no one can stand those noisy generators over the cheering of the game, but today, with the powerful silence of electricity, that’s all possible. Then, if you can stream the game, the possibilities are endless; Go anywhere, grill anything and kick your feet up wherever you like with one power source for all your gameday needs.
Truly off-grid tailgating at its finest.
Power for the entire game - The Best Tailgate Generator
You might be skeptical that something so small, weighing in at only 36 lbs, could power all your tailgating accessories for the entire game so let’s run the numbers.
Grill:
Your primary piece of equipment, the grill, or a 4 burner electric stove on average might use 1200W of continuous power. That’s a lot for some devices, but Growatt’s Infinity 1500 can power that with no problem and room to spare. When powering continuously, it could run the electric grill for over an hour, but since it’s electric, you can fire up the grill on an as needed basis, rather than burning the coals all at once. About 30 minutes of continuous use should be plenty for a few burgers and some veggies.
TV:
The average 32 inch TV uses 58W of power, so our oversized 50 inch game day flatscreen might use 75W of continuous power, we can add that into the mix EASY!
It might take a full three and a half hours to watch the Cowboys get crushed on Thanksgiving day, so that’s another 225Wh sacrificed to the draft kings.
Fridge or Cooler:
Maybe you want to power an electric cooler with the 12V plug directly on the side of the Infinity 1500, a decently sized 60W cooler can hold all the drinks your cousin Steve can handle, and it’ll only drain 120Wh over 4 hours estimating that it is actively cooling for half of that.
We’re now down to about a quarter of our capacity left, and have a bit of headroom to play with for our external surround sound speaker system. It'll be important to hear the announcer's commentary when Angel Hernandes is blowing calls left and right!
Speakers:
As all you audiophiles know, a decent sound system is backed by raw power, but how many watts do you need? A typical wired or wireless speaker set with decent subwoofers might consume 25-50W of continuous power, but the 50W speaker is not twice as loud, rather 3 decibels louder. What this means exactly can be left to the experts, but left with an additional 110Wh, and for our purposes, a 25 Watt speaker can be powered for the whole game with some room to spare, about 17% worth, for other devices.
Lighting and other Devices:
Of course the Infinity 1500 still has the wattage to power some serious outdoor lighting. A few strands of LED Christmas lights consuming 20W would make a great addition to any tailgate’s ambiance. In lieu of that, a blender and a few margaritas could probably accomplish that same goal!
Finally, there’s always someone whose phone is chronically about to die, why not throw them a bone? I’m sure they can manage a few minutes without it at half time, and you could easily give them a full charge drawing only 7W for an hour or two. They don’t even need a cord, with the Infinity 1500’s wireless charging, they can simply place their phone directly on top of the unit, and it will begin fast charging right away.
That’s it! The game just ended, and the battery is still at 12% leaving a bit of cushion in case we see any overtime. The Infinity 1500 is still rounding the bases after a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, or maybe it’s limping home helping us lick our wounds after a last second interception, either way, with its help, you were able to power your wildest hopes and dreams for the entirety of the game, and the ultimate tailgating party.
In total, you could have powered all your devices throughout the entire game, even all at once, consuming as much as 1378W total continuous power which is well under the Infinity’s max output of 2000W, so you’d always have room for more if you needed!
|
Tech |
Wattage |
Duration |
Total Draw |
Remaining Capacity |
|
Infinity 1500 |
2000W (max) |
∞ |
∞ |
100% |
|
Electric Grill |
1200W |
0.5 Hours |
600Wh |
53% |
|
Television |
75W |
3.5 Hours |
263Wh |
33% |
|
Cooler |
60W |
2.0 Hours |
120Wh |
24% |
|
Speakers |
25W |
3.5 Hours |
87.5Wh |
17% |
|
Lighting |
20W |
2 Hours |
40Wh |
14% |
|
Phone |
7W |
2 |
14Wh |
12% |
|
Final |
1378W (Continuous) |
4+ Hrs |
1125Wh |
12% |
Features of Tailgate Generator that come in clutch (important features)
Charging:
With a charging speed faster than it will take to buy all the condiments from the store, you can be locked and loaded for a game day that just might include overtime, and you can even charge the Infinity 1500 while you’re in the car via the 12V outlet.
With Growatt’s best in class inverter, MPPT, charge controller, and battery management system technology you can charge this thing up at your house from 0% to 100% in just 2 hours with the wall charger, and from 0% to 100% in only 2.5 hours if you’re using solar panels, either way you cut it, for a capacity of 1512Wh that’s FAST.
The numbers only get better with the addition of any amount of solar panels. Unlike some other brands, the 100W and 200W solar panels also sold by Growatt use a universal MC4 solar connection, meaning that you don’t need any special adapters to plug into any batteries you’re looking to charge.
With 800W of available solar connection headroom originating from any standard solar panels, the Infinity 1500’s capability of charging up in only 2.5 hours smashes the competition and allows it to really shine when it comes to solar generating capacity. With the solar panels extending the batteries lifetime, you can now also host the pregame and the post game after action reviews wherever you are!
Battery Technology:
You might be asking yourself, “That’s a lot of power, can the Infinity 1500 really handle all that, and for how long?’
The Infinity 1500 uses cutting edge NMC battery technology. This combination of Nickel, Manganese, and Cobalt has a higher energy density and can be smaller and lighter than comparably sized batteries. Growatt’s best in class bi-directional inverter technology also allows the battery to charge up extremely fast, and last up to 800 cycles to 60% capacity. That’s more than a decade of game days powered, and the battery isn’t even finished, it still shouldn’t have any issues, or problems, it just won’t hold quite as much power as it did when the Warriors set the standard of a 73 win season, and won five straight championships.
Taking Care of your Power Station
There really isn’t any maintenance to be done, the unit is rugged and durable, built with industrial grade components like all of Growatt’s products, and it genuinely doesn’t need much attention. To ensure your Infinity 1500 lasts as long as possible, it’s recommended to simply use and charge it regularly.
The Growatt APP can easily let you know both basic and advanced information about your unit, it tells you everything from remaining battery charge and the power draw of certain devices through remote monitoring in addition to overall battery health and charge cycles.
Costs of Electric Tailgating
There are 17 weeks of games in the regular NFL season. Just think, 17 weeks of charcoal bags, 17 weeks of ice from the store, a couple full tanks of propane, and don’t even get started thinking about a gas powered generator if you wanted to move more than ten feet from your backdoor.
In today’s markets we’re talking about some serious bread being dished out before we even get to the buns. Given the similar up front costs of electric vs traditional tailgating setups, the ongoing costs of Growatt’s electric setup is essentially zero outside of a dollar or two per charge at home or just go with solar, making the tailgate powered by entirely renewable energy!
What Matters Most of Our Best Generator for Tailgate Party
The Infinity 1500 is a device that can be used for so much more, camping trips with a similar and quite luxurious camp setup, it can be used in the garage or at a jobsite for power tools, and it can provide backup power for appliances around the house in case of an outage. And It is also suitable for RV camping, also a kind of rv generator. We’re talking serious versatility here!
In the end, what truly matters is whether your team shows up for you on gameday, we know you’ll be there, your friends and family will be there, waiting, watching, and holding out hope that you make the playoffs.
Shop Growatt Tailgate Generator
FAQs:
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What size generator do I need to tailgate?
Depending on your power needs, you need to calculate according to the equipment and usage time of tailgating, and finally choose a generator with sufficient power and power capacity. We recommend choosing a generator with an output of not less than 2000 watts, generally, a 2000W generator is enough for most of your appliances or equipment to run. In addition, the larger the capacity, the better.
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How do you get power while tailgating?
You can use a generator, or a portable power station, or multiple power banks, or a battery pack, or use a deep cycle battery, or use a car battery with an AC converter, etc. These can be ways to get power while tailgating outdoors.
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How do I power my TV with tailgating?
The best way to watch TV at tailgating is to use a generator combined with an HDTV antenna or wireless WIFI device. If your TV has a screen mirroring function, it is even easier. You can also mirror screens from your phone or use an HDMI cable. The video feed is projected to the TV to share with your tailgating guests. Aslo, you can learn more details in this article.
