As a Master Electrician in 4 States and being in construction, I have seen all types of generators. From the loud ones with the glorified lawn mower engines to the small that couldn't even run a saw. I recommend a 3800 watt to a 5000 watt to run your essentials during an outage, and wired properly to a transfer switch or a Gen-Tran switch. Back feeding your dryer outlet and turning off the main breaker is unexceptionable and illegal and is a voilation of the national electrical code. You risk damage to your equipment and possibly death to the linemen working on the poles trying restore your power. A transfer switch is, with one flick of a switch you disconnect the utility power, then the next position is generator, With a transfer switch there is no need to worry about the 2 power sources clashing.

Just remember, even though you are planning to buy a good size generator you still have to watch your power consumption. It is not an unlimited supply of electricity like the commercial power that comes into your house. You must conserve and turn off lights or appliances off when you are done.

Most people think they are getting a bargain buying a low end generator. You need nice clean power to run your sensitive electronic equipment in your home. Remember always expect a disaster, be prepared, and always keep your generator outside when running, carbon monoxide is the silent killer.