Two numbers decide whether a power station runs a diesel air heater, and readers arrive using them interchangeably. Watts are the ceiling on what the inverter can hold at any instant — this load needs 34 W of them while it runs, and 100 W for the first minutes of a start, which is long enough that it is judged against continuous output rather than against a surge ceiling. Watt-hours are how much energy the battery holds. A machine can have plenty of one and not enough of the other.
Of the 26 station records we publish — every model we hold a page for, with its US and EU versions counted separately — 26 run it, 0 are a tight fit and 0 are out of reach. Each of those is a calculation against that machine’s continuous output, its surge ceiling and its inverter waveform — not a lookup table — and the reasoning is on every row.
The three numbers a power station is judged against
Running power34 W4.0–40 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Start-up surge100 Wengine checks 100 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Duty cycle100% Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · medium confidence
The band is the spread across real models in this class, not a tolerance. Size against the top of it unless you know which unit you own.
Start-up figure: Manufacturer-stated
The start-up figure is published by the manufacturer for this device, so it describes the actual hardware rather than a category.
Measured duration 60,000 ms · Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · appliance record
What actually decides it
More than one kind of load in one box
This machine contains at least two electrically different things, so neither the resistive rule nor the motor rule describes it on its own. The engine judges each part on its own terms: a minute-scale start-up load is checked against continuous output, where it belongs, and a genuine inrush against the surge ceiling.
What kind of motor is inside
The motor is brushless and driven by its own inverter board, which is why the start-up demand is modest: the electronics ramp the motor rather than connecting it straight to the line.
How long the start-up actually lasts
The start-up load lasts minutes, not milliseconds — a glow plug, not an inrush. No station’s surge rating covers a minute, so the engine checks this demand against CONTINUOUS output instead, where it belongs.
Which power stations run it
Every row is a live calculation against that machine's continuous output, surge ceiling and
inverter waveform. Of the 26 station
records we publish — US and EU versions counted separately — 26 run it, 0 are a tight fit and 0 are out of reach. The percentage is
this load as a share of that machine's continuous output; anything past 82% drops out of the green. Rows are ordered by verdict, then by
price — cheapest first inside each band.
5.7 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 9.0 W idle draw in the denominatorWe have found no published surge rating for the US 120 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. $239 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow RIVER 3 PlusEcoFlow · US 120 V600 W continuous · 1,200 W surge ceilingRuns it5.7%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 4 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $279 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
16 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 18 W idle draw in the denominator $549 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 3 PlusEcoFlow · US 120 V1,800 W continuous · 3,600 W surge ceilingRuns it1.9%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 3 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $719 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
36 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 10 W idle draw in the denominatorWe have found no published surge rating for the US 120 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. $899 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
18 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 22 W idle draw in the denominator $999 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 2 MaxEcoFlow · US 120 V2,400 W continuous · 4,800 W surge ceilingRuns it1.4%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 5 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $1,049 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 3 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide.We have found no published surge rating for the US 120 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. $1,279 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3EcoFlow · US 120 V4,000 W continuous · 8,000 W surge ceilingRuns it0.9%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: 4 of EcoFlow’s own published documents, read 2026-08-08, carry no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the US 120 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. $2,799 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
5.7 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 9.0 W idle draw in the denominatorWe have found no published surge rating for the EU 230 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €219 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
Anker SOLIX C300Anker SOLIX · EU 230 V300 W continuous · 600 W surge ceilingRuns it11%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €269.99 · checked 2026-08-01 · 17 days ago Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €279 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow RIVER 3 PlusEcoFlow · EU 230 V600 W continuous · 1,200 W surge ceilingRuns it5.7%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €299 · checked 2026-08-01 · 17 days ago Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €519 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
19 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 10 W idle draw in the denominatorWe have found no published surge rating for the EU 230 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €579 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide.We have found no published surge rating for the EU build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €599 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 3 PlusEcoFlow · EU 230 V1,800 W continuous · 3,600 W surge ceilingRuns it1.9%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €849 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA 2 MaxEcoFlow · EU 230 V2,400 W continuous · 4,800 W surge ceilingRuns it1.4%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €949 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide.We have found no published surge rating for the EU build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €999 · checked 2026-08-01 · 17 days ago Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €999 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
38 h — on a full charge, with the station’s own 13 W idle draw in the denominatorWe have found no published surge rating for the EU 230 V build. The start-up check runs against its continuous output as a conservative floor, which is ours, not a manufacturer specification. €1,149 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €1,799 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3EcoFlow · EU 230 V4,000 W continuous · 8,000 W surge ceilingRuns it0.9%
34 Wh per hour — averaged over this load’s duty cycleNo runtime in hours: we have found no depth of discharge or inverter efficiency for the EU 230 V build, so there is no defensible usable-capacity figure to divide. €3,299 · checked 2026-08-17 Show the working →
The cheapest US 120 V machine in the list that runs a diesel air heater outright, and it holds it at 5.7 h.
$239 · price checked 2026-08-17
The buy link is in the bar at the bottom of the screen — one action per page, and it
goes to the merchant we last checked the price at.
Everything else we hold on this load
Each figure carries the tier it came from and the date it was checked. Sizing guidance is
kept apart from measured draw on purpose: one says what the machine pulls, the other says
what a manufacturer or a standard thinks you should buy for it.
Measured and published draw
Standby draw4 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
Cycle period10 min Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · medium confidence
Sizing guidance — not a draw figure
Minimum continuous output100 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · high confidence
A sizing figure, not a draw: it is what this class needs a machine to be RATED at, headroom included.
Minimum surge capability180 W Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · medium confidence
The start-up headroom this class needs an inverter to have. Where it comes from a manufacturer’s inverter recommendation rather than a measured inrush, it is deliberately generous.
Usable energy for one night272 Wh Official spec · verified 2026-08-01 · medium confidence
34 W while it is running, and 4.0–40 W across the models in this class, with 100 W demanded at the instant it starts. Those are different questions and most pages answer only the first. The running figure decides whether a machine can hold it; the start-up figure decides whether it can get it going at all, and it is usually the one that fails. The start-up figure here is the manufacturer’s own..
What size power station do I need for a diesel air heater?
For a diesel air heater, the BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 (US 120 V) is the cheapest machine in our library that runs it, at 600 W continuous and $239 against a running draw of 34 W. That is a verdict computed from this load’s running watts, its start-up demand and the inverter waveform — not a rule of thumb about doubling the wattage. 26 of 26 machines clear it.
How long will a power station run a diesel air heater?
It depends entirely on the machine, which is the part most pages skip. Against a diesel air heater at 34 W of running draw, our figures put the BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 at about 5.7 h, and the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus at about 5.0 h. Those hours come from usable-capacity figures derived from each manufacturer’s own published usable-capacity coefficients — depth of discharge and inverter efficiency where a brand states them separately, with each machine’s idle draw in the denominator — not from dividing a nameplate watt-hour number by a label wattage. Most machines in the list carry no hours at all: we hold nothing for those builds that makes a usable-capacity figure defensible, so those rows give an energy rate instead of a number we would have had to invent.
Why is the start-up of a diesel air heater judged against continuous output?
Because it is not a surge. The start-up figure is published by the manufacturer for this device, so it describes the actual hardware rather than a category. The start-up demand is 100 W, and it lasts minutes rather than milliseconds — no station's surge rating covers a minute, so checking it against one would be measuring the wrong thing. The engine puts this demand against continuous output instead, where a load of that length actually belongs.
Which power stations run a diesel air heater?
26 of the 26 we hold, listed above cheapest-first within each verdict band, starting with the BLUETTI Elite 30 V2. All 26 of them run a diesel air heater. Every one of those is a live calculation against that machine's own record, and opening a row shows the working.
26 of 26 machines run itBLUETTI Elite 30 V2 · from $239