First thing I did was test to see waht it would run. I have gas heat, and stove, so furnace would run, just have to power a motor. Don't run the dryer draws too much. And just towel the hair in an emergency. But 5600w seems plenty for a freezer, fridge, 1 TV at a time, and nessary lighting, we tend to go conservative during the two emergencies that have caused us to runon gen power. But still going to get 7000w, for more reserve. That seems to be Minimum for whole house backup, from what I've read.
There is a ref. page in this ebook that can help you get figure of how much wattage you need for your home stuff.
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...shtf_tornando_lessons_learned.html#post140870
7000 W may sound like a lot but it's the "start up power" on stuff that can get you in trouble. Start up wattage is typically 3 times the running wattage but it's only needs for a few seconds at most.
However if your gen does not have it (enought wattage) or the room for it then that item won't start and your generator may turn off or get damaged.
If you are considereing a "portable" generator (what you see in the home improvement stores [lowes, menards, etc] skip those and go the route of an industrial portable generator. Those have more power for doing your whole house then what the junk that the home improvement stores sells.
Plus DO NOT forget all the extra stuff (air filters, oil, etc...) you run that generator for a while and it's gonna need that up-keep to keep it going. In an emergency you are not going to have time or be able to get that up-keep stuff. best to have it on had as well.