Power station shuts off when you plug something in? Overload
The appliance asks for more watts than the station can give, so it cuts the outlet to protect itself. How to tell, and what X-Boost, SurgePad and Power Lifting really do.
You plug in a kettle, a microwave or a space heater, and the outlet goes dead at once. That is overload protection: the appliance asks for more watts than the station's inverter can give, so the station cuts the outlet before anything gets damaged.
How to tell it was overload
It happens the moment the appliance starts, not hours later. Anker's C300 manual describes an overload warning icon: the port is turned off to avoid damage, and you should remove the device causing the overload. BLUETTI's AC180 manual lists "inverter overload" as an error and says to check whether the power of the connected devices is too high. If it switched off hours later with a fridge, it is more likely the auto-off setting.
Compare two numbers
Find the watts on the appliance's label and the station's AC output. A typical microwave draws about 1,000 W and a space heater about 1,500 W. The EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus puts out 600 W, so neither will run. Several appliances on at once add up: two 700 W devices are 1,400 W.
Surge is only for a split second
Stations also list a surge figure, for the brief spike when a motor starts. A fridge compressor needs it for a moment. A heater needs its full watts the whole time, so surge does not help.
X-Boost, SurgePad and Power Lifting
These modes let a station run some appliances above its rated output, typically by lowering the voltage it supplies. EcoFlow's RIVER 3 Plus manual says X-Boost handles devices rated up to 1,200 W, for heating and motor-driven devices, and is unavailable in bypass mode. Anker's C300 manual says SurgePad works better with devices that generate heat, does not support precision instruments or devices with strict voltage requirements, and does not work while the station charges with the AC output on. BLUETTI's AC180 manual says Power Lifting runs pure resistive loads up to 2,700 W while the rated output stays 1,800 W.
In practice: a kettle or heater may run, slower and cooler. A microwave, a hair dryer with electronics, or anything with a motor controller may not.
Find a station that can
Every station page has a "what can it run" panel: tap the appliances you would plug in and it tells you whether the output is enough and for how long. The catalog filters by output.