Friday, September 2, 2022

Given the political lunacy going on right now, something like this might well be a good idea

 


                                                           Gas or Propane DuroMax Generator.

25 comments:

  1. Having a propane tank with a Wet Line will let you refill your own twenty pound bottles. Wal-Mart has the adapter to refill the little one pound bottles. I've been doing both for years and I guess it's safe enough. Ohh,if you have a torch, propane is a lot less expensive than acetylene, and the IR heater heads that use propane mounted on a bottle, firmly strapped to a base with casters is super helpful in your shop.
    If you already have a generator there WAS a company that sold a kit that would let it run on propane AND still be able to use gasoline. There were several who sold a kit that would let it burn propane, but no more gasoline. If you're smart enough to get it and install it, you will probably figure out their instructions for swapping fuels is BS. No, you don't hafta kill it to switch fuel. But you do hafta think

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  2. It might be a "good idea" but it's a rather expensive one.

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    1. IMHO, 12KW is just a bit overkill.
      I use a 2200W Honda inverter for the light stuff and have a 5500W Kohler for running the water well pump when needed. The way that Honda sips fuel is amazing.

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    2. When we lose power, I run a well pump, 2 fridges, Propane furnace, pellet stove and tv/ lights etc on a 11Kw Wen dual fuel here.

      FYI - the propane rating is not 11KW, its 8.5 KW.
      Gotta run gasoline for 11KW.

      I do not think 12 KW is excessive.... for MY application.

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    3. That's actually a damn good price for that much power. I agree with markshere2, not with Elmo. If you're smart enought to have a freezer or two of food stashed away, live far enough out of town to be on a well/septic, and want to keep the misses happy when the power is out, this size generator is just about right.

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  3. If you buy a dual fuel use only propane. Propane can be had without pumps or electricity and you don’t have to worry about old gasoline fouling your carburetor.

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    1. Agree. Propane tanks in 20 30 and 100 lb variants can be had on Craigslist for a song.

      Propane does not go bad. Just keep the tanks painted + covered, so condensation does not rust them out

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  4. Yeah, that way the bad guys will know just where to get a generator. Not that having a backup generator is a bad idea, just don't expect it to be an asset when the shit really hits the fan. Hard to bug out with a 225lb beast like this. If your prepping, there are LOTS better ways to invest $1,200.

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    1. Not everyone has to bug out Matt. I live in my bug out place as do many others.

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    2. When anarchy REALLY comes, you're confident nobody is going to show up and decide they need your food more than you do? If you aren't prepared to haul ass, you're not prepared.

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    3. I ain't leavin'. I will kill here and die here.


      I doubt the ravening hordes will get here, just the meth heads and dipshits.

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    4. How much food do you need to get by for a month, for several months, for a year. What about a garden? What about meat, what about food storage - Do you know how to live without refrigeration? How many depend on you? What about medicine and hygiene items? Bugging out is absolute last resort because you are going to be left with very little, especially if you are down to walking. Your value to anyone you approach will be negative and you won't be able to get by alone.

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    5. I'm 72 yo. and I've put a shitload of hard miles on this corporis.
      I decided a long time ago that all that happens "buggin' out" is you run into a bunch of people who live where you're buggin' out to who are buggin' out to somewhere else.
      This is it for me.
      I

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    6. Matthew, only the first 'bug-outers,' the ones that leave before SHTF, will make it out of their bugging-out-of location. About half of those, or more, won't make it to their bugg-out spot.

      This is based on watching and tracking hurricane bug-outs for years. And hurricane buggers don't have active attacks by fed forces and various other riff-raff while they're bugging. That's just from travelling from spot A to spot B.

      That is, if you're bugging out with anything more than the clothes on your back.

      Rightow, no matter what, prepped and loaded and upgunned and ready to hit the road, if you are in a population dense (denser than a country town) there is no escaping no matter what.

      So being prepped for storms and other intermittent natural disasters is one thing if one is in a relatively safe urban location. Nothing will protect you if you are in a dense-packed urban jungle short of hiding in a hidden subway or basement and going totally dark if the whole shebang balloon goes up.

      Then again, if real SHTF and the Feds go crazy and Biden gets to live his secret Adolf/Benito/Franco/Juan/Iosef fantasy, ain't nothing nowhere short of one already living in a totally unknown, dark, silent, smell-less, trace-less hole will keep you 'hidden' from all the thuggees and slimers and fedbois and openly fascist and openly national socialist and openly international socialists and openly anarchists and openly communists and closet varieties of all the same and your family and your relations and those who know you're a prepper will save you. From the first two waves of stupidity.

      And, well, some of us can't, due to medical conditions or constraints, bug out. So having a power source that you control and can fuel as long as you're in a relatively safe location for regular disasters (not man-made balkanization disasters) is not a bad thing. As long as you don't live in some urban poophole.

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  5. If you're going propane backup be sure to check with your provider if you happen to be on a 'Keep Full' plan. If you run out early because of the use of a generator you could be charged if they have to make a refill visit early.

    Not that it's really that big a deal but it's good to know what your company's policy is before you get a 3KW propane generator plumbed into your house.

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  6. One thing to watch on that particular unit (I own one and just fixed this). The key switch can come loose and it has a wire holder attached to the key that can contact a hot wire from the generator output and short to the frame. Easy fix, and the generator for me has been really good otherwise.

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  7. 0bama just had a 2500 gal propane tank installed at his place in Martha's Vineyard

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  8. Anything that runs on fuel will eventually run out of fuel. These days sooner rather than later. That's why as painful as it was I just pulled the trigger on a $50K 11Kw solar system.

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    1. That's great. What about during storm season (hurricanes or blizzards) or dust storms (from deserts or volcanoes or building collapses) or tree cover?

      Seriously, a large solar farm with battery backup is nice, but having a fuel generator and 2-weeks supply will help you survive a bad disaster. Like, you know, one that can damage all those panels.

      Backups are nice. 2 is 1, 1 is none.

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    2. Depends on the set up. Number of batteries and number of panels. Remember, batteries provide power, panels recharge the batteries. Balance vs use.

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  9. propane is a lot safer application compared to liquid fuel- like if refueling is to be done by your wife, say. or you.

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    1. A lot more stable than liquid fuels, too, unless you're using some old diesel genset that doesn't need DEF and doesn't have computer-controlled systems.

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    2. Not everyone eats tide pods.

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  10. Most residential solar systems need periodic plugging in to the grid to maintain the battery lfe.
    Generators are expensive to run. At a gallon an hour, that 100# propane tank will get you only as far as 2 weeks if it's run less than 8 hours a day to keep water pump/fridge/freezer functioning.
    But the biggest concern is the noise. Everyone within that range will know you have resources they may be lacking. It makes you a target.

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  11. If you have access to avgas it's low lead but according to my bud that flys it doesn't go bad like pump gas. We both run it in our generators with no problems.
    Backwoods Okie

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