Quote:
Originally Posted by Golf1echo
That is a good list. A waterproof pen and paper could be helpful.
Two things for consideration after Hurricanes or similar disasters are the lack of gasoline, even beyond the scope of the disaster and the ability to navigate without any standing signage.
|
Roger that.
And gasoline is not safely storable at home in the long term.
Most people do not realize that gasoline starts to break down really quickly, even faster in the heat. After 90 days or less in storage, it begins to decompose and I would prefer not to run it in a fuel injected or high compression engine after that.
You can treat it with a preservative like Sta-Bil, but even that will not keep it viable for most engines for more than six months to a year. You have to rotate your stocks regularly, and most people are not going to do that.
Diesel or better yet, LP fueled generators are the way to go, IMHO.
If you are not planning to bug out by vehicle, a siphon hose will allow you to recover whatever is in your vehicles' tanks and run your genset for quite a while, and a vehicle fuel tank is probably the safest place to store gasoline.
A smaller generator will run longer on the same amount of fuel. OTOH, you have to calculate what you intend to provide power to and allow for start up loads. Lights, fans, radios, laptops, etc. draw little power, appliances quite a bit more, and the HVAC will be the Big Mac Daddy. A little Honda generator will power the small stuff, and you can run extension cords to where you need the devices. I would look at something more than 5,000 watts to power all of that as well as a fridge, freezer, sump pump, well pump, etc. pushing that up to 8,000 watts or more. If you stagger the start ups, you could probably run a window AC on that as well. When you get to that point, you probably need to get an electrician and set up a power transfer switch and a subpanel. You do not want to energize your home service panel without turning off the main breakers to grid power. A 3 ton AC unit is going to take 12,000 to 14,000 watts to start.
I would not plan on running the genset 24/7, even if you have the fuel. A few hours a couple of times per day should keep the fridge and the freezer cool, unless you open and close them a lot between generator runs. If I anticipated losing power for more than a few days, as in after an earthquake, really bad storm or hurricane, I would probably stock up on some oil, a filter or two, and a set of spare maintenance parts.
Some people want to be able to run everything and pretend nothing has happened. I suspect that in a protracted emergency, like Katrina or Andrew, they will soon be out of power as well.
The really trick set-up is to get a few deep-cycle batteries and an inverter, and use them to power the small stuff between generator charges. A large solar panel or two could keep the batteries topped off and allow you to go longer between generator runs as well.
Remember that the power company brings electricity to your home for a few cents per kilowatt hour (KWH). You cannot make electric power from an internal combustion engine for much less than 30-50 cents per hour just for fuel. The generator itself will be a large upfront investment, and it could be a very significant one, because you will not likely find any deals on one (or the fuel) after a disaster occurs. You will probably get to know your neighbors better though, after they notice you have lights, the smell of coffee brewing, and the sound of an engine running.
Just my .02, YMMV. Hope it helps.
TR