Sandy

I think many have missed my point. I'm suggesting that critical services should have generator connections NOT generators. Right now if you brought a capable generator to a gas station that has gas but no electricity how would you hook it up? Find the wiring diagram, find an electrician, calculate the load, etc. Good luck. I'm just suggesting do all this ahead of time and make a place where a generator could be connected. That part of it can't be that expensive. And in my opinion worthwhile as a part of public construction code policy and requirements.

Some essential facilities have already been designed to be generator capable. For example, the telephone systems remote subscriber loop cabinets are generator capable. The cabinet is the green equipment cabinet that your telephone line connects to and contains circuits that combine signals as it goes on to your telephone exchange office. Around here, most telephone company bucket trucks have a combination APU that runs the bucket plus can power a cabinet. All they have to do is hook up a power cable.

Gas station near me, 3 miles away, has a generator(and a Burger King). Closest (7 miles away) full size grocery store, NAPA, Ace Hardware and more gas pumps, has a generator. Before the storm hit, i had the generator full, 2-5gal, 2-2gal, 2 -1gal(premix). I was burning about 7 gallons a day for the generator, i would drive each day and refill whatever i had empty. All 3 vehicles had a full tank. Price was $3.43/gal. Price rose to $3.49, then $3.55 , today it was $3.69. He could have charged $5.00/gallon and people would still have bought it. Wednesday or Thursday it was 3 cars deep at the pump.
I like that carburetor conversion kit, anybody know how much propane equals a gallon of gas?

Yanche wrote:I think many have missed my point. I'm suggesting that critical services should have generator connections NOT generators. Right now if you brought a capable generator to a gas station that has gas but no electricity how would you hook it up? Find the wiring diagram, find an electrician, calculate the load, etc. Good luck. I'm just suggesting do all this ahead of time and make a place where a generator could be connected. That part of it can't be that expensive. And in my opinion worthwhile as a part of public construction code policy and requirements.

Some essential facilities have already been designed to be generator capable. For example, the telephone systems remote subscriber loop cabinets are generator capable. The cabinet is the green equipment cabinet that your telephone line connects to and contains circuits that combine signals as it goes on to your telephone exchange office. Around here, most telephone company bucket trucks have a combination APU that runs the bucket plus can power a cabinet. All they have to do is hook up a power cable.

Oh, that makes total sense. Also, a generator hookup isnt really a huge cost at all. I just went through the process of getting one for my facility after fighting with the budget people for years. I managed to get a whole standby generator but the hookup is a very minor part of the cost.

I left for Jamaica 2 days before Sandy Hit. I had my new 10K gen set up and ready for my house sitter, but eventhough it was filled (8gal) and 15gal in reserve I was fretting a longer outage senario while flying off.

That said, all was fine for me, we never lost power.

But the worry didn't stop until later...
@10hr burn rate @ 50% and doing 4hr on/off cycles to keep the Fridge/freezers cool enough It'd be a bit over a week max on the safe side. In a colder senario, I'd need a little 2K unit to run my Stoker non stop ( yep that's on my list "O" thingy's to buy) and then I think I'd be all set.

Ed.A wrote:I left for Jamaica 2 days before Sandy Hit. I had my new 10K gen set up and ready for my house sitter, but eventhough it was filled (8gal) and 15gal in reserve I was fretting a longer outage senario while flying off.

That said, all was fine for me, we never lost power.

But the worry didn't stop until later...
@10hr burn rate @ 50% and doing 4hr on/off cycles to keep the Fridge/freezers cool enough It'd be a bit over a week max on the safe side. In a colder senario, I'd need a little 2K unit to run my Stoker non stop ( yep that's on my list "O" thingy's to buy) and then I think I'd be all set.

Did you supplement your fridge & freezer with bags of ice to help keep the temperature levels down or is that at normal operating levels (assuming you dont typically store a bunch of ice in your fridge/freezer that is).

Yanche.

That is a great idea on the gas station Generator / transfer switch setup.

It wouldn't be that expensive to put in and as you say should the need arrise it would be much easier to hook up a generator.

Working for a Telco all of our sites (182 remotes, 16 central offices in my immediate area) have generator hookup. 30, 100, or 200 amp connections depending on the site we are running.

During this storm the company I work for had 3 tractor trailers loaded with various size generators, enroute to PA/NJ area on Sunday ahead of the storm so they were ready to be deployed should they be needed. Our area here in South Central PA did not need any of those although we had 21 generators out during the peak of the storm.

I guess i'm not saying every company should plan like this but some companies out there have it down... Others would do good to follow and take notes for the future and again something as minor as a generator hookup/transfer switch is a very minor investment that would take some of the issues out of what some area's are facing now.

Of course there's still the major problem of getting fuel there for the generators. They were running out of diesel and fuel oil really fast in NY/NJ...way faster than I would have thought. I'm shocked that nobody even stockpiles a minimum of fuel or even fills up their car's tank prior to a storm like this.

During this storm the company I work for had 3 tractor trailers loaded with various size generators, enroute to PA/NJ area on Sunday ahead of the storm so they were ready to be deployed should they be needed. Our area here in South Central PA did not need any of those although we had 21 generators out during the peak of the storm.

That's some awesome preparedness there.

Davian wrote:

Ed.A wrote:I left for Jamaica 2 days before Sandy Hit. I had my new 10K gen set up and ready for my house sitter, but eventhough it was filled (8gal) and 15gal in reserve I was fretting a longer outage senario while flying off.

That said, all was fine for me, we never lost power.

But the worry didn't stop until later...
@10hr burn rate @ 50% and doing 4hr on/off cycles to keep the Fridge/freezers cool enough It'd be a bit over a week max on the safe side. In a colder senario, I'd need a little 2K unit to run my Stoker non stop ( yep that's on my list "O" thingy's to buy) and then I think I'd be all set.

Did you supplement your fridge & freezer with bags of ice to help keep the temperature levels down or is that at normal operating levels (assuming you dont typically store a bunch of ice in your fridge/freezer that is).

Funny you mention that....I do store bags of Ice, 20 pounders to be exact..more economic.

Ed.A wrote:

Davian wrote:

Ed.A wrote:I left for Jamaica 2 days before Sandy Hit. I had my new 10K gen set up and ready for my house sitter, but eventhough it was filled (8gal) and 15gal in reserve I was fretting a longer outage senario while flying off.

That said, all was fine for me, we never lost power.

But the worry didn't stop until later...
@10hr burn rate @ 50% and doing 4hr on/off cycles to keep the Fridge/freezers cool enough It'd be a bit over a week max on the safe side. In a colder senario, I'd need a little 2K unit to run my Stoker non stop ( yep that's on my list "O" thingy's to buy) and then I think I'd be all set.

Did you supplement your fridge & freezer with bags of ice to help keep the temperature levels down or is that at normal operating levels (assuming you dont typically store a bunch of ice in your fridge/freezer that is).

Funny you mention that....I do store bags of Ice, 20 pounders to be exact..more economic.

Smart man.

FEMA again showing it's stripes:

http://www.prepperpodcast.com/ineptitud ... z2BJBLFbln

Pathetic

http://www.prepperpodcast.com/fema-requ ... z2B570Kq3J

More news for the starving... of course no companies were ever that awarded the contract as non even bid --- would you?

There goes my knee again jerking, jerking.......

We need another 500MM rounds of ammo though.....

phnnkidiot

mozz wrote:Gas station near me, 3 miles away, has a generator(and a Burger King). Closest (7 miles away) full size grocery store, NAPA, Ace Hardware and more gas pumps, has a generator. Before the storm hit, i had the generator full, 2-5gal, 2-2gal, 2 -1gal(premix). I was burning about 7 gallons a day for the generator, i would drive each day and refill whatever i had empty. All 3 vehicles had a full tank. Price was $3.43/gal. Price rose to $3.49, then $3.55 , today it was $3.69. He could have charged $5.00/gallon and people would still have bought it. Wednesday or Thursday it was 3 cars deep at the pump.
I like that carburetor conversion kit, anybody know how much propane equals a gallon of gas?

I'm planning on calling another company today and getting some information on their conversion kits. Been talking to the wife about it and she agrees it's worth looking into.

mozz wrote:Gas station near me, 3 miles away, has a generator(and a Burger King). Closest (7 miles away) full size grocery store, NAPA, Ace Hardware and more gas pumps, has a generator. Before the storm hit, i had the generator full, 2-5gal, 2-2gal, 2 -1gal(premix). I was burning about 7 gallons a day for the generator, i would drive each day and refill whatever i had empty. All 3 vehicles had a full tank. Price was $3.43/gal. Price rose to $3.49, then $3.55 , today it was $3.69. He could have charged $5.00/gallon and people would still have bought it. Wednesday or Thursday it was 3 cars deep at the pump.
I like that carburetor conversion kit, anybody know how much propane equals a gallon of gas?

yeah bill bracy sure knows how to make money..... he sold three pallets of gas cans for 29bucks a piece!!
it takes substantially more propane to run the genny and its harder to aquire during a outage....

a diesel low rpm power plant is the way to go.....

a diesel low rpm power plant is the way to go

Can you say Cha-Ching?? And then you have to store another kind of fuel and worry about water, fungus in the fuel(seen it), maintenance of another kind of motor.

Pick a fuel, buy good storage, rotate the stock if you pick gas with ethanol in it, and spend the money saved on more guns and ammo. If you can afford all of the above by all means go Diesel.
Some have Diesel tractors around and gen kits for them are great, $$$ but you already have the Diesel.
My house in Maine already has 3 large pigs out back for propane everything in the house. Propane gen. and a few more pigs as I can afford is my best option.
Gas is more available, gen. is generally more portable, Makes it easily used for other things. Storage of fuel is horrible if you can't get ethanol free gas. Easier to rotate stock however.

Different solutions for different people. Just do something!!!! I can't wait to buy a home here in Tenn. so I can begin prepping! Feel naked in this apartment clinging to my guns!

Kevin

Hey Kevin, at least you're smart enough to HAVE guns to cling to. Some neighbors bought some land with a fix'r upper on it--not sure what part, if I see him I'll ask & get more details, BUT, he got a real good deal $$$ wise. Patience dude