It can happen, if the engine is not allowed to fully warm up during the test runs. Diesels can also 'cold stack' if run without a load for an extended period of time. (some are more prone to doing this than others, but generally any emergency generator should be run under load when exercising it, to ensure that the entire system works properly).
You are rotating your stock, right? Even in brand new non-cruddy cans, it does not store real well. Pour a can in the car, go top off the car with fresh, refill the can, lather, rinse, repeat. I don't know what the specs say, but emergency gas over a year old would not give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
-- aem sends...
I put Stabil in all my gas cans. I use the gas for the mowers and it seldom get over 5 months old. When you exercise the generator, you need to have some load on it. I use a portable heater for this purpose. You also need to let it run long enough to reach full operating temperature. After you shut it down, top off the fuel tank. don't forget to change the oil at least once a year.
de quoted text -
He would make so much money charging extra and selling his tanks fast you could charge 500$ an hour and get it.
Its a no brainer all righty, stormins no brainer.
I rotate my gas stock. Works well in my tractor. I also use stabilizer.
That is sort of what I do. I have 3 plastic cans that hold 5 gallons each. It usually takes about 2 gallons to mow the grass, so during the mowing season I use the gas out of one can and rotate to the next one. I also use some of that gas for other small engines such as the pressure washer and chain saws. I have a seperate 1 gallon can that I use for oil/gas mix but it is filled from the larger cans. When I go to fill an empty can, I put the Sta-bil in the empty can and go to the gas station. That mixes it up while it is being filled and some on the
3 mile trip back to the house. The gas is rotated very quick in the summer and not usually over 6 months old through the non mowing months.
Wow! Rationing by fiat. Sounds like the Democrats health-care plan!
So, the gas station operator (doctor) says to himself: "I'm gonna go down to the station, through the ice/snow/flying debris, so I can put up with the maniacs, dispensing ten gallons to each and getting cussed and threatened in return, so I can make 5¢ per gallon profit?"
"Let me think..."
As an aside, it's unlikely the station will run out of fuel. Assuming the station has three 8,000 gallon storage tanks that start out full and each customer gets 20 gallons of gas, that's 1,200 customers that can get serviced. Assuming ten minutes each and five pumps, that works out to 66 hours of customer demand. If the cars can get to the station, it's likely that the tanker truck can get there too, so the station could be replinished long before the 60-odd hours expired.
Yep. Even during the oil embargo under Carter, there was no shortage of gasoline - there was only a shortage of CHEAP gasoline.
Particularly true of engines that do not get up to full operating temperature.
Propane, being a "dry gas" does not have this problem. Nor does CNG.
Try doing the math again. Instead of the same 5 cents per gallon the station would ordinarily get, they would get an an additional $1.00 per gallon during the emergency in the plan I described. Three 8,000 gallon tanks equals 24,000 gallons times $1.00 per gallon extra equals $24,000 for going down there and keeping the station open with their emergency generator during the power outage. And it doesn't take 10 minutes per 10 gallon max fill-up. And, yes, the tankers can keep delivering to the gas stations so they do not need to run out of gas.
My point is simply that having 24,000 gallons of gas stored in each gas station's underground tanks that cannot be used by anyone during a natural disaster with a power outage, simply because the station doesn't have a portable generator, is silly. My plan would require all gas stations to have a backup generator, would pay part or all of the initial cost of the generator setup through emergency preparedness funds, and would enable gas stations during a declared emergency to charge more for gas during the emergency as an incentive to stay open but without overly gouging customers.
Diesel engines are so efficient that at unloaded idle they barely get warm. I've got engines that you can touch the exhaust manifold if they have only been idling, even 10 minutes after starting. (pretty amazing).
Best fix is simply to make sure the generator is loaded during exercising runs. The rule that I have is the run is 45 minutes, 15 minutes pre-online to get warmed up some, and to allow checking of everything, then 30 minutes full load (or as close as I can get to full load). Then a proper shutdown, and I'm set for the next exercise run (or next power failure!)
Require is a difficult thing.
Using government funds to benefit a specific group (gas station owners) is outragous.
The incentive is the same one as any business: profit and loss. No need to 'require'. No need to corrupt the public system by misspending tax dollars for a private business.
And, finally, if people were able (willing, and understood it is required) to be more prepared for emergencies things would go better. Instead people look to the government to hold their hands at the slightest provocation, and take little or no responsibility for what happens.
As we've been discussing, get a diesel generator, a 275 gallon fuel oil tank, keep the tank full, and don't worry about the gas stations. And don't worry about the neighbors--if they want to come over to watch TV, tell 'em to bring food for everyone, or just charge admission!
In Florida gas stations are required to have emergency generators!!!
Otherwise in a evacuation people will run out of gas get stranded and perhaps clog roads:( causing massive jams so others CANT get out:(
Really they should be REQUIRED nationwide.
Since we KNOW the terrorists WILL hit again!
any area may need evacuated and sadly our country is not prepared.......
If one of the gas stations on a corner opens for business because the owner/operator had the foresight to get a stand-by generator, the others would be following shortly without the force of "require".
Again, I thank everyone for the various info and advice. One more clarification at this point....
I do have an oil tank that I use for heating, with K1 oil. It seems that someone one here said that you can burn k1 in a diesel, but that doesn't sound right to me.
Because of the limitations on storing gas, I am leaning toward a propane generator, but the diesel also sounds attractive...... it would be a strong choice if I could use the same k1 for my heat and generator.
Thanks
James
=BF=BD =EF=BF=BDIt seems that
My understanding is K1 is kerosene. A good friend uses K1 in his oil burning furnace in a pinch
The use of K1 would depend on the diesel engine. Some can burn K1 -kerosene- some cannot. Can you burn #2 heating oil in your heater?
You can use some heating oils in the generators. I think it is the home heating oil that has dye added to it so the trucks will not use the untaxed fuel. I usually get that back wards.
I don't recall how much you wanted to put in a system. There are some portable units that can cost a lot and some fixed units for the house that are not all that much more. You are going to spend about $ 2000 to $ 30000 for the fixed units for a 8 to 10 kw natural gas/propane units not counting the tanks and wiring. The portable units start around $ 500 to $ 1000 for the 5 kw gas units. I did see a Diesel portable unit for about $ 1400 rated at 5 kw.
I have not researched it, but maybe there is some confusion in the K1 kerosene and the # 1 fuel oil. Both have been used for home heating over the years, but not sure if there is a differance in the two or not.
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