Looking to upgrade my generator. Currently have a couple of portables to keep freezers and well pump running in case of emergency. Thinking about getting a bigger diesel whole home generator. But whatever I get, I want to have an abundant fuel supply. How well does diesel store in large quantities. I know with gas you can put in an additive (Stabile sp?) can you do that with diesel? Propane will last but burn rate is high and resupply might be difficult. Thoughts? Advice?
Generators Diesel vs. Gas vs. Propane
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Is there a compelling reason to use diesel as opposed to gasoline? Reason I ask is because there are dual-fuel gennies that will run on gas & propane.
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Diesel lasts about 12 months if you add stabilizers and biocides.
Do you have anything else the runs on diesel so you can keep rotating your supply? If not, it might not be worth the hassle of adding an additional type of fuel you need to worry about.
When I was shopping for a new generator I went with dual fuel. I live in a suburban area and I figure every one of my neighbors has at least one propane tank for their BBQ grill. Every convenience store, home center and most grocery stores in my area have those tank swap cages.
All my vehicles run on gas, as does almost every other vehicle in town. Gasoline and propane are the two most abundant fuels in my area so they'll likely be the easiest for me to find in a bad situation. YMMV
Do you have anything else the runs on diesel so you can keep rotating your supply? If not, it might not be worth the hassle of adding an additional type of fuel you need to worry about.
When I was shopping for a new generator I went with dual fuel. I live in a suburban area and I figure every one of my neighbors has at least one propane tank for their BBQ grill. Every convenience store, home center and most grocery stores in my area have those tank swap cages.
All my vehicles run on gas, as does almost every other vehicle in town. Gasoline and propane are the two most abundant fuels in my area so they'll likely be the easiest for me to find in a bad situation. YMMV
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Propane has the advantage of not 'going bad'. Usually what happens is the container it's in is breached and it leaks out. Maintain your tanks / cylinders, and propane will always work.
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I’ve used 2 year old diesel in my generator and the diesel fuel in my furnace oil tank is 3 years old. No problems anywhere. I use biocide and DO stabilizer.
I would like to use diesel because I have a diesel truck and tractor also. We live in a semi rural agrarian region. Lots of the farmers have diesel tanks for their equipment (which might be accessible). Diesel seems to use less fuel and runs longer, from what I can discern from the literature. I currently have the dual fuel for the home 10500kW run/13000kW surge. It should do the trick for the short haul, but I am wondering if upgrading to diesel would be advantageous. Burn rate on the dual fuel is about 40#'s propane for 8 hours, but it is also produces a lower wattage rate then gas.
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Personally I'd stick with diesel, it's less corrosive than gasoline and as mentioned by others alternatives can be used. Not to mention there's countless large quantity tanks around if scavenging becomes necessary. An additional benefit I think is it's less flammable, be quite a thing to come through an end of the world type of situation or something as simple as civil unrest for 8 months get careless at the end and lose your home.
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Is natural gas an option where you are? Where I currently live in PA we can't get it which seems stupid since only 30 miles north of us is where the Marcellus shell gas fields start. Where I grew up and my parents still live they have natural gas and they're only like a half mile from the well head so like 0 chance of not having gas. I think every situation and location can change the answer to your questions. Also, how do you currently heat you're home, you might want to bring that fuel source into this discussion.
On the diesel additive, there is a product out there, Pri-D. It's to not only extend the life of the fuel but if you have questionable fuel it's supposed to help rehab it. Do your own research. You'll have to see if you can find a local source but being there are farms around, a fuel supply place or lubricant place might have it.
On the diesel additive, there is a product out there, Pri-D. It's to not only extend the life of the fuel but if you have questionable fuel it's supposed to help rehab it. Do your own research. You'll have to see if you can find a local source but being there are farms around, a fuel supply place or lubricant place might have it.
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IMHO: on a bigger gen I'd go with Diesel just easier to store fuel and lots of above ground containers to be had on Craigslist just add some Pri-D and it'll be good...neighbor is lucky that they have in ground Diesel tanks that feeds a gen and also they have their own 1960's style pump for their equipment...most farms around us has diesel tanks.
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Diesel will store for quite a long time if you learn how to properly treat it and rotate some out of the tank every once in a while. Stabil makes diesel additive. You can find it on Ebay. I store about 900 to 1000 gallons on my place. Much less dangerous than storing gasoline. Besides, gas just doesn't last long. It also typically has Ethanol in it which eats up carburetors, etc. I have a diesel powered truck with a 90 gal transfer tank & 12 volt pump in the bed that I use to fill my storage tank. Once my 1000 gal storage tank is about full, I will dump a gallon of Stabil in the tank and then take the fill pump and circulate it back into the tank via the fill spout. Over time I will pump back out about 200 gallons or so into my tractors and truck. Once I bleed that off, I fill up the 90 gal transfer tank a couple of times and replace what I used up. That lets me keep a minimum of 750 to 850 gallons on hand at all times. I have been doing it for over 10 years+ now. Works great. I still have some Trump era $1.65 a gal diesel in there. In a small shed next to that storage tank I have a 20KW diesel generator out of a old GTE telephone switching station. I can use that to power up everything but would prefer not to do unless absolutely necessary. 1.6 liters per minute on 50% load and noisy. Noise attracts attention. Especially when everyone else is without power.
All of that said, I would highly recommend looking into some solar powered fridges and freezers. I have both a Sundanzer chest type freezer and fridge (24v). They are very power efficient. I power them 24 x 7 with four 12 volt, 200ah Lifepo4 batteries. These are kept charged by one 310 watt Canadian solar panel with the option to connect to a 2nd if need be. So far they are working perfectly for well over a year.
So far as a water well goes, my next project is to power up a Grundfos well pump that I already have in place with four BP 175 watt solar panels that pump onto a 1500 gal tank up the hill from my cabin and garden. Hopefully gravity will do most of the work for me. If not, I will come up with a pressure pump.
Hello, first time on here and I have a 10kw military tactical quiet generator for sale if you’re interested. It goes through approximately 9 gallons of diesel fuel every 24hrs and holds approximately 32 gallons. What state are you located in?
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A related question, I have a Yamaha 2Kw portable generator I bought about 5 years ago, with the idea it could run my oil furnace if we lost power. Now I have a cabin with a well, but the well is 240V. So I need a geny that will supply 240V. Everything I looked at so far is way to heavy( ~100 lbs ) for me to haul out of the basement where it would be stored.
Options / Ideas ?
Options / Ideas ?
Lets start off with a general description. I am in the Pacific NW. Where are u? is the military gen on a trailer?
I am in Florida. The generator is on a trailer.
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534 Posts
That reminds me when I was in an occupational school on the weekends when I was 14 taking auto-Mechanics. Some guy drove in with his Edsel, you know those cars way back then who's front grill looked like an upside-down urinal. He had a dual fuel system installed, ran on either gasoline or propane.
With regard to propane, I had bought a crap load of small 16 oz. propane canisters during a company going out of business sale. 14 years later, and still was able to use my propane stoves, lanterns, and heaters with what canisters I still had left over, with no issue.
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The 16 oz. canisters as very handy to have around. I have good supply stashed away. Easier to transport, safer to use inside (well ventilated room) and they are refillable. You can buy the refill adapters on Ebay for around $12 to $15. Much more economical than buying new ones.
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I actually found this week my adapter to convert a Large propane tank to a smaller 16 oz propane canister size, brass converter. The only problem I have now here in Queens, NY, is that one has to drive to Nassau County to buy those small 16 oz. canisters, as you cannot find them anywhere at all in NYC or Queens due to legal restrictions. Kind of stupid treating these canisters as some sort of 'Major threat to NYC security".
But I totally agree with you MGNick, those canisters are a great convenience.
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