How much fuel do you have on hand in case of a natural disaster

[BZOFIQ]

Where I am, we know days in advance of an approaching hurricane. So there are at least a couple days' notice to get fuel.

That said, there is no sense in paying more $ for a higher octane grade of fuel. Especially for storage as the Octane rating dissipates rather quickly.
Best for storage short term (4 mths or less preferably) is Non Ethanol or even better still. Would be diesel.

I rely on these warnings to but we've had sudden unexpected "wind storms" that knocked out trees that took power and internet lines with it in a middle of otherwise beatifull sunny week. Another issue in NY is heat waves with transformers exploding on the poles. I was lucky 3 weeks ago where few city blocks lost powers across the street but on my side and behind we didnt even blink.

That said, there is no sense in paying more $ for a higher octane grade of fuel. Especially for storage as the Octane rating dissipates rather quickly.

The idea is that if you start with high octane and end up with a lower grade. You start with low octane and end up with ....a problem. This is purely based on discussion on other non-reef fora. Wonder if that's entirely true but my approach is better safe than sorry and the few tanks of premium gas won't cost that much.

Best for storage short term (4 mths or less preferably) is Non Ethanol or even better still. Would be diesel.

Yeah, the problem is we can't buy non-ethanol gasoline. When in Florida last year I noticed that a lot of the gasoline that is sold is non-ethanol because people buy it for boats. I have to ask local marinas if what they have has no ethanol added.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Primarily moisture and ethanol separation. Both of which can be lessened with proper handling & additives - but there is still a time limit. Once separation happens the fuel is shot. Once oxidation happens the fuel is shot. Purchasing fuel where either of those has started makes it even more challenging.

Thanks for your response.

I think I got the first issue addressed with great storage tanks as to the other I've been on a hunt for source of gas with no ethanol added.

 

[BZOFIQ]

You would need to convert it back. Most generators offer a kit to make the transition. Mainly jetting / carb replacement I believe.

Need to look this up as I already have natural gas hookup outside the house. Thanks.

 

[HuduVudu]

Ike had us down for 2 weeks. My tank is small but I plan for that level of power loss. I store 50 gallons of gas for my generator.

Also to the people saying that you have time to see the hurricane coming; 1) Just look at the most recent hurricane in Florida (Sandy I think) 2) LOL if you think this you have never been through a hurricane, the gas lines are insane and good luck getting any decent amount of it.

Always remember that your car also contains gas and this can be helpful if you can get it out.

 

[ca1ore]

I have a whole house standby with 300 gallons of propane on property which lasts about 5-6 days; but when I know a storm is coming, I also make sure all the car gas tanks are full as well as my three 5 gallon containers. I use gas stabilizer in the latter and put them into the cars after about 6 months. I date all the containers so that I know how old they are. That much gas on hand would give me a further 3-4 days on the portable should the propane company be unable to make deliveries.

Do I win the OCD award?

 

[vertigo01]

I rely on these warnings to but we've had sudden unexpected "wind storms" that knocked out trees that took power and internet lines with it in a middle of otherwise beatifull sunny week. Another issue in NY is heat waves with transformers exploding on the poles. I was lucky 3 weeks ago where few city blocks lost powers across the street but on my side and behind we didnt even blink.



The idea is that if you start with high octane and end up with a lower grade. You start with low octane and end up with ....a problem. This is purely based on discussion on other non-reef fora. Wonder if that's entirely true but my approach is better safe than sorry and the few tanks of premium gas won't cost that much.



Yeah, the problem is we can't buy non-ethanol gasoline. When in Florida last year I noticed that a lot of the gasoline that is sold is non-ethanol because people buy it for boats. I have to ask local marinas if what they have has no ethanol added.

You would best be served by converting your current generator to propane or getting one that is dual fuel. (Propane and gas)

Fuels generally degrade due to the additives. Not the Octane percentage.
Since most home owner type generators don't run at high compression, nor are they complex enough to ****** or advance timing. The use of a higher octane fuel won't help and can hurt since low octane fuel has more energy than that of high octane.

You can go to pure-gas.org to find stations in your area that sell non octane fuel.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I have a whole house standby with 300 gallons of propane on property which lasts about 5-6 days; but when I know a storm is coming, I also make sure all the car gas tanks are full as well as my three 5 gallon containers. I use gas stabilizer in the latter and put them into the cars after about 6 months. I date all the containers so that I know how old they are. That much gas on hand would give me a further 3-4 days on the portable should the propane company be unable to make deliveries.

Do I win the OCD award?

You sound prepared! We don't have space in the city for 300-gallon tank and I can't imagine the look on my neighbor's face if one was being installed in my yard. Oh, the questions.

My neighbors asked me if we are growing you know what when they saw the pink/blue lights in the basement. I burst out laughing because that was a serious question.

 

[kenchilada]

I'm getting quotes now for a whole-house generator. We are on propane, so I'm looking into having around a 500G tank put in. Supposedly that would last me near a week.

 

[BZOFIQ]

You would best be served by converting your current generator to propane or getting one that is dual fuel. (Propane and gas)

Fuels generally degrade due to the additives. Not the Octane percentage.
Since most home owner type generators don't run at high compression, nor are they complex enough to ****** or advance timing. The use of a higher octane fuel won't help and can hurt since low octane fuel has more energy than that of high octane.

You can go to pure-gas.org to find stations in your area that sell non octane fuel.

I will be looking at natural gas conversion. Don't feel warm and fuzzy about storing propane and I already have natural gas hookup outside for a grill we never had (we are strictly charcoal).

I've seen pure-gas.org but nothing listed in the city. I guess perhaps a haul from upstate would make sense. NJ lists mostly racing or high octane airplane fuels. Thanks for a reminder of this list.

 

[Bryknicks]

I have a duel fuel generator. I only stock up on fuel when I know a storm is coming. I'll keep 40 gallons of gasoline and 80 pounds of propane as backup.

 

[Millwright]

I will be looking at natural gas conversion.

Yes you can still run gas. Just make sure you get a conversion kit that has a nonrestricted injector. The injector goes between your carb and airbox. This is the one I went with.

 

[JohnnyBeagle]

I have solar at home with 2 10kWh batteries

 

[Beau_B]

Dual fuel portable 4kw here. House has a 120 propane tank for stove top and small fireplace insert already. I probably have 5-10g of gasoline on hand at any given time (mowers/snowblower) and obviously the propane would give me days. We’re not in a severe natural disaster area, to date I have only ever lost power 3 times; longest was 30hrs. I did learn that the small BBQ tanks freeze up quickly in colder weather, so it’s important to have access to larger (surface area) tank.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Yes you can still run gas. Just make sure you get a conversion kit that has a nonrestricted injector. The injector goes between your carb and airbox. This is the one I went with.

Great! I contacted Hutch Mountain with questions. Looks like I can have it converted to tri-fuel.

 

[trmiv]

I fill up 3 5 gallon gas containers and my generator with gas (so about 19.4 gallons tota) with stabil just before the peak of hurricane season. If it looks like something is coming before that I will fill up then. In late October I dump that leftover gas into the cars and then drain/prepare the generator for storage since I’m not worried about winter storms in Florida. Usually I’ll get it out and ready in early April in case a freak tornado pops up but I don’t buy a bunch of gas until hurricane season.

 

[jda]

I fill up 6 5g cans before winter when a storm is forecast and put some stabilizer in them - snow blower, golf cart and also generator backup. We fill all of the vehicles up too. I also have a few 44g gas tanks in some 1 ton trucks that I could tap into if I need it. This all stores fine for 6-8 months. Heck I have a classic car with gas in it from 2018 that runs OK, but it will run better when I fill it up with fresh gas.

More importantly, make sure that your carburetors are clean, not gummed and ready to run. This is easier with heat and lights than doing it with a flashlight in your mouth when your fish and family are getting cold.

 

[Rob U]

I am evacuated since last Wednesday near Ft Collins, CO due to the Cameron Peak Fire. I bought a whole house generator for about $20K when I moved in, primarily for my aquariums! I get it maintained regularly. I thought I was good, but the power’s been out most of the week now and never anticipated an outage this long. Nobody could tell me how long the generator would last. My house runs on propane normally so I have a large tank, I think it’s about 700 gallons. Luckily my tank had been recently filled for the winter. So far so good, I was able to sneak in yesterday and the tank somehow has about 70% left. Not sure exactly how long power has been off but probably most of the week. Fish doing good despite lack of food. I have been going crazy thinking of coming home to dead tanks and seeing my fish. Many of my fish are over 10 years old and my clowns over 20. I have a Copperband that is thriving after failed attempts with others that I am overly attached to. And I feel responsible for them and am probably excessively soft towards animals by nature. But anyways, I couldn’t stop envisioning the scene when I got home. Not sure how long it will run but it was a huge relief to see them alive and that so much propane was left. I am hoping to have power back soon, but who knows? As long as my canyon is under mandatory evacuation the firefighters can’t let them turn the power on. Fire is still close to my house.

This fire is a nightmare for this area. It’s the largest in Colorado history. Haven’t specifically identified the cause but it’s human caused, we’ve had a long term drought and no lightning for months. Many homes have been lost. The front is about 100 miles long and firefighters are stretched thin, also because of the numerous in CO and the west. No lives lost yet.

I guess my message is if you care about your animals and are in an area prone to power outages, a backup system is essential! Those of you in hurricane areas probably have to deal with this frequently, but I never thought I’d have to protect against a power loss of this duration.

Don’t know if anyone will see this but I guess it felt good to get it out, and reefers would better understand my anxiety. Everyone is sympathetic of course, but a number of people think I’m nuts-to them they’re “just fish”. I’ve always felt a responsibility to my fish and corals, we pull them out of the beautiful ocean and they are totally under my control and maintenance. I’ve given them a good home, but this is pretty much out of my control.

 

[Casket_Case]

In Florida I was out for two weeks so enough fuel to run for that long I suppose lol

 

[BZOFIQ]

I am evacuated since last Wednesday near Ft Collins, CO due to the Cameron Peak Fire. I bought a whole house generator for about $20K when I moved in, primarily for my aquariums! I get it maintained regularly. I thought I was good, but the power’s been out most of the week now and never anticipated an outage this long. Nobody could tell me how long the generator would last. My house runs on propane normally so I have a large tank, I think it’s about 700 gallons. Luckily my tank had been recently filled for the winter. So far so good, I was able to sneak in yesterday and the tank somehow has about 70% left. Not sure exactly how long power has been off but probably most of the week. Fish doing good despite lack of food. I have been going crazy thinking of coming home to dead tanks and seeing my fish. Many of my fish are over 10 years old and my clowns over 20. I have a Copperband that is thriving after failed attempts with others that I am overly attached to. And I feel responsible for them and am probably excessively soft towards animals by nature. But anyways, I couldn’t stop envisioning the scene when I got home. Not sure how long it will run but it was a huge relief to see them alive and that so much propane was left. I am hoping to have power back soon, but who knows? As long as my canyon is under mandatory evacuation the firefighters can’t let them turn the power on. Fire is still close to my house.

This fire is a nightmare for this area. It’s the largest in Colorado history. Haven’t specifically identified the cause but it’s human caused, we’ve had a long term drought and no lightning for months. Many homes have been lost. The front is about 100 miles long and firefighters are stretched thin, also because of the numerous in CO and the west. No lives lost yet.

I guess my message is if you care about your animals and are in an area prone to power outages, a backup system is essential! Those of you in hurricane areas probably have to deal with this frequently, but I never thought I’d have to protect against a power loss of this duration.

Don’t know if anyone will see this but I guess it felt good to get it out, and reefers would better understand my anxiety. Everyone is sympathetic of course, but a number of people think I’m nuts-to them they’re “just fish”. I’ve always felt a responsibility to my fish and corals, we pull them out of the beautiful ocean and they are totally under my control and maintenance. I’ve given them a good home, but this is pretty much out of my control.

You're doing the right thing.

We are responsible for the animals we adopt - no matter how small or wet.

Hope the fire and resulting outage will soon be over and everyone is safe.

 

[KorD]

5 gal in a jerry can, and 3 gal in the generator.
Generator gets testes and ran monthly just to make sure it stays in good working condition.
Gas in the jerry can gets used for the lawnmower and other things around the yard so it does not go bad.
I just make sure I fill all the Jerry cans if I know we are in for bad weather.
Last year we were out of power for 7 days. Used the generator to keep the fridge, tanks and freezers running.