Do you keep your Genny full of fuel?

[lonehoosier]

.

 

[Dave A]

So unlikely to be able do the job of a real generator?

My F150 has 2 115v outlets, the total is 400 watts. Not enough to do much.

 

[Dave A]

I have not seen any post about pure gas for long term storage in the tank/carb. I try to use true gas in the chain saw, the weed eater and the generator for testing and storage. I try to buy 2 or 4 gallons when gas prices are really low.
It would be great to get a good group buy on Honda 2k Inverter dual fuel generators. All I need is to keep the frig and freezer at a good temperature for a few weeks/months.

 

[abnk]

Does anyone have a vehicle with standard 110V outlets in it? How much power can it produce?

From what I've seen most are ~150W, with some maybe reaching 200W. Even if it were ten times higher, it would be very inefficient to run a 3-5L motor for 1,500W when a you can get that from a generator with a 80cc motor. Depending on the load, you could get 6-15 hours per gallon on the latter.

This is probably a good time of the year to buy, although I'm not sure if the supply has caught up with the high demand that followed Harvey and Irma.

 

[churchmouse]

I have not seen any post about pure gas for long term storage in the tank/carb. I try to use true gas in the chain saw, the weed eater and the generator for testing and storage. I try to buy 2 or 4 gallons when gas prices are really low.
It would be great to get a good group buy on Honda 2k Inverter dual fuel generators. All I need is to keep the frig and freezer at a good temperature for a few weeks/months.

A few have mentioned Marine gas which is close or possibly the same. Low to no ethanol.

 

[lonehoosier]

Trying to clear subscribed threads in my UserCP

 

[Simon6101]

I used to have a gas generator and got tired of treating gas and the gas additives cracked the tank.. I purchased a propane generator and have accumilated 9- 20lb tanks. I can run several days without needing fuel and it never goes bad.

Ran my Generator for over 6 hours yesterday when the power was down and only went through half a tank. Only had the sump pump and a few lights running off of it.

 

[Paul30]

I keep fuel in the cans with stabile during the winter, no stabile in the summer as I use it and rotate them. My small generators only hold about a gallon (Not counting the boat engine tank you can connect to them for long runs) I also have a fuel shut off on the generator, so I let it run dry before storing it. Any fuel I feel is getting old, gets poured in a vehicle and burned before it gets too old, then refill the cans with fresh fuel.

How about a UPS? A larger UPS would carry a lot of basic devices, without running fuel through a generator. Most have a larger battery you can connect to extend time, or like some have done put a couple marine batteries in series for 24 volts and run it for quite some time. Recharge with a good charger with a small generator when they get low. I really like the smaller generators by Honda and Yamaha. Quiet, VERY fuel efficient compared to the contractor generators you get at Home Depot. I recall one spring and winter we had a hurricane make it to Indiana, and knocked out power for 10 days in the spring and 10 days in the winter. One guy had a 7000 watt generator from Home Depot. Very loud, and drank a gallon of fuel per hour. Fuel back then was about $3 to $4 per gallon. Do the math. A fuel efficient generator is more expensive up front, but if you have to actually run it you will save in the long run. A single 8 hour run cost that guy about $30. Solar guys really get home energy efficient, because solar is expensive per watt, so reduce the watts you need.

This is the UPS I was describing. https://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS...512080736&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=ups+apc&psc=1

 

[churchmouse]

I keep fuel in the cans with stabile during the winter, no stabile in the summer as I use it and rotate them. My small generators only hold about a gallon (Not counting the boat engine tank you can connect to them for long runs) I also have a fuel shut off on the generator, so I let it run dry before storing it. Any fuel I feel is getting old, gets poured in a vehicle and burned before it gets too old, then refill the cans with fresh fuel.

How about a UPS? A larger UPS would carry a lot of basic devices, without running fuel through a generator. Most have a larger battery you can connect to extend time, or like some have done put a couple marine batteries in series for 24 volts and run it for quite some time. Recharge with a good charger with a small generator when they get low. I really like the smaller generators by Honda and Yamaha. Quiet, VERY fuel efficient compared to the contractor generators you get at Home Depot. I recall one spring and winter we had a hurricane make it to Indiana, and knocked out power for 10 days in the spring and 10 days in the winter. One guy had a 7000 watt generator from Home Depot. Very loud, and drank a gallon of fuel per hour. Fuel back then was about $3 to $4 per gallon. Do the math. A fuel efficient generator is more expensive up front, but if you have to actually run it you will save in the long run. A single 8 hour run cost that guy about $30. Solar guys really get home energy efficient, because solar is expensive per watt, so reduce the watts you need.

This is the UPS I was describing. https://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS...512080736&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=ups+apc&psc=1

That UPS output is measured in VA which might hold a computer mempoy but it is not going to run much else.
What you need to look into is a good clean power inverter. Not cheap but with a string of battery's (Wired to put 12V) depending on the inverter you can do some work.

 

[10-32]

I keep fuel in the cans with stabile during the winter, no stabile in the summer as I use it and rotate them. My small generators only hold about a gallon (Not counting the boat engine tank you can connect to them for long runs) I also have a fuel shut off on the generator, so I let it run dry before storing it. Any fuel I feel is getting old, gets poured in a vehicle and burned before it gets too old, then refill the cans with fresh fuel.

How about a UPS? A larger UPS would carry a lot of basic devices, without running fuel through a generator. Most have a larger battery you can connect to extend time, or like some have done put a couple marine batteries in series for 24 volts and run it for quite some time. Recharge with a good charger with a small generator when they get low. I really like the smaller generators by Honda and Yamaha. Quiet, VERY fuel efficient compared to the contractor generators you get at Home Depot. I recall one spring and winter we had a hurricane make it to Indiana, and knocked out power for 10 days in the spring and 10 days in the winter. One guy had a 7000 watt generator from Home Depot. Very loud, and drank a gallon of fuel per hour. Fuel back then was about $3 to $4 per gallon. Do the math. A fuel efficient generator is more expensive up front, but if you have to actually run it you will save in the long run. A single 8 hour run cost that guy about $30. Solar guys really get home energy efficient, because solar is expensive per watt, so reduce the watts you need.

This is the UPS I was describing. https://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS...512080736&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=ups+apc&psc=1

I have a few of those APC Back UPS units because I couldn't pass on the price . Depending on the power draw, they last 15 - 30 minutes when the main power is cut. Depending on the model, you have to listen to 3 loud beeps every 30 seconds until the battery dies, power is restored, or you shut it off. The add on batteries are quite costly. I've been tossing around the idea of opening one of the units up, removing that damn beeper, and then wiring it to a deep cycle battery to see what type of run time I can get out of it.

Per our "IT/Electrician Guy", these units make good power filters using the battery backup side if you need to run sensitive electronics (Like a smart TV) off a contractor grade style generator. Most contractor style generators lack a automatic voltage regulator.