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How To Prepare For a Long Power Failure
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Jan 24, 2024
Ever wondered how best to prepare for a long power failure? The electrical grid may seem reliable, but if it fails in a big way, having a way to generate your own electricity for days or weeks could make all the difference for you and your family. One of the best ways I know of to prepare for a long power failure is by investing in a multi-fuel generator. Learn how multi-fuel generators work by watching this video. MY ONLINE COURSES: ► My Cabin Building Course: https://bit.ly/36bRARX ► MIG Welding for the Home Workshop: https://bit.ly/3CGuUFv ► Woodworking for Beginners: https://bit.ly/3w6ZnLW ► How to Build a Deck: https://bit.ly/3i2LWV3 ► Build Traditional Wood Cabinets: https://bit.ly/3JbLQ9v ► Renewable Energy for Your Home: https://bit.ly/3w9K4ls ► 3 Solar Energy Projects: https://bit.ly/3KLNUp9 READ MY POPULAR ARTICLES ABOUT: ► Polyurethane Finish - https://bit.ly/powerbuffing ► DIY Hoop House Plans - https://bit.ly/hoophouseplans ► Submersible Pump Installation - https://bit.ly/pumpinstallation ► Air-Drying Wood Tips - https://bit.ly/wooddrying ► How to Build a Table - https://bit.ly/tablebuilding ► How to Stain a Deck - https://bit.ly/deckstain ► Choosing Waterproof Outdoor Glue - https://bit.ly/exterioradhesives ► How To Build A Wheelchair Ramp - https://bit.ly/wheelchairrampplans
View Video Transcript
0:00
As a homeowner, one reason you might buy a generator is to provide backup power for your
0:17
home when the electrical grid goes down. After all, who wouldn't want the lights to stay on and the internet to keep working and
0:23
the coffee pot to still operate even during a blackout. Now that's simple enough to understand but what's not so simple is the situation you may face
0:31
during your next actual blackout if it turns out to last longer than a short time
0:36
How will you find fuel for your generator if the outage continues for more than a few days say
0:41
What has to happen to keep your generator operational for say a week or even a month
0:47
In this video I'll explain how to prepare yourself ahead of time
0:50
to power through outages that last longer than a day or two. What you'll get in this video is the most important information that I've found vital
0:59
over the last 35 years of owning and using generators. These include the three things that any well-prepared generator owner
1:07
should have sorted out ahead of any outage. Get these details in place right now and you'll enjoy a generator that lives up to its potential
1:16
able to power you through most outages even ones that last for a long time
1:22
The details for long-term generator output and working life include three features
1:27
Feature number one, a multi-fuel design. Feature number two, a supply of stabilized gasoline and engine oil
1:36
plus access to propane or natural gas if your generator can use these
1:41
And finally feature number three, a safe legal and convenient way of delivering generator electricity to the important circuits within your home
1:51
Now for the details. Feature number one, a multi-fuel generator. Most portable generators burn gasoline only and this is fine as far as it goes
2:01
but what if you run out of stored gasoline and can't get out to buy
2:05
because the roads are blocked with downed trees or snow? Or what if you can get to the gas station but none of the local places
2:11
are equipped with generators so the gas pumps can operate when the grid is down
2:16
Very few urban gas stations have outage-proof pumping capacity to keep fuel flowing during a blackout, but even if they did
2:24
really how long will gas stations have fuel to sell if delivery trucks can't get into the city with more gasoline
2:31
As the name suggests, multi-fuel generators are made to run on more than one type of fuel
2:36
and this means more options for keeping things working at your home
2:40
all with less work and uncertainty on your part. Dual fuel generators typically burn gasoline via a carburetor in the usual way
2:49
but they also have a hose and a regulator that allows a 20 or 30 pound propane cylinder
2:55
to connect to the machine, bypassing the carburetor and the need for gasoline of course
3:00
With other adapters, a dual fuel generator can be connected to propane tanks as large as a
3:05
thousand gallons, allowing many days of continuous operation with no need to refuel
3:11
The propane replaces the gasoline and its tendency to go stale during storage
3:16
That's important. In fact, some people prefer propane to gasoline for generators precisely because it never goes bad
3:23
The carburetor is completely bypassed when running on propane, so plugged carburetor jets are really a non-issue
3:30
Just remember that propane does deliver somewhat lower power output than gasoline
3:35
especially in winter as internal propane tank pressures are lower with the colder temperatures
3:42
Now tri-fuel generators are even better than dual fuel models for resilience because
3:47
they can use three kinds of fuel, not just two. While tri-fuel models can run on gasoline or compressed propane from a large tank or
3:56
portable tank, just like dual fuel units can, tri-fuel generators can also run on natural gas
4:03
delivered via the supply that your home may already have. You'll need some fittings and a shut-off valve to connect your generator to a gas outlet
4:11
of course, but the result is complete freedom from having to obtain fuel in any kind of tank
4:18
Natural gas is also a lot cheaper than gasoline and propane for a given runtime of generator
4:23
At the time I'm making this video, propane costs roughly four times as much as natural gas
4:29
for a given output of electricity. Natural gas also never goes stale
4:33
It needs no space to store tanks and it never requires you to shut off the engine and refuel
4:39
The only time you'll have to shut off a natural gas ready portable generator
4:44
is for maintenance and oil changes and things like that. Now imagine you have a supply of gasoline for your generator but after
4:50
say, a four-day outage following a freak ice storm, all your gas cans are empty
4:56
Gasoline supplies at local service stations are also gone or soon to be gone
5:01
This scenario is a problem for anyone with a single fuel gasoline-powered generator
5:06
but no problem at all if you've got some propane tanks for a barbecue grill on hand
5:11
It's even less of a problem if you have natural gas at your house and you own a tri-fuel generator
5:16
A quick-release hose can connect a tri-fuel unit to your household gas supply
5:21
and this is a huge advantage, if you can do it. Why is it an advantage
5:27
Well, even during extended electrical power failures, natural gas supplies generally keep on flowing because they're underground
5:34
They're not aerial like wires are. With your tri-fuel generator running on natural gas, the only reason you need to shut down
5:40
is to change engine oil after every 100 hours or so of operation
5:45
Feature number two, a supply of fresh fuel and engine oil. Freedom from the hassles of running your generator on gasoline
5:54
are some of the reasons people prefer to operate with propane or natural gas
5:58
So, what are these hassles of gasoline? Well, there are two main ones
6:03
First, you need enough fuel to keep you going for at least a few days
6:07
Longer is better, of course. An 8,000 watt generator, for instance, operating at half load
6:12
burns about three quarters of a gallon of gasoline per hour. If you ran your generator all the time, then this translates to 18 gallons of fuel per day
6:21
or roughly three large gas cans. And that's a fair amount. Then there's the age-old problem of gasoline going stale
6:28
Without taking precautions, today's regular gasoline loses its ability to burn cleanly
6:33
after just about six months or less of storage. So, even if you do have enough gasoline stored at your place
6:39
to power your generator for the long haul, will that fuel be any good when you need it
6:45
One excellent option to keep gasoline in reasonable shape during storage is to add
6:49
gasoline preservative as you fill gas cans at the station. A big jug of preservative lasts a long time because gasoline generally only needs
6:59
one ounce of stabilizer for every two and a half gallons of fuel
7:03
That's 30 milliliters for every 10 liters of fuel, if you're a metric person
7:07
Gasoline treated like this keeps fresh for a couple of years, so it's well worth doing
7:13
Next thing to remember is the type of gasoline you buy. Ethanol is in most regular grades of gasoline these days
7:20
and even some premium fuels contain ethanol. The thing is, ethanol makes gasoline go bad faster
7:27
That's why the best gas for storage is premium and ethanol-free. Some brands offer high-test premium gasoline with no ethanol
7:36
so check out the website pure-gas.org for a constantly updated list of ethanol-free gasolines
7:45
The next thing you need to do is rotate your gas supply, and that's another reason why some people prefer propane or natural gas
7:53
Fuel stabilizer and ethanol-free premium gasoline will greatly extend the freshness of your generator fuel supply, but this gas will still go stale in time
8:03
even if you did add stabilizer. So that's why you should purchase some labels to stick on your gas cans
8:09
and mark the date that they were filled. Use this fuel in your vehicles as a regular course of events after 12 to 18 months or so
8:18
and then replace the gas in the cans with fresh as you've used them. Feature number three, safe legal generator connections to your home
8:28
The longer the duration of a power outage, the more important it is to have generator power
8:32
delivered to actual circuits in your home and not just extension cords leading to the toaster and TV
8:38
To make this sort of thing happen legally and safely, you need hardware installed in your home
8:43
The main safety issue is that it must be impossible for your generator to back-feed power
8:49
through the service cables supplying your home and then out to the grid
8:54
Grid cables that are inadvertently energized because of power from a private generator
8:59
back-feeding through the overhead lines can actually kill workers working on those lines
9:04
So this is why laws around generator connections were created. A transfer switch is one option for safely and legally connecting your
9:12
generator to your household electrical panel. It provides power to whichever circuits in your home you want energized at that time
9:20
Another connection option is a device called a GenerLink. That's actually what we have here at my house
9:26
This is a piece of proprietary hardware that's installed between your electrical meter and the
9:31
meter base, allowing your generator to connect to the GenerLink via a cable
9:37
A GenerLink is fast and easy for any electrician to install, and that's why people like them
9:43
Now I have to say that the GenerLink does cost about as much as the hardware needed for a
9:47
transfer switch system, and that's a pretty steep price. Though the GenerLink installation is much faster, easier, and simpler
9:55
There's no disruption to your existing wiring system. Besides the practical advantages of being prepared for a long-term outage, it's satisfying too
10:05
Simply knowing that you've got what it takes to keep everyone in the family warm
10:09
dry, illuminated, fed, and safe is a big part of being prepared
10:13
for the unpredictability of the world these days. More than ever, smart people prepare ahead of time
10:19
especially when it comes to the energy they need
#Generators
#Home Improvement
#Industrial Materials & Equipment