Electric is out, you have a generator--what do you power?

[soldier615]

Okay, the electric is out due to a natural disaster--hurricane, tornado, flood, etc.  You have a 10hp 5000w generator and 10 gallons of gas.  What will you power with it and/or how will you ration that power?  You have a fridge and freezer full of food and lots of canned goods and 100 gallons of water.  Plus a fireplace and an outdoor charcoal grill.

[Heimdhal]

Well, shoot, we call this scenario "hurricane season".


If its a limited emergency, something like a Hurricane (been through plenty by now, weeks without power) the main things we ever ran off the genny was a fridge some lights and some plug in personal fans. Some things were used on sparsley, like a TV and DVD players for a movie, or when I was really desperate, my computer.  For the most part, the lights, fan and fridge were the constants and they dont take that much of a draw.  LED lights would make it even better.


However, 10 gallons of gas isnt a lot.  Rationed properly to just lights and low power fans would stretch it out signifcantly, but then you wouldnt need the 5000w genny for that, and it wouldnt use the fuel as efficiently as a smaller genny for just those purposes.

I'd try to get more gas, if possible.  10 gallons wouldnt last us through most of the hurricanes we've been through (longest was over a month (i almost wanna say 2) without power, (back in 05). Anyways, we were one of the very last areas to get power back in two big hurricanes.


Moral of the story is, we did just fine.  Didnt miss a beat.  We were prepared, even in '04 before we had the genny and went through a couple 'canes.  The big saving grace was that other areas HAD power and we could always drive somewhere for a bite to eat or in once case we got a hotel in Ft Lauderdale for a week and sat on the beach drinking margaritas.





If EVERYONE was out of power EVERYWHERE for more than a week..... 10 gallons wouldnt be enough.

[bulldog136]

We have two deep freezers that we rotate out when running on the generator. In the summer time they will last about three days if everything is already frozen.

[cvasqu03]

I guess it depends on the situation.  If you've known the hurricane was coming, then you lowered your refrigerator temp to the coldest beforehand and put stuff away in the freezer packed with ice.  In those circumstances you don't really need to power the fridge unless the outage lasts over five days.  Here in S. Florida the hardest part is the heat.  If you don't have enough battery powered fans, you'll really be kicking yourself unless you can power the AC but since most houses have central AC, that's not really an option unless  you have a portable unit. 

To be honest, in '05 we got hit by Katrina and then Wilma  we were without power for about three and then four days so we really just needed our amenities powered, recharging phones and such.  I guess if it went longer maybe I'd have to start recharging my laptop to use instead of my desktop, though I could always do this in the car too. 

Realistically, you'd want to take care of food storage first, then health issues like temperature, then maybe deal with connectivity or entertainment.

[ranger1968]

As others have said, that's hurricane season here.....most of us here have experienced power outages lasting weeks, and we have learned what priorites to have.....running the fridge is up near the top, followed by (here in the tropics anyway) a few fans to keep the air moving, and then maybe a few lights, although most of us have a pretty good selecton of candles and lanterns....
Most of us also have more than one generator, and a few of us keep a couple of hundred gallons of fuel on hand for the season, (At the end of the season we start putting it in the cars and replacing it in the storage tanks with fresh fuel so that the storage fuel is always fresh)   so we would have quite a bit more than 10 gallons....

But with just 10 gallons, we could run the fridge and keep things cold for about 3 weeks if we were careful about it and used the little generator......

[1mlt]

fridge, freezer, fans, TV. I now have a propane genny and I have enough tanks to run her 24 hours for 5-6 days. I'm thinking about getting one of those 'portable' A/C units that run on 110v. I can drag it upstairs at night and cool the bedroom. Houston is really nasty in the summer w/o A/C.

Marcus

[Heimdhal]

We got really lucky in 05 when the canes came through in September and October that There was a massive cold front behind them and it lasted the entire power outage.  04 we weren't lucky and it was a heatwave in august, that's actualy what prompted us getting the genny in the first place.


A portable ac unit is a wonderfull thing.  They are power hogs though so you have to learn to use it right.  If this were a shtf where it would last months or indefenetly, eventualy gas will run out and that A/C is no use.


That's when I'll bug out to Alaska rofl.

[83project]

Hey guys,  I have recently done some prepping myself.

 Bought a 6500w genny and set up to power the house. It is a craftsman gas gen.  I am however, going to by the kit that makes it a tri-fuel geny. Prpane, NG, or gas. I will have the NG run to the proper place. If everything else fails, NG is usually still running here in North Alabama. The last few years of tornado season have prompted me to be more prepped!  I live 5 miles from Albertville ( 2010 tornado ) and 1.5 hours north of tuscaloosa ( 2011 tornado )

  I am set up to run 220v into the house. I can run my split unit, a/c or heat, as it is only 1 1/2 ton. I can also run almost everything else when not running the a/c. ( Not all at one time, but reasonably). My only other main limiting factor is the water heater. It is 220v. I would have to juggle a bit to have hot water!

[Yacht Master]

"What do you power?"

Your car.

10 gallons will net you about 10 hours run time @ 5.5Kw not enough to fool around with.

Sell generator, Lock up your house put the 10 gallons in the car and go to a place that has electricity.

Now if you have 100+ gallons then you can stay and protect your home and content.

1. Well pump (water supply)
2. Sump pump (flood damage)
3. Information & communication (TV, radio, phone, Internet)
4. Freezer
5. Fridge
6. Charge/use power tools (damage repair)
7. Ice maker
8. A/C (Window unit >6000 btu)
Now the neighbor will show up with extension cord, you can bet on it.
To maintain the fridge & freezer will take about one hour run time every 6 hours @ 85* F.

[83project]

You'd better bet on the neighbors. But I would like to think that it would be reaping and sowing. A generous act followed up by another...  we hope!

[cvasqu03]

.....A portable ac unit is a wonderfull thing.  They are power hogs though so you have to learn to use it right.  If this were a shtf where it would last months or indefenetly, eventualy gas will run out and that A/C is no use.


That's when I'll bug out to Alaska rofl.

Yes, but once again, this is why you need to think it through on your own terms and based on what you're preparing for and what resources are available in your local area.  Here in S. Florida even when the electricity went out because of the '05 storms, most gas stations were back up and running within a matter of days so if you ran out of gas, it wasn't that big a deal to get more. To be honest, the hardest part was finding a gas container if you didn't already have one as those sold out pretty quickly right after the generators, and those did take a while before they came back in stock. 

We keep three empty 5 gallon tanks and a couple of 3 and 2 gallon tanks.  We usually don't keep them filled, but if it looks like a storm is headed here, I do make a point of filling them up just in case.  Other natural disasters won't give you as much warning so it might make more sense to keep the cans full, but then you have to deal with the issue of storage and keeping the gas in them usable (you really need some stabilizer in there). 

As always, you have to think through your particular situation.  I guess if you're preparing for the end of the world, maybe stock up on a lot of gas, but then I think you'd really have a lot of other things to worry about.

[Heimdhal]

If you're getting a genny for a true end of the world, where things like gas and diesel wont be available at any price or at prices way higher than one can afford in any quantity, then theres some serious stuff going on and one would be better off with a diesel genny or converting a generator to wood-gas and/or bio diesel and making your own fuel

At that point though, it would be more beneficial to learn homesteading and pioneering methods and learning to survive WITHOUT readily available electricty, ya know, like most of the people on the planet do.


I CAN exist without electricty just fine.  I am miserable and uncomfortable in the summer heat, but it wont kill me and eventualy, you get used to it.  I would NOT prefer to be in south florida without electric, but plenty of people have done it in generations past (some still do).

My generators are for hurricanes and minor emergencies.  They are not a main part of any extreme SHTF plan because I dont have enough money, time or space for parts, back ups, fuel, etc.

I've got a canner and a lifetime supply of mason jars and lids

[soldier615]

If you're getting a genny for a true end of the world, where things like gas and diesel wont be available at any price or at prices way higher than one can afford in any quantity, then theres some serious stuff going on and one would be better off with a diesel genny or converting a generator to wood-gas and/or bio diesel and making your own fuel

At that point though, it would be more beneficial to learn homesteading and pioneering methods and learning to survive WITHOUT readily available electricty, ya know, like most of the people on the planet do.


I CAN exist without electricty just fine.  I am miserable and uncomfortable in the summer heat, but it wont kill me and eventualy, you get used to it.  I would NOT prefer to be in south florida without electric, but plenty of people have done it in generations past (some still do).

My generators are for hurricanes and minor emergencies.  They are not a main part of any extreme SHTF plan because I dont have enough money, time or space for parts, back ups, fuel, etc.

I've got a canner and a lifetime supply of mason jars and lids

I'm thinking more along these lines as well.  It's all good info.  I can't afford to store 100 plus gallons either, but I know I should have more than 10.  I was just wondering what the priorities would be and knew I would be hearing from people that have gone through it.  I kind of figured that I would power the fridge off and on instead of continually.  I've got tons of laterns, lamps and candles for light as well.  We'd eat the perishables first.  I was just curious about how long I might be able to keep the fridge cool.  I live in central GA and it gets hot here too.  It's all good info, thanks to all and keep 'em coming if you have anything else to add!

[shawker71]

I have to agree with the others on just running the fridge enough to keep perishables from spoiling. We get tornadoes here in N. Alabama fairly regularly so power being out for a few days to a week can happen without much advance notice. Last year we were out for over a week and I had 40 gallons on hand thanks to my company and I used it pretty non conservatively seeing that more was going to be there should i need it. In a true SHTF situation where refueling may not be an option, I would hold that 10 gal like it was gold.

[wolfgang2000]

Okay, the electric is out due to a natural disaster--hurricane, tornado, flood, etc.  You have a 10hp 5000w generator and 10 gallons of gas.  What will you power with it and/or how will you ration that power?  You have a fridge and freezer full of food and lots of canned goods and 100 gallons of water.  Plus a fireplace and an outdoor charcoal grill.

Like others I was born and raised in S. Louisiana.  Been through many hurricanes.  Moved to southern Missouri in 2003.  No hurricanes but have ice storms, blizzards, tornado's, etc.  Same preps, different storms.

IMO having 1 cable going to the house, and using the plug or off switch to control what you use, is a better option than running a bunch of extention cords.  Back then I used my dryer plug to power up my home.  My home in MO. was wired for the generator when I built it.

My last home in La. was powered by a 4200 watt gen set.  It wouldn't power everything at once but it would power what I needed when I needed it, EXCEPT for the central air.  Kept a small 110 window unit just for that.  I would mount it in the bedroom during storms.  Thing like those twisty light bulbs make a difference on wattage consumed.

Presently I have a 10,000 watt gen set.  It powere everything including the central air.

I agree with others that 10 gallons is a little light.  I keep a 15 gal. "emergency reserve" (it's one of those round blue drums), 4, 5 gal cans.  I never let the 5 gal cans get more than 2 empty.  Been toying with the idea of upping my ER up to 30 gal.

One last note.  ALWAYS put stable or some other preservative in your gas cans.  Unleaded gas will start breaking down in 4 to 6 months.  Stabel will keep the gas good for 12 to 18 months.  Pri-G (if you can find it) for over 2 years.