Crisis Generator questions.

I don't know about the good play part. If it really hits the fan, you're not going to be able buy gasoline for very long.

But to your gen/gas issue: I used a generator to run my frig's for about 6 days after one of those hurricanes. I don't recall exactly, but seems like it was about 5 gallons per day, maybe a little more.

I had 6-7 five gallon cans. Safely storing is another thing. I stored them in my garage, and tried to run them out quickly after an "emergency situation." Having that much flammable product in my garage (house) doesn't seem smart.

It's a good solution for a week or two. Best of luck on your plans.

Obviously, if available, a natural gas generator would eliminate these particular issues.

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Quiet vs loud

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This is a biggie in your scerario because if the shite really has hit the fan those of us who hoard nothing but ammo will be paying special notice to the sound of generators. You would be better off with a propane reridgerator and solar power.

If you just mean being briefly inconvenienced by a lack of power anything will do what you want as long as it is over 3500 watts, I suggest LPG powered as there are less storage issues with the fuel.

After Michael I ran a 7500kw wired into my house for about 3 weeks. I have a well and those pumps have a big start-up load, hence the size. But that size also allowed me to run the washer/dryer, which was HUGE. We did a lot of laundry and supplied showers for the neighbors. It even the water heater if I turned most other stuff off. We had an outdoor kitchen setup with camping gear/propane; running an electric stove/oven isn't practical on a portable generator. Anyway, stuff I learned:

- you don't need to run it 24/7. We'd run it partially during the day and hardly ever at night. Refrigerators/freezers will do fine overnight, especially if they're largely full
- due to that, gas went farther than we thought
- I'm not in a metro area and I wasn't concerned about roaming shitheads
- if you're concerned about roaming shitheads noise isn't your problem, turning on the lights at night is

If all you want is to run a couple of refrigerators and the lights, just get one of the smaller inverter types. When competitive units were 75% the cost of a Honda, the Honda was probably the better buy. Now they're a fraction of the cost and they've been around long enough to amass ratings so you can make an educated buy.

I'd look at Harbor Freight (whatever their nicer brand is), Champion, Wen, Generac, etc. Mine's a Champion and it was flawless but it's not an inverter type.

Buy a Honda

for all real practical purposes you cant store enough gas for more then a few days unless you have underground storage tanks like gas stations do

best bet is natural gas generators, the natural gas lines should remain useful and have line pressure for weeks and maybe even a month or so.

for the most part, anything needing refrigeration isn't something you should have on hand. stick to canned and dried goods that have a very long shelf life at room temps

And use non-ethanol gas. Keep a few cans of Sea Foam to add to gas. Makes a world of difference in those small engines

Check out the Dual Fuel Champion 3500 watt. Sams club regularly has them for $350. You can use propane or gas.

We have 2 of the regular gas only models and they start 1st pull and mine is probably 7 years old and my dad’s maybe 10.

3500 watts is plenty for what you say you need and they will run for close to 10 hours on a tank of 3 1/2 gallons. We’ve used them around the clock during power outages and at hunting camp for years running campers. They are not super quiet but are not as loud as some that are around.

Gasoline can be stored long term if done properly, long term being a year or more. I have used gasoline in my generator and lawn mower that was over 2 years I old with no problem. Gasoline goes bad due to the evaporation of soluble butanes which happens if the gasoline is allowed to contact air, and is why gas in mowers and generators goes bad, they have vented fuel tanks. Gas stored in a sealed container will remain useable for a long time.