I am guilty of not googling in this instance, but a friend that maintains diesel generators for major grocery chains said diesel can be stored a long time if, like you said, with additives, but if there is circulation system and a water separator when you pump it out for use. Granted then you need a fairly large professional storage tank. Diesel storage time is much longer than gas but still limited. In a real S-hits-Fan situation, if you had a diesel car / truck and generator and serious storage, you could be set for months at a time.
Plus - you can usually find a local propane company that will drop a 250 gallon tank in an underground location and provide a regulator for a generator.
+1
Yes, the Flux Capacitor is so 1980s!
+1 You Rock
I just purchased this today. The main reason is because it is propane powered. I shouldn’t need it to heat my house as I have a wood furnace but would enjoy having a back up for my fridge and freezer, especially in the summer months, and maybe a light or two. Now, where does the idea come in that propane doesn’t perform in cold weather? I have had a ventless heater and we in Illinois have had some pretty severe winters (below zero at times)and have never had trouble with this fuel.
I paid $500.00 for this exact unit five years ago.
My experience:
[youtube=RbnTzYJUAmE][/youtube]
From YouTube:
*This is a test of an All Power America 3500W Propane Generator, model APG3535. I wanted to test this unit once we arrived at our camp site in the mountains of West Virginia before getting too comfortable. I’ve put several hundred hours on this piece of junk while traveling all over the USA and am happy to say it’s been great and I haven’t had any problems at all. (I do run Mobil-1 synthetic oil and maintain in meticulously however I think the benefit of the maintenance will be longevity.) Although you get what you pay for just like anything else, for the money spent I can’t complain.
During this particular trip this genset ran continuously for three days straight (out in the open, as you see it) while we waited out some pretty severe thunderstorms that wouldn’t allow us to get down the mountain.
Yes, I’d rather have a Honda, Yamaha or Onan but for the price of one Honda or Onan I can (and did) buy a couple variations of this unit so I always have a spare when on long road trips!*
YMMV
-RF
I live in NJ…about 50 miles north of the point where Sandy came up the beach. I learned what I know about this subject from first hand experience (probably the best teacher).
One of the things I learned is that most gas stations during a general outage are NOT OPENED. Those that are opened are running on generator power and have lines of cars waiting to be served that go beyond the horizon. Their prices during an outage are increased and if you complain about it they are quick to tell you to buy at another station. When they have pumped the gas they have, they bring out that dreaded sign that says, "OUT OF GAS…WE ARE CLOSED! They then have to wait about 2 or 3 days until they get another delivery. The few propane stations we have in this area are ALL closed during an outage.
After living through Sandy, the first thing I did was convert my generator to use any of 3 fuels, gas, propane or natural gas. In this area, the most viable fuel solution is natural gas and this is what I use today. I could use either of the 3 fuels available but natural gas is the best solution. It comes directly to my house, it burns cleanly and is one third the cost of gasoline…in other words my generator produces the same amount of power burning natural gas at one third the cost of burning gasoline. Propane is not even a consideration because the expense is much greater.
I have been using 5-6 year old propane tanks in rotation for YEARS. I store at least ten on hand ALWAYS.
I had ten 30LB tanks in my garage. I had a garage fire. Only three vented, no explosions. It is most certainly safer to store than gasoline. (Not to mention transporting)
I haven’t done the math.
You could jet this (or pretty much any LP or gasoline-powered) generator) for natural gas if you have it available. This is what I would do for emergency power.
It’s not. Most of your observations are anecdotal or local. Most of the people looking at this generator are probably from other places.
I live in New Hampshire. We are probably more accustomed to getting along under unfavorable conditions. We had lines, but no price gouging and no ‘out of gas’ signs. The people in line were all quite civil and even happy – I suppose because all of us would have electricity when we got home.
I’m pretty sure natural gas lines get shut off in an emergency. Regardless, you will likely never see another Sandy. Tri-fuel is good. Use natural gas as long as it is available then switch to stored propane until you can fill up your gas cans.
After Hurricane Wilma it was nearly impossible to find open gas stations for weeks. The gas stations that were open had 3 and 4 hour lines and constantly running out of fuel. I now have a whole house generator with an underground propane storage tank.
I’m not saying this is a great product but I can say I’d pay a bit extra for propane over gas.
Power outage, = no electricity, so gas station no workie. LINES at gas stations that do workie. Propane tank lasts a LONG time. Propane man has no lines. WIN PROPANE
Natural gas lines aren’t cut off, and power outages = long gas lines. It is not “regional”.
I owned & ran a Ford diesel pickup from 1983 to this year. Sometimes it would go 9 months between adding fresh fuel. I would start the engine & idle it every week or so, if I didn’t take it out on the road. In this time period I NEVER had a problem with the fuel. If there was bacteria growth, I couldn’t tell, the engine just ran, and no fuel additives were ever used.
I wouldn’t dare to do this with a gas engine. I own a 5 year old gasoline genset that won’t start. Its carb is clogged. I would add fuel stabilizer & on shutting down the engine, would run it with the tank valve off so that it would empty its fuel lines. Even so there must have been a small amount of fuel remaining in the carb. This spring it would not start due to a clogged carburetor. I partly disassembled the carb & found a definite fuel blockage point (of course there can be more than one). Despite cleaning what I could see, the carb was still clogged & I am in the process of ordering a new one.
I’ve live in NE OH since 1976 and have experienced various utility shut offs due to bad weather, etc. However, never once has my natural gas supply been disturbed. It is the most reliable public utility I know of.
Up until Katrina hit in 2005, New Orleans led a charmed life. Your life may vary.
All small engine generators can easily be converted to work with natural gas. I converted my 16hp generator to work on any of the 3 fuels available…gasoline, propane or natural gas. I now use my generator exclusively with natural gas. Check online with US Carburetor.com US Carb will sell you a kit which contains everything you will need to make the conversion and the cost is very reasonable at about $190. You need not be a “gearhead” to do this because it’s very easy to do and the instructions are very easy to follow. All they need is the model of your generator. In the event that you have a problem, you can call US Carb and they will talk you through to a conclusion. You can also go on U-tube and search for conversion videos. U-tube is loaded with many nice guys who have taken the time to show you how the job is done.
Some gas stations use generators during an outage so that their pumps, which run on electricity do “workie.” Having been there and done that, I can tell you they “workie” pretty well.
You should file a claim with the bank holding your credit card amount. You get the credit right away (in my case).
it was a review from another site