# This storm has me thinking:



## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

I really wish I had a damn generator. With the threat of power loss looming, I realized I have plenty of food and water. I have the ability to travel. The house provides shelter and I have tons of blankets and cold weather gear. But the only thing I can't duplicate is power. A genny that could power appliances would be great! Looks like I have a mission and expense when the storm subsides. Damn...does me no good now.


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## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

Aye, i see it just started to come down outside my window. I have a small 2K watt generator and a fireplace plus a couple 5 gal gas cans that i keep full. Just add a little fuel stabilizer and every 6 months or so rotate the gas out and load test it.


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## SecTec21 (Jul 27, 2013)

Where I live in North Carolina we now have 3 inches on the ground and it is still falling. I wish I had a damn generator too! I started to buy one back in June when they went on sale, but noooo - I just had to go to the beach. Idiot! I know, I know, I'm a stupid grasshopper.


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

SecTec21 said:


> Where I live in North Carolina we now have 3 inches on the ground and it is still falling. I wish I had a damn generator too! I started to buy one back in June when they went on sale, but noooo - I just had to go to the beach. Idiot! I know, I know, I'm a stupid grasshopper.


The price we are paying for tuition to this college is priceless my friend.


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## Sharkbait (Feb 9, 2014)

SecTec21 said:


> Where I live in North Carolina we now have 3 inches on the ground and it is still falling. I wish I had a damn generator too! I started to buy one back in June when they went on sale, but noooo - I just had to go to the beach. Idiot! I know, I know, I'm a stupid grasshopper.


We did the same thing until two summers ago when we had a 75mph straight line storm blow through knocking out power for 10 days.I fixed some of the property damage myself and used the leftover insurance money to buy a 4500w genny as soon as they was back on the shelves.Some of the little things you never think of missing (like all of our refrigerated/freezer food going bad,couldn't buy ice,the stores were either closed,sold out or melted from no power),plus 2 kids with no ipods and video games?Lol,I said "never again".


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

I prepped the generator when we had an ice storm a couple weeks ago. The wife suggested we could just toss the frozen food outside.
Sure, but what about refrigerated food, hmm? Put it in the back room with a candle? :lol:


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## Sharkbait (Feb 9, 2014)

Denton said:


> I prepped the generator when we had an ice storm a couple weeks ago. The wife suggested we could just toss the frozen food outside.
> Sure, but what about refrigerated food, hmm? Put it in the back room with a candle? :lol:


Does the candle go out when you shut the door?


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

A couple of ways to cook without power might not be bad, too - it's so energy intensive. We've got the woodstove during the winter but I'm working now on finding the components for a rocket stove built out of cinder blocks that I saw on Youtube. It has two burners and just plain rocks!


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## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

indie said:


> A couple of ways to cook without power might not be bad, too - it's so energy intensive. We've got the woodstove during the winter but I'm working now on finding the components for a rocket stove built out of cinder blocks that I saw on Youtube. It has two burners and just plain rocks!


A couple ways to cook? That's how i validated getting a new grill to the g/f!!


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

PrepperLite said:


> A couple ways to cook? That's how i validated getting a new grill to the g/f!!


Right on! Don't forget backups for your backups, too! Might I suggest:


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

Smokin04 said:


> I really wish I had a damn generator. With the threat of power loss looming, I realized I have plenty of food and water. I have the ability to travel. The house provides shelter and I have tons of blankets and cold weather gear. But the only thing I can't duplicate is power. A genny that could power appliances would be great! Looks like I have a mission and expense when the storm subsides. Damn...does me no good now.


Smokin04 about 10 years ago a storm took out a bunch of transformers in my area. the power in our house was not restored for 3 months. Taught me a big lesson on how dependent we had become on it. Needless to say major purchase of a 6000 wt shortly there after and since have also acquired another 6000 used for 
$75 as well as another smaller one as back ups. One is wired directly into the well pump and stays there since water is the most important. 
I have also tried to come up with ways to not depend on the electric. Like canning everything instead of putting it in a freezer. or dehydrating. I stay away from things that require electricity as much as possible and use the manual versions when possible. I use a coffee percolator on the burner or wood stove instead of the auto drip. My electric furnace was disconnected several years ago and I only use wood heat. You get the idea....


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

indie said:


> A couple of ways to cook without power might not be bad, too - it's so energy intensive. We've got the woodstove during the winter but I'm working now on finding the components for a rocket stove built out of cinder blocks that I saw on Youtube. It has two burners and just plain rocks!


We bought a Silverfire rocket stove last fall and I LOVE it. Just after Christmas, we had a couple weeks where the highs did not get above zero. So I took that as the perfect opportunity to test it out. It was about -5 with about a 10 MPH wind the day I tested it. It took about 20 minutes to "go rocket", but once it did it was efficient as hell. I was just burning some old scrap red oak cut into pieces about 3 inches long by 1 1/4 wide by 1/4 thick. I burned about 30 of those pieces and it burned for over an hour with very little ask.

Survival Stove | Backpacking Stove | Portable Wood Stove

They are a bit on the spendy side, especially compared to making your own. But it is worth every penny. First, the way they designed the air intake more than doubles the amount of heat it builds up over a homemade rocket stove. Second, they have a cast iron top that is perfect for holding a pot or a pan. They also use some kind of proprietary insulation rather than the standard perlite that most folks use in their homemade stoves.

I cannot say enough about it. It is the best prepper investment I have made this year.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

That's a nice compact one! I'll have to think about that one too. Thanks!


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## Schramm (Feb 9, 2014)

I'm lucky my husband bought a small genni, we have it running the insert to our fire stove... we know how to cook on it and it warms the whole upstairs. and its a 7 room upstairs. (though 3 are all open into each other so you could count it as one) With me being laid off we cant get a larger one, though we do want one maybe two.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Thanks Inor. I've got the Solo Stove but its really only a 1 man stove. The larger Silver Fire Rocket looks like it would do the trick for larger meals/pots etc. Good find!


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## tango (Apr 12, 2013)

When you buy a generator, size it to suit your needs.
Generators are rated in Watts.
Volts times Amps = watts.
Start with the STARTING amps of the items you want to run, times the Voltage, 120 or 220, to size the generator.
No sense buying one too small to suit your needs.
Stock fuel and gas stabilizer, like Sea Foam, or Sta Bil.


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## Mish (Nov 5, 2013)

We haven't heard back from him in a while...I bet he lost power! PARTY THREAD!!! We'll teach him!!


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

Mish said:


> We haven't heard back from him in a while...I bet he lost power! PARTY THREAD!!! We'll teach him!!


Not that lucky Mish...still here. Just got into some netflix. Surfing the web can be boring at times.

And thanks tango for the maph (<--mispelled on purpose for humor)


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## Mish (Nov 5, 2013)

What's happening on Netflix?


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

Movies.


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## Mish (Nov 5, 2013)

What for movies? Jeez!


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## Smokin04 (Jan 29, 2014)

Oh...my bad. 

The ones that don't suck....

surrounded by a lot that do suck...

I try to only watch the ones that don't suck...

But occasionally I get tricked into thinking one doesn't suck...only to find out it does in fact, suck.

Embrace the suck now, for it could suck much more tomorrow - Smokin04


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

I've been thinking back up power too. You don't have to run everything all at once.


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## vandelescrow (Nov 17, 2012)

When I was stationed in VA I thought about getting a generator. I was looking at how I could build a slide out tray near the ceiling in the garage so it is out of the way when not needed, slides out side for venting and noise reduction and *secure* when needed. Also that was right next to the fuse panel so it would be easier. In that home the master bedroom and kitchen were behind the garage and the furnace and hot water heater were directly above the garage. Plan was in the drawing phase but I had to move out of state before it got off the ground

note: the reason I put "*" around the word secure is because, just prior to hurricane Isabelle hitting Langley the Air Force bugged me out to keep the Air Combat Command's Battle Staff running. Upon my return almost two weeks later the power was still out. I took my dog for a walk that evening around the neighbor hood looking at the damage. When it started getting dark a car full of up to no good teenagers drove by real slow shinning flashlights on the windows on the first floor of all the houses. When I got home I loaded my hand gun and kept it near by. Anyway, generators were stolen quite a bit. The police set up generators to run traffic lights and were chained down. One of those was even stolen.


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## Reptilicus (Jan 4, 2014)

I'm fortunate in the generator dept. as both my welders have power outlet plugs. My 64 Lincoln Red Face has only 2- 110 Outlets, but my 2012 Miller Bobcat has 4- 110 Outlets and also 1 -240 Outlet. It has a total of 11,000 Watts generator power. We have had a couple of outages here as well this winter, not for a long duration, but long enough to really appreciate that Bobcats power output!


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

generators, you don't need one but they are really nice to have... 

I know small ones are useful to power fridges and such... you don't need to power your own home, but one massive word of advice drive a earth stake in the ground and have the generator earthed, very important from a safety point of view


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## SecTec21 (Jul 27, 2013)

Generator theft is the biggest reason I have been slow to get one. Generators are noisy! Thieves drive around and listen for them, note the address when they find one, then come back to steal them. 

The other day someone posted something about a generator that was connected to three car mufflers. Said it was real quiet. I would like to know more about that. The youtube videos I have seen haven't done much to muffle them.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

Smokin04 said:


> Oh...my bad.
> 
> The ones that don't suck....
> 
> ...


I like how you think.


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## Mish (Nov 5, 2013)

We do not have a generator but we have a fireplace that should keep us warm for a while.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

SecTec21 said:


> Generator theft is the biggest reason I have been slow to get one. Generators are noisy! Thieves drive around and listen for them, note the address when they find one, then come back to steal them.
> 
> The other day someone posted something about a generator that was connected to three car mufflers. Said it was real quiet. I would like to know more about that. The youtube videos I have seen haven't done much to muffle them.


i have herd things similar to that, from sound proffered sheds and a muffler design to get them super quiet..

but those that spend the time working on the problem are extremely into opsec (I know I wouldn't post a instruction guide on how to fix a sound issue, I made it to hide It, just to tell the world I have it...)


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## topgun (Oct 2, 2013)

I have a 3.5k generator. When we lose power, I use it to power the fridge, the sump pump, the cable TV, the microwave and a couple of lights. Heat is provided by fireplace and propane heaters. Stove is natural gas. Phones are charged as necessary. I have many other ways to get power as well due to the fact, that I have some property that is off the grid that I camp on.

Those worried about theft can buy a length of good chain and a good lock. A gun works well too.


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## longrider (Mar 25, 2013)

This is all great info guys. Thanks a bunch! My friend has been trying to talk me out of installing the wood burning stove and into a generator. I was "generator reluctant" due to needing gas. I could have a small one to power the fridge and freezer only. I'll have to think about it some more. Good thread.


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

My 3 fuel genny is ready... But I'll need to wipe off the sun tan location on my hands if I try to start it.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

longrider said:


> This is all great info guys. Thanks a bunch! My friend has been trying to talk me out of installing the wood burning stove and into a generator. I was "generator reluctant" due to needing gas. I could have a small one to power the fridge and freezer only. I'll have to think about it some more. Good thread.


If you get a generator you will need to plan for the fuel also. Not much more to it really. I picked up some barrels for $10 a piece and got a $50 barrel hand pump and then started filling. I always have 10 5 gal cans full too for the yard equipment, but on payday dump them in a barrel and take the cans down and fill them up again. Don't forget the stabilizer and the gas will last a long time. 
This gas has saved my butt a few times because of running out of money and having to fill up at least every other day due to my type of employment. If I run short of cash (prepping to much!) I just pump some back into a can and put it in the car and off I go.


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