What have you done recently to prepare? Please include How-To's also

After the last power outage I realized how much fuel my 6KW generator goes through: about 3/4gallon per hour. I have 25g of fuel stored, but even with just running it enough to keep the house pipes from freezing, I would be out of fuel in a week.

I just ordered the duel-fuel conversion so I can run on gasoline or natural gas. The house has natural gas piped to the back porch for the grill. It has quick disconnect couplings so I'm getting a long gas hose because I run the generator in the shed with the door propped open.
 
cockpitbob said:
After the last power outage I realized how much fuel my 6KW generator goes through: about 3/4gallon per hour. I have 25g of fuel stored, but even with just running it enough to keep the house pipes from freezing, I would be out of fuel in a week.

I just ordered the duel-fuel conversion so I can run on gasoline or natural gas. The house has natural gas piped to the back porch for the grill. It has quick disconnect couplings so I'm getting a long gas hose because I run the generator in the shed with the door propped open.
Click to expand...

How far from the quick connect to the shed? What size gas hose will you use?
 
cockpitbob said:
After the last power outage I realized how much fuel my 6KW generator goes through: about 3/4gallon per hour. I have 25g of fuel stored, but even with just running it enough to keep the house pipes from freezing, I would be out of fuel in a week.

I just ordered the duel-fuel conversion so I can run on gasoline or natural gas. The house has natural gas piped to the back porch for the grill. It has quick disconnect couplings so I'm getting a long gas hose because I run the generator in the shed with the door propped open.
Click to expand...
which kit you go with? I used a U.S CARB kit but I think you can find them cheaper. My 10HP Generator will last about 12-13 Hours with the 5 Gal tank (Gasoline)
 
Terrys said:
How far from the quick connect to the shed? What size gas hose will you use?
Click to expand...
It's about 50'. I haven't gotten the hose or done much research yet. I'll take any advice.

It looks like 12' is the longest that have the QD fittings that Amazon carries. Here's a link to a place that sells longer sections in various diameters with NPT fittings. I have no idea what diameter to get. I guess when the conversion kit comes I'll look at the short hose it comes with and get the next size up for the 50' run.

I bought the Century Fuel Products kit.
 
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cockpitbob said:
After the last power outage I realized how much fuel my 6KW generator goes through: about 3/4gallon per hour. I have 25g of fuel stored, but even with just running it enough to keep the house pipes from freezing, I would be out of fuel in a week.

I just ordered the duel-fuel conversion so I can run on gasoline or natural gas. The house has natural gas piped to the back porch for the grill. It has quick disconnect couplings so I'm getting a long gas hose because I run the generator in the shed with the door propped open.
Click to expand...


which brand generator do you have and which conversion kit are you ordering? I was thinking of ordering a conversion kit to run off propane as thats much easier to store in the heat down here.
 
I have a Briggs & Stratton generator. It's loud and fuel hungry but does what I want. I would love a Honda inverter. They are quiet and sip fuel, but cost 2x or 3x more. I figure if there's a total societal melt-down I won't be able to get fuel after the first month anyway, so the inverter type generator wasn't worth it to me.

I got the conversion kit from Century Fuel Products, mainly because they listed my exact model generator so I knew it would fit....well, except for the part where I have to cut the generator's frame to make it fit, but apparently that's S.O.P. It moves the air cleaner forward by more than an inch. My main reason is the house has natural gas plumbed to the rear porch for a grill. In 5 years the power hasn't been out for more than 12hrs, but if it is out for days it will be nice to be able to run the genny continuously. Also, I hear that natural gas is the last of the utilities to go off line when TSHIF.
 
cockpitbob said:
Good one.
With that knowledge and gear you'll be able to listen in on the fan hitting around the world.
When it gets close to home you'll be able to shoot, move and communicate.
Click to expand...

That was the idea. Now phase 2 is dragging my crew of buddies into it.
 
I bought an MEP-002, oil change kits and 2 new 51R batteries to start it. Still need to wire it into the house and work on shrinking it's acoustic signature. Got a supply hose and can use the secondary pump to pull it right from the oil tank. Looking for a second tank while oil is 1.66/gallon.

Added to stabilized fuel stores and rotated oldest fuel. Bought extra woodstove gasket for the wood stove, and a second chain saw with spare bar, plug, 40:1 oil, 3 chains and files to hand sharpen them. I have enough stabilized gasoline and bar oil to cut down several years' worth of wood on the land. Might be dragging it down from the ridge in a wheel barrel and splitting it by hand, but I'll be warm in the winter. The old defiant gets the house to 80 even with the temperature below zero.

I'm also now a year ahead on a medication I now need. Aiming for 2, which is how long before it is 'expired'.
 
Stored away 100lbs sugar, 50lbs pickling salt, another 200lbs of pinto beans and 300lbs of hard red wheat in mylar lined buckets with nitrogen purge and O2 absorbers. Bought 4 more Baofeng UV82 radios and two Kenwood TM-281 VHF mobil radios with programming disk and cable, 50 more AR 30rd mags, 30 aluminum and 20 Magpul gen 2s, 5 cases of IMI 9mm ammo, 3cs 115gr and 2cs 124gr.

Next month, the rice stock get replenished from what's been used.

Also been feeding the deer herd here, so far this winter have put out 800lbs of shell corn and 50lbs of cover crop wheat. The game cam pics show them to be well fed and fat for next hunting season.

As for how to: The sugar and salt are put into vacuum bags and sealed to prevent moisture. The beans and other dry goods are placed in 4 mil mylar bucket liner, a couple of O2 absorbers dropped in, the top is then sealed up with an iron except for about 4 inches. Then a wand made from a 24 in brake line is inserted to the bottom and nitrogen is turned on @ about 2psi until the bag inflates. The excess is pushed out and re inflated again. Then the wand is removed, the excess pushed out again and the bag sealed completely. Then the lid goes on.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk9b0dAtJ80

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8E5kDcbOGE
[/URL]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Terrys said:
How far from the quick connect to the shed? What size gas hose will you use?
Click to expand...

cockpitbob said:
It's about 50'. I haven't gotten the hose or done much research yet. I'll take any advice.

It looks like 12' is the longest that have the QD fittings that Amazon carries. Here's a link to a place that sells longer sections in various diameters with NPT fittings. I have no idea what diameter to get. I guess when the conversion kit comes I'll look at the short hose it comes with and get the next size up for the 50' run.

I bought the Century Fuel Products kit.
Click to expand...
The dual fuel kit for the generator came last night. The regulator needs input pressure between 6-8oz/sq in (that's 0.375 - 0.5psi)! That's pretty low pressure, but I read that's what a house's natural gas lines have. The kit came with a 1/2" ID hose to go from its regulator to the carb adapter. I'm going to get 3/4" hose to go the 50' from the porch to the shed. That's going to be a big, heavy hose. Even then I'm now worried about the hose's pressure drop. I think I'll see if I can't measure the gas pressure at the porch first to make sure it isn't on the low side of the range.

One more thing. I should change the plug gap for natural gas[thinking]. I thought this was "dual fuel", just randomly switch between. The manual says most generators have a 0.035" gap and it should be shortened 0.010". My genny's plug is gapped to 0.030" so I think I'll shorten that to 0.025" and use the same gap on both fuels.
 
Last edited:
cockpitbob said:
The dual fuel kit for the generator came last night. The regulator needs input pressure between 6-8oz/sq in (that's 0.375 - 0.5psi)! That's pretty low pressure, but I read that's what a house's natural gas lines have. The kit came with a 1/2" ID hose to go from its regulator to the carb adapter. I'm going to get 3/4" hose to go the 50' from the porch to the shed. That's going to be a big, heavy hose. Even then I'm now worried about the hose's pressure drop. I think I'll see if I can't measure the gas pressure at the porch first to make sure it isn't on the low side of the range.
Click to expand...

I am thinking about doing the same - curious of how much run time can you get out of a 40 lb. propane tank?
 
I vacuum canned 20 pounds of sugar and 20 pounds of basmati rice. Quart mason jars and vacuum sealed

Market Basket had Pastene bean varieties on sale for .99/ 19 ounce can. As we eat a lot of Humuus, I bought 3 dozen cans of Cice (chick peas) and 3 dozen cans of cannelini beans, which we use for escarole soup and pasta fagioli. Also bought 2 dozen of red and dark red kidney beans. 120 cans and a bag of rice will feed you, albeit not spectacularly, for a good while.

I also tested some recipes with tomato powder. A little goes a long way. It's not as fresh as canned or raw tomatoes, but it adds a BUNCH of tomato flavor if you're worried about appetite fatigue.

Lastly, ordered another case of red feather canned butter.
 
JayMcB said:
I vacuum canned 20 pounds of sugar and 20 pounds of basmati rice. Quart mason jars and vacuum sealed

Market Basket had Pastene bean varieties on sale for .99/ 19 ounce can. As we eat a lot of Humuus, I bought 3 dozen cans of Cice (chick peas) and 3 dozen cans of cannelini beans, which we use for escarole soup and pasta fagioli. Also bought 2 dozen of red and dark red kidney beans. 120 cans and a bag of rice will feed you, albeit not spectacularly, for a good while.

I also tested some recipes with tomato powder. A little goes a long way. It's not as fresh as canned or raw tomatoes, but it adds a BUNCH of tomato flavor if you're worried about appetite fatigue.

Lastly, ordered another case of red feather canned butter.
Click to expand...

The cans of beans, are they packed in water? What is the shelf life on them?
 
Coyote33 said:
Anybody starting any seedlings for the garden yet?
Click to expand...

That is today's project, tomatoes, peppers, cukes, along with planting some onion sets and taking hay field soil samples for the extension office to test.

Burned off part of the garden Sunday morning but the wind started getting a bit much so I let it go out.

Yesterday picked up 400lbs of shell corn and 5lbs of alfalfa seed to plant for the deer.
 
The beans are packed in water. The listed expiration is December of '18 on the cans I cherry picked off the shelf. Experience with this particular brand (Pastene) has shown that cans even 2 years past the date on the cans still provide a very edible product. I found a can 3 years past that was in the back of a shelf at our cottage down on the cape, and it made hummus that was just fine. The can itself was starting to show signs of rust on the edge of it due to the absurd humidity down there.

I know based on our bean consumption that absent something really wacko happening, that those beans will all be long gone before their expiration date.

The LDS cannery data shows that properly canned sugar and rice can last **30** years. So that wasn't a concern either. As a matter of course, we keep anything we plan on having long term vac sealed at the cape or it's shelf life is shortened due to moisture.
 
currently attempting to make my own corn beef, been sitting in brine for 2 days now.
http://www.learntopreserve.com/the-...rned-beef-ever-its-so-easy-an-8-year-old.html

also made homemade butter today. it came out awesome. i poured some heavy cream in an old glass jar and shook like a madwoman for about 15 minutes. after a few minutes it had the consistency of cool whip...a few minutes later it was like lumpy cream cheese...a few minutes after that it suddenly became a chunk of butter and buttermilk. i poured the contents of the jar into a fine strainer then dumped the butter chunk into a bowl of very cold water and pressed the butter with a spatula to squeeze out buttermilk and "rinse" the butter. butter went back onto a paper towel in the strainer and i squeezed out remaining water. buttermilk from the jar went into a tupperware container in the freezer til i can figure out a good use for it. no, the butter does not stick to the paper towel. it was very easy but it took time. i know people have used food processors and blenders as well but i can't speak to how long that takes.
 
lancecolonel said:
currently attempting to make my own corn beef, been sitting in brine for 2 days now.
http://www.learntopreserve.com/the-...rned-beef-ever-its-so-easy-an-8-year-old.html

also made homemade butter today. it came out awesome. i poured some heavy cream in an old glass jar and shook like a madwoman for about 15 minutes. after a few minutes it had the consistency of cool whip...a few minutes later it was like lumpy cream cheese...a few minutes after that it suddenly became a chunk of butter and buttermilk. i poured the contents of the jar into a fine strainer then dumped the butter chunk into a bowl of very cold water and pressed the butter with a spatula to squeeze out buttermilk and "rinse" the butter. butter went back onto a paper towel in the strainer and i squeezed out remaining water. buttermilk from the jar went into a tupperware container in the freezer til i can figure out a good use for it. no, the butter does not stick to the paper towel. it was very easy but it took time. i know people have used food processors and blenders as well but i can't speak to how long that takes.
Click to expand...

nice. kind of a hand churn

Coyote33 said:
Buttermilk pancakes. I think it also gets used in chocolate cake.
Click to expand...

my wife makes killer scones with it too
 

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