Lapkritis, those are good ideas (esp the extra filter on my generator, I sure could/should do that esecially since it's a nice quiet honda 2000i) but I was focused more on the actual storage of a large amount of gas....

How do you guys with 20 gallon tanks (or whatever was mentioned above) deal with that? It's one thing if you are running through the gas all the time for whatever reason (an unpowered shed or something) but in a scenario where the generator might not need to run for a year or 2 except for small maintenance runs, it's a PITA.... I've found stabilizers to be good for 6 months tops, after that it's a crap shoot with modern gas and you might end up with a large tank of junk to dispose of... Also I don't like keeping cans of gas anywhere inside, vapors and all, so a 20 gallon tank???

Every time we have a generator thread I start wanting to get a generator. I look at the small inverter types like the Honda units. Then I decide I would really want more power and enough to run the AC and the price goes up. Then I wonder how do I store enough fuel to be useful and I end up looking at the Generac natural gas powered units. By the time that is installed and all the electrical switching I am up to 6 to 8 grand.

Then I start to think about the power outages we have had. About 10 years ago we had a small tornado hit 1.5 miles south. That took out the power for the night. We had to eat ice cream for breakfast or throw it out so we ate it. The power was back on by 9:00 AM. About 8 years ago the power went out at home due to a ice storm. We lit the gas fireplace and stayed warm. The power was back on in the middle of the night.

We have never gone 24 hours without electricity ever. That makes me just want a little cheap generator to get by for the short term and then I wonder why I need even that.

If we have a hurricane tidal surge the entire world was just hit with the end of the world level event. Mega earthquakes are just as unlikely. We would need to grow a forest to have a forest fire so that is out. We don't have to worry about hill slides until we grow a hill.

Ice storms and tornadoes are the only real threat. The bad ice storm was just an few hour interruption. Tornadoes hit a very small area, it might take a day but that is just not a real threat.

I end back at the screw it, deal with electrical problems as they appear.

Same thought process as you... But I bought one after we got hammered by 3 storms in FL and the power remained off for days, and 3 long humid nights... I've never needed it since, consider it insurance ;-)

I've used it a few times (since I had it) but waiting for the power to come back might have been less hassle ;) On the Honda inverter topic, I have that (2000i). I've found it is great because in a power loss, the stronger generators make a racket and you are unlikely to run them at night to power AC or something, unless you enjoy pissing off neighbors 2 blocks away... The Honda is so quiet in eco-throttle mode that even though it cannot run the house (it ran a fridge, a window A/C unit and TV), you CAN run it almost all the time and not bother people too much... Very nice for camping also, I hear, because of its miniature size - I wouldn't know, I hate camping but my friends borrowed it often (which is fine, it exercises it). It's been useful at the track too, on occasion !

I tag my gas cans. That way I know which one's are 6 months old.

They get put in my truck. I only put #1 gas in the cans. That way there is no E10 or E15 in the cans and they all get a dose of Stabil for good measure.l

My cars get parked end of October and not driven again till May, sometimes not till June or July. So 6-8 months with treated gas there is no problems. It's only when you use E gas which absorbs water do you get a problem.

A lot of no blend gas stations are near marinas. Should mention that for long term storage folks. Ethanol free is popular there for the same reasons.

I use marine stabilizer, ethanol treatment.. in all the gasoline I use. Any gas I keep stored, I constantly cycle it out with fresh gas. I make a habit of running my portable generators at least once a month,( that's a habit from the fire dept). They also sell propane and NG conversion kits for most portable gensets.

I tend to be with Glen on the topic. I have a small amount of water and non-perishable food. Our entire area is on buried power feeders, any disruption will hit the entire area and is quickly repaired. We really only have to deal with an ice storm or severe thunderstorm/tornado, and unless my house is gone it will be back up and running quickly due to the large number of people impacted. Anything serious enough to knock out power for weeks will have us headed to my in-laws' in central KS, where they have generators, a freezer full of cow, a garden, and a well.

How many gallons / hour do these small generators use?

Depends on the load. Most are 8-20hp Briggs or Tecumseh. 1-2gph. 5gal tank gets you 5-10hrs on how much demand you have roughly.

Larger units over 5k watts will use more of course.

I understand that you are probably welcome to come to the inlaws house to weather the storm, and I would certainly welcome my kids , but I see a lot of this attitude from neighbors and friends who believe they will just come to my house to survive comfortably. I don't see how this is fair that I have to prepare for unexpected (and unprepared) guests when they don't need to lift a finger to help themselves.

Maybe that's what the spoons are for....to fend off moochers.

Anything serious enough to have us fleeing to their place would be a serious SHTF situation. At which point we'd pull our family together and hole up. They not only have a nice stockpile of food but also live in the middle of nowhere, where people still look out for each other. A well armed rural small farm town would be a good place to hide.

I've got some groceries.
Some peanut butter.
Should last a couple of days.....