Would You Rather: Gas, Diesel, or Propane Generator?

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[@basspig]

Another thing you can find videos of military generators starting up at -20° f they will start without much effort. I used to think that diesel was useless in the winter time but that's not the case.

[@SmokyMountainBlessed]

we have had gas / diesel and solar I think options are good and usually diesel engines in vehicles are more durable, so I would think the diesel would be getter with fuel generators too, we did not have to run our generators for long periods of time, because our electric came back quick enough so we did not have to do maintenance of them

[@goynwa7110]

That’s what I’m thinking too, so that would mean that when it’s super cold good luck trying to cold start

[@OtunbaFola001]

Great content. I'm going for the diesel generator. 🎉

[@Go4Corvette]

My small gas/propane generator starts easier on propane than gas but I stay on solar as much as possible. I only use the generator as a backup to charge batteries but if I was whole house I would go diesel. Take care Mike

[@basspig]

I chose diesel because it's twice as efficient as gasoline engines on fuel economy it runs at lower RPM is quieter the fuel is less volatile the engines last longer because the fuel is a lubricant and in difficult times you can burn vegetable oils reclaimed oil that's been filtered and cleaned with a centrifuge and you just have a lot more options. The old mobile electric power military generators seem to be excellent for this purpose.

[@wesm3915]

I don't know where you're getting your fuel but here in Montana gas is $3.59 per gal., off road diesel is $3.40 per gal., propane is $1.85 per gal. One of my 5KW and 7KW diesel generators has a compression release and can be started by pull started

[@SpragueRiverHomestead]

Yeah, no. Fuel is not that cheap in Oregon. Gas is $4.20 with diesel around the same. Propane is running $3-$5 depending on volume. Our generator is also not set up for a pull start. And not designed in any way that would allow for that.

[@sherrybee111]

Big solar power station (I have Bluetti Ep500pro)with dual fuel inverter generator with extra propane tanks for backup to charge Bluetti when no sun. I personally hate a noisy generator. It also lets the whole neighborhood and possible bad actors know that you have power.

[@Zkpe02]

What wattage is your diesel generator? I know my whole house generator can put out more wattage than I would ever use and in order to save that unused wattage I bought some LifePo4 Batteries to store that power for later usage, this way I can cut down on the generator usage and save fuel. Throw in a few solar panels and get some of that sun power on sunny days. Using both batteries and a generator with a few solar panels are a good combination. A decent size solar power station would be even better, you could tie it into your electrical panel box…

[@SpragueRiverHomestead]

Our generator is 6kW. Our solar panels are also 6kW. We have a large AGM battery bank and only run the generator annually 80-100 hours. Most of the year is sunny enough to just use solar since we have always been off-grid at our current property.

[@Zkpe02]

@@SpragueRiverHomestead From your video I got the impression you were basically relying on you diesel generator for your power needs with no mention of other supplemental power sources, this is why I wrote what I did…

[@joannc147]

Ugh….I don’t have mechanical experience so mntc, oil changes and “parts”…..wha..? Nope. Not in my wheelhouse. 🤪 I would not want to store all of that fuel & equip in my attached-to-house garage. I’ve got two solar packs to utilize for running the freezer only. I’m in 100% electric home, so…ouch. A long-term power outage would pose a significant problem for me. Well, only in the summer or the winter, lol. I’ve got alternate cooking options and intend on adding one of those (rather ugly and intrusive) wood stoves. Our electricity has been reliable…..so far. Great topic, you two! 👍🏻You make us THINK. Having options makes me feel secure. 🐇🐇🐇