I learned my lesson after the hurricane swept through and the power was out or 6 days. Well, really I learned it after they shut the power down several days the next week while they were still mopping up. Technically, it was after a fire at a nearby substation knocked the power out for a half day in the whole town a week after that. But the point is the power is much less reliable than it used to be, and I am looking for a diesel generator.
There are other options for back up power. Propane, gasoline, solar, wind. But solar and wind are a pipe dream. An online calculator says I can get a solar system that meets half my needs for $50,000. After government subsidies. Or I could get a diesel generator and $45,000 worth of diesel.
The only thing better than diesel would be nuclear. According to my research, diesel and heating oil are the same thing, except that heating oil has a red dye in it. If you use the substance with the red dye in a motor vehicle, you are escaping a tax. So I can use my heating oil to run the generator if necessary. So I don't have to install a giant propane tank buried in my back yard. So the diesel comes out much cheaper.
I am a little worried about how it works when there are three feet of snow on the ground, and around the generator. It can't run if can't breathe. The diesel has a heater to keep the oil from freezing in the winter, but that means melting some surrounding snow as well, which means forming ice and puddles around the bottom.
My current plan is to put some gravel on the bottom, and lift it up six inches by setting it on railroad ties. This is my first step towards preparation for the Road Warrior post-apocalyptic wasteland which is coming. The next step is stockpiling canned goods anf ammunition. Forget gold, those are the only hard assets that will hold their value. Diesel, canned goods, ammunition.
No comments:
Post a Comment