Effate Loc: El Dorado Hills, Ca.

Wow, three incidents in 41 years. Look at the devastation that PG&E power lines have caused in the State of California in just the past several years. There are costs and risks but there are 443 reactors in use around the world for electricity production and how many nuclear subs have been under our seas for decades?

Canisdirus

Yup...50 years... 3 incidents...no fatalities...the horror.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

It's pretty easy to throw the main breaker and plug the house into your generator at the dryer outlet, but a t***sfer switch is nicer. They make manual t***sfer switches, or you could use a reversing contactor. Don't use gasoline if you don't have to, it has a very short shelf life.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Many generators are available to run on dual fuel sources, either gasoline and propane, or gasoline and natural gas. Using propane or nat gas exclusively is a great way to keep the generator in great shape and avoid all the pitfalls of old gasoline. But a good fuel stabilizer helps keep gas fresh, too.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

Wh**ever problems PG&E has with t***smission, they would still have them. Nuclear shouldn't be built in seismically active areas, but then neither should hydro.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

If you have natural gas, conversion kits which allow you to use gasoline, natural gas or propane are not expensive and easy to install - just an injector between the carb and intake manifold plus a demand regulator. Cost is $200-250 depending on the model. And unless the emergency k**ls the natural gas supply, which is unlikely, you can run as long as the generator holds up. Remember that portable generators with splash lubrication were not designed to run continuously for long periods. Honda engined generators and others with a pressure lubrication system are likely more reliable long term. I always place a large portable fan blowing directly on the generator - helps with cooling and also helps blow the exhaust gas away. Remember that the generator needs to be in the open, well away from doors and windows and never in garages or carports. Every time there’s a major power outage, some people die from CO poisoning.

Also re-read the the earlier warnings in this thread on electrical safety. If you don’t know what you’re doing, just plug appliance and lights directly into the generator rather than attaching it to your house wiring with a “suicide cable” (a cable with a male plug on each end).

Storing enough gas to last through an emergency is tedious and potentially dangerous and must be disposed of and replaced periodically. You can use a stabilizer to potentially prolong the storage, but personally, I’m not willing to put gas plus stabil through the catalytic converter in my car, so what do you do with 20+ gallons of treated gasoline?

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

In the end, I think we’re going to be forced to license and build new nuclear plants unless we find an alternate technology. That or freeze in the dark. I would just point out that no one has ever been k**led or seriously injured by a commercial nuclear plant in the US after 60 years of operation including the accident at Three Mile Island. As bad as Fukushima was (the reactor manufacturer recommended that the plants be placed higher above sea level), no one died from radiation, but tens of thousands died from the tsunami. Chernobyl is a different story. Bad, unstable design (only used by the Russians), stupid operation and a political system that made it all worse. I’m guessing that not everyone will agree with my opinion.

thom w Loc: San Jose, CA

I used to live in Sacramento, and the v**ers shut down Rancho Seco as it was down more often than it ran. Some of the fear of nuclear (some) is silly, but probably not as silly as fear of v*****es. Probably the worst thing about v*****es is they have let us overpopulate the planet, but I wouldn't want to go back. I remember kids in braces, got pretty awkward at swimming pools. I lived in Reno many years ago and knew people who tried solar. Really didn't work. No matter how much sun, the panels don't work with snow on them. Solar is great, but there are places it really doesn't work. Steel plants and cement (not concrete) plants, will probably always require f****l f**l.

DennyT Loc: Central Missouri woods

That’s what we got - 20kw generac autotranfser runs on propane. I bought it for DW when we lost power due to ice storm. I was at construction job a 1000 miles away.
We move it to our new place.
Works like a charm.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep that is the right answer if cost isn’t an object. I’ve been thinking about it. My concern other than the price is my natural gas line is >400’ long buried under my asphalt paved driveway. Not sure if it will support the flow required.

Canisdirus

If you did it...the gas company will provide you with a tank usually...it works in their favor to do so.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right. They give people the $500/$300 to ease the burden of the gasoline or propane cost, but it would be financially negative for people to participate in this. then there's the noise. Our electric supplier is just that - a supplier. It buys electricity - doesn't generate it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

We have a water pump, so before we had the generator, we had to be very careful using water.