Prepping for Hurricanes in Florida | Choosing a Generator & Fuel Storage Tips
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Here are some tips for choosing a generator and storing fuel for a hurricane. We are officially in hurricane season here in Florida- prepare now before supplies are limited and store check-out lines are long!
I don’t mean to bring bad news to you guys but be careful by siphon out gas from your vehicles. Today’s vehicles have what is called a charcoal canister with a protection grill and that won’t allow you to siphon any fuel out of the vehicle’s tank. You might want to keep that in mind. You might want to consider to get couple of solar panels and buy or build your own solar power pack (wrongly called a “solar generator”), powerful enough just to power your refrigerator, internet and a tv. That should be good help instead of using and rely only on generators. Solar panels and power pack are also way safer instead of saving all that fuel indoors. Thank you for the video and God bless you guys.
Excellent additional information- I didn't even think to address this in the video. I am able to access the fuel for siphoning in one of our vehicles by removing the fuel pump from the tank (access to the fuel pump is inside the vehicle under one of the rear seats). However after reading your comment I have come to realize this will not work in our big van as I believe the tank has to be removed to access the pump. A couple workarounds: you can access the fuel through the fuel rail or you can purchase a 12v kit that can bypass the anti-siphoning mechanism (though the kit I looked at does not work on all vehicles). If anyone has another method for accessing the fuel please post!
@@IslandsnHighlands Glad to help, also you might want to consider to simulate an emergency, such as to turn your power off from your home’s panel and simulate an outage. I know it sounds like a pain and you’ll need the cooperation of the whole family but you’ll be surprised how many things could go wrong simply because you didn’t have the right tool or skill. You might write things down on a piece of paper and consider to stockpile and prepare while you can. I’ll give you an example: I realized during an emergency in South Florida (of an incoming hurricane, Irma in this case) people panic furiously! Water is one of the first things to be gone. I decided to go to Walmart in the camping department and purchase eight jars of seven gallons each to store water (it was more than one store😩), this way I could fill it with tap water and not stress about the stores’ shortages. It’s all about prepping and predict, you want to make your life and your family’s as stressless as possible, the storms anxiety is enough already. Thank you for your update and info, be safe and God bless.
⚠️Here’s an important safety announcement for everyone:
Please make sure you follow the generator safety tips whenever you use your portable generator. This is just a reminder for everyone’s safety. All generator safety rules need to be followed carefully
Here are the generator safety tips:
1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an non qualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Children often get curious about anything so we should keep an eye on them to also make sure they’re not wandering towards the generator.
2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have a carbon monoxide if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Not even at your porch and your deck. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules.
4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords. Do not touch the generator’s engine when it’s still hot.
ua-cam.com/video/I1jT3ANENvI/v-deo.html and here is a video more about keeping others safe when using generators. All generator safety rules need to be followed carefully.
Hope this helps.
Please make sure you follow all the generator safety rules.
It’ll be real easy to put the proper generator connection box. You are correct it should have male on that end and a female on the cord side to the house. Then a male twist lock to the generator, to be to code and safe.
Ya I really need to fix that before we use it. Many people have called my custom cord a "widow maker"!
Hi, I have a CAT 7500 that has worked real well. We have a lot of power outages here in No. CA. I did have a licensed electrician install a manual transfer switch. that is the only safe way to plug in your generator to the house.
Thanks for sharing- safety is paramount for sure! I think I will be replacing the female receptacle on the side of our house with a male- I had to custom make the cord that connects the generator to the receptacle. I am certainly not a trained electrician, but my quick research online shows most transfer switch kits have a male receptacle...
I have 250 gal of propane and a 7500w honda generator but haven't had to use it yet.
Hopefully being prepared will keep the hurricanes away:-) thanks for watching!
I’m imagining that you have used the generator this last week?
Damn, nice property!
Thank you for the kind words!
Appreciate the video. I live in a northern state with wicked winter weather and am making the same set up at my house.
Fantastic! It’s good to always be prepared! Thanks so much for watching!
Boy, you sure hit the nail on the head when you talked about the media sensationalizing each storm! But, they do that with everything, don't they?
Yes- I think it is (one of the many) problems in our country today. I would encourage everyone out there to get out and enjoy life, meet people, interact with your neighbors- our country is not near as bad as how it is being portrayed by the media. Don't just sit at home and buy into all the false and sensationalized narratives- it is pulling us apart from within...
Can you do a video on the best window units to cool the house and sizes or btu that you use with the generators? Thanks Todd from Louisiana
We have 2 6000 BTU units - size would depend on the SF being cooled. I believe the ideal ratio is something like 20 BTU for each square foot. Hope this helps!
Do you install the window unit after the storm passes?
Yes and then we take it down when the power comes back on. Thanks for watching!