Caught in the dark: What Sandy can teach you about preparedness

I like the idea of using solar panels for backup power. In the event of a disaster the generators are going to be audio beacons attracting every unprepared person within a 1/2 mile.

I do recognize that solar panels won't work at More..

About those generators. The portables are handy, but require maintenance. Fuel with ethanol has a shelf life of 90 days. After that it starts to damage the generator. You can't store it for a year and then expect it to work. Run it monthly More..

Generators can be modified to run on propane or natural gas. These fuels burn cleaner and propane stores much better than gasoline. I have a 6,800 watt portable unit that will run my home furnace blower and keep my fridge and deep freezer going.