Propane vs Gas Generator? 20 yrs later

Should you buy a gas or propane generator? It depends ;)

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[FrancisoDoncona]

Five hundred gallon propane tank in my yard, it doesn’t go bad. No carburetor issues, very consistent flow, 9000 watts for three weeks.

[ddd]

I live on the gulf coast. I converted to natural gas. Been thru some catagory 4 hurricanes and have never lost the natural gas. Ran 24/7for 68 days. If you have natural gas I highly recommend looking into it. Good video!

[adammoran]

Great video. I have an old Kohler L600 6.5 kw propane generator from the 50’s maybe 60’s. It’s tied into my homes propane pig. Couldn’t be happier with it.

[AlphaZedMinor]

As someone who lived in NY on Long Island, we'd have power outages when hurricanes hit. Propane was a far superior fuel. one primary reason, gas pumps are electric. Propane refueling is gravity fed. There were lines around the block at the few gas stations that would run out of gas. Because everyone was getting fuel for generators and cars. filling jerry cans. The propane only had people getting gas to run grills mostly. no lines, plenty of fuel. Secondly, without a electric starter. Propane started the first pull EVERY time. Gas not so much. and As you said, propane stores so much better and is readily available. That's my take

[jdsfrisco]

I have a small dual fuel portable generator that I use once in a blue moon when the power goes out. I prefer using the propane since it's easier / safer to store. I have an electric car so no need for jerry cans of gas. The generator is a supplement to my DIY solar panels and portable battery set up. And the car has a reverse plug so I can use it to run things in the house if need be. I like diversification in my preps.

[brandonspaulding]

I am currently using up gasoline we have stored for over a year to power our riding lawn mower. It seems to work fine even without ever using the stabilizers. I think gas will last longer than 6 months especially if you use a stabilizer.

[davemeiser]

I was always told for a gasoline powered generator, when finished always allow the carburetor to run till "dry" (turn off the fuel valve and let the engine run until it stops due to lack of fuel. that way the gas doesn't gum up the carbonator.

Also regularly go and run the generator say every other month and allow the engine come to its working operating temperature to make sure parts are lubricated and any built up moisture is expelled from the engine.

Have a high water table with 2 sump pumps in my basements, so when power goes out I need a working generator so I don't get any flooding.

[CPUDOCTHE]

Good info! I only run my dedicated portable generators on propane. I don't want to deal with gasoline and the generators not being used for 6 months.I have five 30 lb tanks, two installed on the camper and three to take with me to run the generator.

[patricksquires]

Most clear and sensible start of video on this topic ever.

[timclark]

20 pound tank of propane is good for about 8 hrs run time in a 6500 watt generator.

[jefferydean]

Down to earth Explanation on all the questions I didn't think about. I live in a big city and no one has any backup.Thanks, now I can make a smart decision.

[TexasCuttingBoards]

Just subscribed. This is the first of your videos I’ve seen. No idea what other videos you have, but I really like you presence, personality, and clear communication. Great job sir. And thank you for the video.
I’m new to Texas and we are dealing with winter blackouts and would like the piece of mind in having a genny. I recently bought the Westinghouse 9500 dual fuel to replace my 11 year Briggs (I’m repairing it).

[leodanryan]

Propane all the way! When the power is out, it's out at the gas station, too. Propane, I have two 100 lb tanks and 6 20 lb tanks, and I can get propane refills without any electricity at all.

[xHawgRyderx]

I have a gas generator. It ran 24/7 in 2012 for 7 days when we lost power do to a Derecho. Haven’t used it since. I think 5 gallons of gas a day. Unfortunately the day will come when a garage full of 3-5 year old stale filled gas generators will never start. I choose propane for the same reason most home generators run on natural gas. It’s clean.

[DragonWarrior]

Thank you for a great review. It is so informative and honest. Loved it.

[quevicular]

I use a few ounces of acetone and transmission fluid for my fuel stabilizer. Ive had gas sit in my 81 chev truck fuel tanks for 5 years and all through the system with no glitch. Fired right up without hesitation.

[robertkubrick]

I don't have propane so it's gas for me. Of course I will be using mine frequently living in typhoon alley and with scheduled all day power outages for maintenance so gas will be rotated. These new generators with the compression release are easy, even for a beat up 57 years old medically discharged veteran like me. Electric start isn't really a necessity. Also, if your generator doesn't start easily? Then you haven't been maintaining it properly. I also will add a little 2 Cycle oil to my gas for upper cylinder lubrication and corrosion control with fuel that has some slight amount of ethanol. Other than multiple oil changes in the break in, using motorcycle rated synthetic oil after break in, changing 25% sooner than recommended I will be fine with my 3 generators in rotation. Adding STP to the oil is also helpful. Running diesel oil with higher Zinc additives can be helpful in a splash oiled engine. Seafoam as mentioned in the video is a good idea, proportionate to the fuel tank capacity. Generators run rich because they can't run lean long before they are severely damaged so guess which side the manufacturer is going to err on. Running at no or very low load often results in a dirty plug, it's normal. If you are seeing it, clean it with a wire brush and put it back in.

[DanielinLaTuna]

For the type of tree work I do I’ve started using my Sawzall with “the Ugly” pruning blade; I gave away my Stihl gasoline powered saw, it scared my up in the tree. My other tools are battery powered. So a propane tank would be more efficient for me. I like the longevity of that over gasoline, too. Thanks for sharing Eric

[tundramanq]

I put the Sta-bil in when I empty the gas jug. Just so I don't forget.

[ProctorSilex]

5:20 The propane regulator on mine has two chambers with a rubber sheet pressed by a spring.
It's dead simple, but the rubber gets stuck at times.