Gas for generator - storage use

[HotWheelsBurban]

Some of the food is great, some is just "pretty good - better than most gas station food." They do have an amazingly large selection of just about everything you could possibly imagine. One drawback is there's nowhere to sit down and eat, other than in your vehicle. You'd expect to find tables inside but there are none.


Those aren't kolaches; they're pigs-in-blankets they're decent. I'm spoiled by Kolache Shoppe though. The original location (1970) is still in operation in the old Greenway Plaza shopping center, though the folks that started it have since retired and sold it to some people that had befriended them years earlier and learned directly from the man himself. They remodeled, expanded the offerings, and have opened several franchise locations around town now. I still go to the original, been going there since the early 80's.

Haven't had Buc-ee's BBQ other than a chopped beef sandwich and brisket & egg breakfast tacos, which are pretty good! It's a bit of a hike for that though, as well as 92 octane ethanol-free, not sure what the current price is but it's too bad it's the opposite direction from everywhere I go, or I'd get it for the 300 and the SS's. I don't see any sense in getting it for the generator.

Richard

Yup where I work is across the street from the original Kolache Shoppe. And I know the meat filled(or any that don't contain fruit) are not proper kolaches. The sausage ones are properly called "klobasniky" which means " little sausages" in Czech.
The food was really good, when I went in there one morning when I had to be at work really early. But at $13 for three and a coffee, I can't do that real often.
We had our parts store a couple of blocks down Richmond, 4102 to be precise. Dad started working there in '68, and we bought it in '78 and were there till September '83. So we may have crossed paths in that time, getting breakfast.....
The building is long gone, it was roughly where the Wing Stop is. The big I beam sign frame near the street is still there from the original property, but it used to be a lot taller. Had a big AUTO PARTS sign on it, and a reader board that I used to change the letters on. About the only thing that's still basically the same on those few blocks, is the Burger King....

 

[Carlaisle]

Your generator manual should include the fuel consumption rate. I looked one up at random that matched the run/surge wattages you mentioned earlier and it burns 0.825 gallons per hour at a 50% load, so your 20 gallons would cover exactly one day at that rate. In reality, you won't be using that much power most of the day, so you might stretch that out to 48 hours, but no more.

I had terrible experience with ethanol containing gas. After the last experience, I decided to try BP's ethanol free 93 octane. I have had zero problems since making that choice. In fact it showed no noticeable degradation after being stored in a vented tank subject to full outdoor temperature swings for 24 months. No stabilizers added. The 93 octane is pricey, but not being tempted to take a sledgehammer to an engine that refuses to start has a definite price. Plus, the big block is a snob and really does not like cheap gas.

Have you considered a natural gas hook up to address the fuel storage issue? As long there isn't an earthquake nearby the fuel supply should be uninterrupted.

 

[someotherguy]

Yup where I work is across the street from the original Kolache Shoppe. And I know the meat filled(or any that don't contain fruit) are not proper kolaches. The sausage ones are properly called "klobasniky" which means " little sausages" in Czech.
The food was really good, when I went in there one morning when I had to be at work really early. But at $13 for three and a coffee, I can't do that real often.
We had our parts store a couple of blocks down Richmond, 4102 to be precise. Dad started working there in '68, and we bought it in '78 and were there till September '83. So we may have crossed paths in that time, getting breakfast.....
The building is long gone, it was roughly where the Wing Stop is. The big I beam sign frame near the street is still there from the original property, but it used to be a lot taller. Had a big AUTO PARTS sign on it, and a reader board that I used to change the letters on. About the only thing that's still basically the same on those few blocks, is the Burger King....

Yeah I figure most people been here that long know kolache vs. klobasniky, my snipe with the "pigs-in-blankets" is a snobby remark about the quality of what most places call a kolache especially donut shops with their biscuit dough look-alikes. Hate 'em.

That's wild your parts store was just down the street. I grew up closer to downtown but for a while we were house sitting for some family friends near Richmond and S. Gessner and ended up finding Kolache Shoppe by accident - on the way to school and avoiding freeway traffic, and been going back ever since.

I pass through there often while working as I've got several contracts around the area though most of my work is in midtown/downtown and 3rd ward, little bit of Med Center. Having grown up with downtown as my nighttime playground, skateboarding down ramps of empty parking garages being chased by pissed-off security guards, and generally just running the streets - it's kinda sad in a way working down there now and seeing how much things have changed, what's gone forever, etc.

You may remember a place downtown near the old County Jail that was called Brock's Auto Parts, another true old school parts house that was often open real late at night. When I was younger it was close enough I could skateboard over there if I needed something in a pinch, to get one of my old hoopties going again. Had a bunch of guys working there that really knew what they were doing, and had a huge stock of parts. Place is now flattened and has become a parking lot next to Minute Maid, and we get our parts online after doing tons of research and hoping for the best, or buy them locally from knuckleheads that couldn't get a job at McD's. That's progress.

Your generator manual should include the fuel consumption rate. I looked one up at random that matched the run/surge wattages you mentioned earlier and it burns 0.825 gallons per hour at a 50% load, so your 20 gallons would cover exactly one day at that rate. In reality, you won't be using that much power most of the day, so you might stretch that out to 48 hours, but no more.

I had terrible experience with ethanol containing gas. After the last experience, I decided to try BP's ethanol free 93 octane. I have had zero problems since making that choice. In fact it showed no noticeable degradation after being stored in a vented tank subject to full outdoor temperature swings for 24 months. No stabilizers added. The 93 octane is pricey, but not being tempted to take a sledgehammer to an engine that refuses to start has a definite price. Plus, the big block is a snob and really does not like cheap gas.

Have you considered a natural gas hook up to address the fuel storage issue? As long there isn't an earthquake nearby the fuel supply should be uninterrupted.

Yeah I know it's gonna burn through the fuel quickly at full boogie.. it's gonna be tough convincing the wife that we can't run EVERYTHING we want, especially the A/C. Keeping the fridge cold, some fans for comfort, able to charge the phones, keep the cable modem/router going, stuff like that. In the winter, the blower fan for the furnace would be nice. Thinking of things like that is why I picked the larger wattage gen. If she can't get on board with running minimal items I'll just have her lug those 5 gallon cans out there a few times and she'll get tired of that quickly.

It seems like in this thread we've had the full run of experiences with the various choices, and I've got to write some of that off to variations in fuel formulas, environmental conditions, and usage patterns. I am feeling pretty confident at this point in my plan of using Sta-bil with local regular fuel from a station that has pretty good turnover. I don't really want to store more than 30 gallons as that's what I have capacity for (4 5-gallons, 2-2 gallons, and the gen tank itself is 6+) other than the vehicle tanks, and I can reasonably dump all of that into the dually (34 gallon tank) to burn it off before it goes bad, then freshen all the cans up.

No CNG hookup as the house is a rental; that's also why I chose a portable generator instead of a permanent mounted whole-house unit. Didn't get a generator with CNG capability, either. It's gasoline/propane dual fuel only.

Richard

 

[Pinger]

No CNG hookup as the house is a rental; that's also why I chose a portable generator instead of a permanent mounted whole-house unit. Didn't get a generator with CNG capability, either. It's gasoline/propane dual fuel only.

Richard

Just out of interest, what does running it on propane entail? Is it just connecting a hose (on the generator) to a propane tank? And, does it have to be started from cold on gasoline before switching to propane?

 

[454cid]

it's kinda sad in a way working down there now and seeing how much things have changed, what's gone forever, etc.

It's weird sometimes how stuff changes. There was a wrecker service down the street from my high school forever. I would look at the cars parked out front on the way home, on the bus. They would fix up 60's Dodge trucks to use as wreckers, and there was a limelight Challenger that sat there for awhile. It's now a Dollar General. It sort of startles me every time I drive by.

 

[someotherguy]

Just out of interest, what does running it on propane entail? Is it just connecting a hose (on the generator) to a propane tank? And, does it have to be started from cold on gasoline before switching to propane?

Hook the tank up to the hose/regulator and fire it up, I believe. I haven't even looked at the instructions for that as I have no intention of using it on propane, but I am pretty sure there's no need to start it on gas.

It's weird sometimes how stuff changes. There was a wrecker service down the street from my high school forever. I would look at the cars parked out front on the way home, on the bus. They would fix up 60's Dodge trucks to use as wreckers, and there was a limelight Challenger that sat there for awhile. It's now a Dollar General. It sort of startles me every time I drive by.

Those guys must have been truly committed Mopar maniacs. From what I hear, Dodge trucks, for decades, didn't make good wreckers because the frames were too weak. There must be something to that as you almost never saw Dodge wreckers anywhere until they slowly started appearing in the mid 90's with that 1994 total redesign. I still never saw them in big numbers as wreckers until really the 2009-up models.

Richard

 

[Pinger]

Hook the tank up to the hose/regulator and fire it up, I believe. I haven't even looked at the instructions for that as I have no intention of using it on propane, but I am pretty sure there's no need to start it on gas.

Might be worth checking out what's required. Sounds like pretty simple plug 'n' play so if you had full propane bottles at hand and the gasoline ran out...

 

[RichLo]

^ yea, x2 on familiarizing yourself with the propane procedure since you have that ability. And like others have said, propane lasts forever without going bad and a 1-time purchase of a big 100lb tank to sit in the corner of your garage could be a lifesaver, literally.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Yeah I figure most people been here that long know kolache vs. klobasniky, my snipe with the "pigs-in-blankets" is a snobby remark about the quality of what most places call a kolache especially donut shops with their biscuit dough look-alikes. Hate 'em.

That's wild your parts store was just down the street. I grew up closer to downtown but for a while we were house sitting for some family friends near Richmond and S. Gessner and ended up finding Kolache Shoppe by accident - on the way to school and avoiding freeway traffic, and been going back ever since.

I pass through there often while working as I've got several contracts around the area though most of my work is in midtown/downtown and 3rd ward, little bit of Med Center. Having grown up with downtown as my nighttime playground, skateboarding down ramps of empty parking garages being chased by pissed-off security guards, and generally just running the streets - it's kinda sad in a way working down there now and seeing how much things have changed, what's gone forever, etc.

You may remember a place downtown near the old County Jail that was called Brock's Auto Parts, another true old school parts house that was often open real late at night. When I was younger it was close enough I could skateboard over there if I needed something in a pinch, to get one of my old hoopties going again. Had a bunch of guys working there that really knew what they were doing, and had a huge stock of parts. Place is now flattened and has become a parking lot next to Minute Maid, and we get our parts online after doing tons of research and hoping for the best, or buy them locally from knuckleheads that couldn't get a job at McD's. That's progress.


Yeah I know it's gonna burn through the fuel quickly at full boogie.. it's gonna be tough convincing the wife that we can't run EVERYTHING we want, especially the A/C. Keeping the fridge cold, some fans for comfort, able to charge the phones, keep the cable modem/router going, stuff like that. In the winter, the blower fan for the furnace would be nice. Thinking of things like that is why I picked the larger wattage gen. If she can't get on board with running minimal items I'll just have her lug those 5 gallon cans out there a few times and she'll get tired of that quickly.

It seems like in this thread we've had the full run of experiences with the various choices, and I've got to write some of that off to variations in fuel formulas, environmental conditions, and usage patterns. I am feeling pretty confident at this point in my plan of using Sta-bil with local regular fuel from a station that has pretty good turnover. I don't really want to store more than 30 gallons as that's what I have capacity for (4 5-gallons, 2-2 gallons, and the gen tank itself is 6+) other than the vehicle tanks, and I can reasonably dump all of that into the dually (34 gallon tank) to burn it off before it goes bad, then freshen all the cans up.

No CNG hookup as the house is a rental; that's also why I chose a portable generator instead of a permanent mounted whole-house unit. Didn't get a generator with CNG capability, either. It's gasoline/propane dual fuel only.

Richard

I think my dad mentioned Brock's. He might have been there a few times, working on our vehicles late. He used to get stuff from Johnny Frank's late model salvage yard, that was on Sawyer in the heights. Condos there now....

 

[kennythewelder]

Yup where I work is across the street from the original Kolache Shoppe. And I know the meat filled(or any that don't contain fruit) are not proper kolaches. The sausage ones are properly called "klobasniky" which means " little sausages" in Czech.
The food was really good, when I went in there one morning when I had to be at work really early. But at $13 for three and a coffee, I can't do that real often.
We had our parts store a couple of blocks down Richmond, 4102 to be precise. Dad started working there in '68, and we bought it in '78 and were there till September '83. So we may have crossed paths in that time, getting breakfast.....
The building is long gone, it was roughly where the Wing Stop is. The big I beam sign frame near the street is still there from the original property, but it used to be a lot taller. Had a big AUTO PARTS sign on it, and a reader board that I used to change the letters on. About the only thing that's still basically the same on those few blocks, is the Burger King....

All of the doughnut shops here, have what they call kalaches, but none have fruit, they all have meat. The sausage, is your basic pig in a blanket, the off it also with cheese, and jalapenos. Then there your boudin, boudin and cheese, your pulled pork, your ham and cheese, your turkey and cheese, and some do a boudin roll up, that is boudin in an egg roll, and most of them offer some kind of egg, and whatever meat sandwich, along with a full line of doughnuts.