I got extremely lucky during Hurricane Sandy

[Bluegill]

good thread
Also, you dont want to store your gas in an area that has large temperature swings. I kept two cans of winter gas in my basement and after two weeks the cans were under such great pressure that they are now warped a bit.

My cans do that. I squeeze the sides in a bit to the remove the head of air at the top, so when they expand in the summer they get back to their normal shape.

[mbailey1234]

I have a diesel truck and a small diesel Mercedes. The truck gets 18mpg, the car is getting around 35mpg. I also have a diesel 6Kw backup generator for the house. It will power the most important appliances, but not everything.

I keep four 5-gallon jugs of diesel in the tin shed where the riding lawnmower is parked. I keep one 5-gallon jug of gas in there also.

Just yesterday I pulled out the 5 jugs to refill the gas, and cycle the old diesel into the vehicles. Also planning on running the genny for 30 minutes, this weekend and topping off its fuel.

I'd like to get a 250 gallon diesel tank that is something like this:


But 250 gallons is quite a lot of fuel and it would take me a long time to use that much.

After reading this thread, I will get some more diesel jugs soon.

Those tanks are OK short term and maybe all the time for diesel. Evaporation is a huge issue in the summer, worse with ethanol and if it is the middle of summer sitting out in the sun.

I think I will just use our Ford Excursion and a siphon hose from Harbor Freight for a reserve tank since it has a 44 gallon tank!

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

I have a diesel truck and a small diesel Mercedes. The truck gets 18mpg, the car is getting around 35mpg. I also have a diesel 6Kw backup generator for the house. It will power the most important appliances, but not everything.

I keep four 5-gallon jugs of diesel in the tin shed where the riding lawnmower is parked. I keep one 5-gallon jug of gas in there also.

Just yesterday I pulled out the 5 jugs to refill the gas, and cycle the old diesel into the vehicles. Also planning on running the genny for 30 minutes, this weekend and topping off its fuel.

I'd like to get a 250 gallon diesel tank that is something like this:


But 250 gallons is quite a lot of fuel and it would take me a long time to use that much.

After reading this thread, I will get some more diesel jugs soon.

Those tanks are OK short term and maybe all the time for diesel. Evaporation is a huge issue in the summer, worse with ethanol and if it is the middle of summer sitting out in the sun.

I think I will just use our Ford Excursion and a siphon hose from Harbor Freight for a reserve tank since it has a 44 gallon tank!

With a tight lid, evaporation is not the problem on large tanks. Condensation is. Air borne moisture will condensate onto the walls of large tanks and get into the fuel. That can cause some serious problems inside the motor.

Avoid this by making sure the tanks are full during winter months.

[Mossy]

Stay away from ethanol blends for small motors. The ethanol carries water which will rust up your needle valves even with a dose of Stabil.

Ethanol is what is in booze. Add water, a bit of dust, water, and some spores, and it turns to vinegar. Not all all a good thing for any motor that is not torn down and cleaned out right after use.

[Mossy]

I never have figured out why farmers leave those out in the sun and seldom put a shed over them to cut the temperature extremes they are exposed to. It's bad for the gas and causes condensation inside the tank.

[thepennyfund]

I got my first positive feedback! yay

[myspen]

As far as being prepared you need to keep 1 gallon of water for each member of your family per day for 2 weeks. Keep 2 weeks of canned food that would be non perishables on hand. Go to the camping section of your local store and get yourself a single burner propane stove and operates on 1 of those small green propane tanks for heating food.
As far as storing gasoline if you have a car say maybe 20 gallons. If you have a truck 30 gallons. Store in a cool dry area out of sunlight and make sure caps are tight. (If there are no fumes then there will be no fire) This would be enough to get you out of the city to a more secure location. Use only gasoline cans for storing gas! Don't get cheap and use buckets or any other kind of plastic container as some of the plastic breaks down when in contact with petroleum based product. Because our illustrious government has decided ethanol is such a great idea, you will need to burn up that fuel every 3 months or sooner and replace it with fresh gas as the ethanol attracts moisture and you will end up with a can full of water. every situation is different; people in Florida rely on plywood to board up opening that they would not want wind or debris getting through or to protect the glass from breakage. Rolls of plastic, duct tape, rope, some scrap pieces of lumber to secure tarps or? Flashlights or l.e.d. headlights that you strap to your head so your hands will be free, gloves, raingear, dry firewood.A 3-5k watt generator would be handy. Don't need to get a real expensive generator a lot of your Chinese knockoffs aren't as bad as a first were when they came on the market and you only need it for emergency situations anyway. Just make sure that you leave the carburetor and fuel system dry until you need to use it that way you don't have old fuel clogging up and rotting in the fuel system. Hammer and nails, extra soap, buckets and clean up items that you will need after the storm passes. If the situation is really looking dire some barter items are handy; cash, silver, cigarettes, bottles of adult beverages, blankets.Remember this is the most import thing: When an incident, disaster or maybe an opportunity arrives.... the time to prepare has passed. ARE YOU READY?