# Cheap generators after 12,21,2012



## lexsurivor (Jul 5, 2010)

Me and my family dont buy into the 12,21,2012 doomsday theory (no offence to those who do). But we do believe that society will collapse and S will HTF.
Right now we dont have the money for a generator but we plan on getting one that one of the 2012 theory people are selling for cheap after they realize that nothing happens. Then we will have it for when society actually does collapse.


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## dahur (Dec 18, 2009)

lexsurivor said:


> Me and my family dont buy into the 12,21,2012 doomsday theory (no offence to those who do). But we do believe that society will collapse and S will HTF.
> Right now we dont have the money for a generator but we plan on getting one that one of the 2012 theory people are selling for cheap after they realize that nothing happens. Then we will have it for when society actually does collapse.


I absolutely agree with everything you just said.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Was lots of em fer sale after Y2K!

I don't see the planet comin ta a end, this same thing happened before an it still be spinin. I always wondered if the feller what made the calendar fer them folks one day just said "hey, I'm so far out with this thing, I'm takin a break" an just never got round ta addin some more to it?

I tend ta think the worst SHTF scenario will be a medical one. Sooner er later a super bug a some sort gonna get a toe hold an take off. That be how were gonna loose the vast majority a folk world wide. Just my opinion now, yer results may vary.

There will always be the regional disaster what folks have ta deal with.


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## Frugal_Farmers (Dec 13, 2010)

Chances are that most people who have prepped for 2012 will continue to do so.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

what if the Mayan calendar is like ours.-------- it may simply repeat again.what happens on DEC 31st.? -------Jan 1st comes round:nuts:


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## lexsurivor (Jul 5, 2010)

I think the possible SHTF scenarios are (and yours may differ from mine)
(panic will be the most destructive factor through all scenarios)

SuperBug caused by 
A.a virus mutating
B. humans messing around with things they werent meant to mess with
C. Bioterrorism

Economic collapse/Societal collapse caused by
A. nuclear terrorism 
B. We default on our debts
C.Civil war
D.Kim Jong Un decides to test us

Overpopulation 

Running out of food/Water/oil

Solar flare
EMP


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

I was on a committee for the Y2K "possible problems". My job was to see if all my computer programs were going to be affected. Mind you, this was ALL about the computers. One fellow told me..."Set your computer to 1-1-2000, and see what happens". Nothing happened.

My feelings on the Mayan calendar is, This Mayan calendar maker had to quit, those white guys with helmets we killing everyone and he ran. I would have stopped and ran too.

And Yes.....cant wait till Dec 22nd...Look out ebay.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

JackDanielGarrett said:


> I was on a committee for the Y2K "possible problems". My job was to see if all my computer programs were going to be affected. Mind you, this was ALL about the computers. One fellow told me..."Set your computer to 1-1-2000, and see what happens". Nothing happened.


of course not, only the comps that had a year setting of 2 digits (00) had the possibility of being affected


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I'm just concerned we'll have an economic collapse (and S will HTF) before 12/21/12...


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I'm with goshengirl. Start looking for deals now. So many other things can happen between now and 12/21/12 where you may find yourself needing a generator.


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

Imagine that you and your family are sitting somewhere that NEVER has any natural disaster type of problem. You are watching tv, playing games or whatever. The lights go out. First thing we all think about is that another drunk hit a pole again, Right ? But when you get up in the morning, your lights still don't come on. Don't you wish you had even a small chinamart generator to at least run lights, coffee pot or even an elec skillet ? Plan now and you will not suffer as much later


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Start looking for bargins now. Put what ever you can afford $5 - $10 a week in an envelope marked generator. By the time you find one you can afford you will have some money saved toward the purchase.


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## lexsurivor (Jul 5, 2010)

I agree with goshen girl also but right now we dont have the money for a generator right now sadly. Were also trying to get food as fast as we can and are going to start a garden sometime.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

lexsurivor said:


> I agree with goshen girl also but right now we dont have the money for a generator right now sadly. Were also trying to get food as fast as we can and are going to start a garden sometime.


I hear you on that.  While I do think an economic collapse is coming sooner rather than later, we don't have a generator yet, either. Maybe I need to go out and collect more aluminum cans to sell for scrap, eh?

Good luck with your food collection and garden. Sometimes it seems like the brain is on overload with all the things on the to-do list, but little by little it really does get done.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

lexsurivor said:


> Me and my family dont buy into the 12,21,2012 doomsday theory (no offence to those who do). But we do believe that society will collapse and S will HTF.
> Right now we dont have the money for a generator but we plan on getting one that one of the 2012 theory people are selling for cheap after they realize that nothing happens. Then we will have it for when society actually does collapse.


Do you have a plan for this generator? Do you have fuel for it? Have you figured your loads for it?

Gensets are generally good for the short term, not a long term situation.

I highly suggest that you have a REAL PLAN for your genset. After Katrina there were plenty of gensets around and for sale....no gas or desiel for them....Big investment to have sitting there looking pretty and can't use....

Have a plan is all I'm saying.

Jimmy


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## lexsurivor (Jul 5, 2010)

I plan on getting one that I can convert to run off of wood gas. I plan on making a gassifier soon once I get the materials.


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

lexsurivor said:


> Me and my family dont buy into the 12,21,2012 doomsday theory (no offence to those who do). But we do believe that society will collapse and S will HTF.
> Right now we dont have the money for a generator but we plan on getting one that one of the 2012 theory people are selling for cheap after they realize that nothing happens. Then we will have it for when society actually does collapse.


As much as I despise the use of "text language", this post actually did make me "laugh out loud, or LOL if you will.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Generators are nice but they use a lot of fuel. I'd rather have 500 gallons of kerosene for kerosene stoves and heaters than 500 gallons of gas for a generator. I'd love to be to able to power up a microwave and keep my refrigerator going but I don't see that as being practical.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Our main generator I got fer free. Big enough ta run most everthin in the house. All it needed was the carb rebuilt an the starter wirin repaired. The thing be a beast was an old civil defense generator what ran one gate on the lock an dam.

We have it cause we get lots a thunder storms an ice storms what take out the power upta 5 days at a time. 

I'll agree, they ain't gonna last long in a total collapse, but fer short term emergencies there worth there weight in gold. We keep 55 gallons a fuel on hand what we rotate out just fer that. I too have considered makin it run offin wood gas fer longer term situations. AC power is sure handy ta have at times.

Yall should add up what ya really gotta have an buy one the next size bigger fer things that could pop up ya hadn't planned on.


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## woodsman23 (Aug 6, 2009)

Get a by fuel generator gas/propane/n, gas, you can store tanks of propane for ever under ground or above. gas sucks because it simply does not last and natural gas may not be available. Propane is the way to go and use the genny olny to charge a bank of batteries then shut er down....


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## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

Generator Conversion Kits to Propane and Natural Gas.

Propane Conversion Kits


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

Jimmy24 said:


> Do you have a plan for this generator? Do you have fuel for it? Have you figured your loads for it?
> 
> Gensets are generally good for the short term, not a long term situation.
> 
> ...


That's why I used to think generators were a bad idea. Renewable sources of energy like solar panels would provide energy long after the supply of fuel for the generators ran out, but even they have their limitations. I remember reading a while back about a man that modified a gas powered generator. He somehow connected a type of belt to a bicycle wheel and the generator and was able to charge batteries that way. I did a search online and there are companies that not only make these types of generators, but will also sell the plans so that people can make them at home. If someone has the means to do so, adding the solar and bicycle generators to their supplies would greatly improve their odds of having a steady supply of power after a shtf situation.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Elinor0987 said:


> That's why I used to think generators were a bad idea. Renewable sources of energy like solar panels would provide energy long after the supply of fuel for the generators ran out, but even they have their limitations. I remember reading a while back about a man that modified a gas powered generator. He somehow connected a type of belt to a bicycle wheel and the generator and was able to charge batteries that way. I did a search online and there are companies that not only make these types of generators, but will also sell the plans so that people can make them at home. If someone has the means to do so, adding the solar and bicycle generators to their supplies would greatly improve their odds of having a steady supply of power after a shtf situation.


there are a lot of organizations out there that will give you the plans for free &/or help you find the parts/materials to build a 'bike genny'

they're generally good for 300-400W output from the average bicycler tho, so they're good for small appliances and charging batteries


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

rabidcoyote666 said:


> Generator Conversion Kits to Propane and Natural Gas.
> 
> Propane Conversion Kits


if you have the land, the actual gas, and the mineral rights; I highly recommend a natural gas generator :2thumb:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Generators will be good to have to get use to not having electric.But in the long run,fuel will either not be available or the cost will be too high.

We used ours once for well.We try to keep the vehicles full of gas.Now we just have the diesel bus and gas van.
I think solar or coal 'if you can get it' would be a better investment.Last year we tried to order some coal and were told Florida does'nt sell it anymore.
If it gets tha bad most of us won't make it anyway,so prepare but don't forget to live while you do so.We stopped living when we bought this land about 14 yr.s ago,it took every extra dime we had to build it up.We do enjoy workign but it can be a bad addiction.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Meerkat said:


> Generators will be good to have to get use to not having electric.But in the long run,fuel will either not be available or the cost will be too high.


Although I use ours for power outages, I pretty much plan the same. It's a transitional item in a major SHTF scenario. It will give me the power to keep the freezers going until I can brine, dehydrate or otherwise take care of the frozen food contents. It also provides us power for well/septic, radios/TV (to see what's going on in the world) as well as lighting until the candles and lanterns are fully in place.

I figure I could go about 90-120 days on a generator before fuel may be an issue.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

bczoom said:


> Although I use ours for power outages, I pretty much plan the same. It's a transitional item in a major SHTF scenario. It will give me the power to keep the freezers going until I can brine, dehydrate or otherwise take care of the frozen food contents. It also provides us power for well/septic, radios/TV (to see what's going on in the world) as well as lighting until the candles and lanterns are fully in place.
> 
> I figure I could go about 90-120 days on a generator before fuel may be an issue.


 True.it will come in handy until the shock wears off.We can prepare more food while we have it.Also pump out water to store. :flower:


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

lexsurivor said:


> I plan on getting one that I can convert to run off of wood gas. I plan on making a gassifier soon once I get the materials.


It doesn't matter if the generator is gasoline or diesel, it can run off of wood gas. The only issue is a gasoline unit can run on 100% wood gas, where a diesel MUST still be injecting "some" fuel, and can only run about 80% or 90% wood gas.

Still, my slow-speed diesel generator will run for several hours on one gallon, using 100 diesel as the only fuel. If I could stretch it out to one day per gallon, I am in good shape. It doesn't need to run all the time.

Wood gas is VERY hard to get "clean". If you can't get it clean, you will wear your engine out quickly.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

For the most part I don't see generators as a good long-term power solution. If the SHTF for a long spell, the noise of running it after everyone else is out of fuel will attract unwanted attention. If you can get by without it after everyone else is out of fuel, you could sit quietly for however long it took for things to stabilize to the point where you could use the generator again.

For short-term events they're great. Be sure and put stablizer in cans of gas you plan to store for a while.

Other options could be to get solar garden lights (the better ones with good solar surfaces on top, and that charge two AA batteries) and use them as battery chargers. Buy an LED camping lantern that uses AAs and keep rotating batteries from the solar garden lights. That takes care of light.

If the power goes out and a couple days pass and it looks like it'll be a while, you can dehydrate the food from your fridge and freezer. Take the screens off the windows of your house/apartment and spread fruits and vegetables on them. For meat, make a campfire and dry the meat in strips draped over poles and placed across the smoke from the fire. Have a feast and eat everything else!


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

I will say that for the short term, they can be life savers. You just have to have a plan that allows you to be able to fuel it up during that bad time. I use one that uses the minimum fuel and still run what I need it to. I mainly have mine for storm season. Having been thru MANY 'canes, I know where I speak from.

I keep 35 gals of gas stored with octane booster and Sta-Bil. I have used it at 18 months with no problem. That amount will get me thru about 6-7 days. Katrina we were out of power for 17 days. I was lucky to get fuel then...

Long term only wood gas or alky and then only to pump water, charge batteries or run freezers...plus they will wear out....they are not viable long term solutions....

Jimmy


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

We have a tractor PTO driven generator that is an absolute lifesaver. It makes plenty of power to run my whole house normally. In February '09 when the blizzard rolled through (worst snowfall SWPA has seen since 1993) we lost power for a solid week, Friday to Friday, and for 10 gallons of diesel per day we lived normally, plus we use the tractors for other things so we don't need to do engine maintenance etc on a dedicated generator. Long term? Hell no. But for the occasional whopper of a strom I'm sure glad we have it. My grandpap bought it at a farm auction years ago to run the milking system when we were still milking cows. The tractor only had to run at about 1100 RPM's with the generator hooked up to the 1000RPM PTO shaft.


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

For short term emergencies, the gas/diesel gennie is great. But for the long term such as shtf, you would be much better off in the long run to have solar. Solar never needs fuel, makes no noise and is as reliable as the sun coming up. Day in and day out, my solar powers my entire house. No elec. bill either.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Jason said:


> ...we lost power for a solid week, Friday to Friday, and for 10 gallons of diesel per day we lived normally.


Diesel here is $3.89 a gallon and rising 

10 gallons a day is VERY short term.


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## mtnmom (Sep 8, 2009)

Solar may cost more in the beginning but it is definitely cheaper than 10 gal of diesel once it is set up! 


And yes, there will be bargains galore after 12,21 2012. Remember all the stuff you could pick up at yard sales after Y2K?? Generators were for sale everywhere.


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

With all the govt. tax breaks, and a lot of states also, here, even my local power co. will give you cash back for prof. installed grid-tie systems. You should all go to the local solar co. in your area, have about a 2-5 kw system priced out , with the tax ded. 's avalible in your state/situation. A lot of you may well be surprised at the end result


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