Fw: [Ham-Antennas] Back-up Power
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David Tanks
Jan 28, 2026, 9:27:10 AM (7 days ago) Jan 28
to valleyhams
Interesting discussion of various generator fuels.
David AD4TJ
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Chuck Moore via groups.io <wd4hxg=iclou...@groups.io>
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 03:03:12 AM EST
Subject: [Ham-Antennas] WAS: How best to install utility pole halyards?? NOW Back-up Power
Robert
At 74, here are the factors that drove not just my fuel decision
but the type of generator set.
Installation Type:
Whole Home Autostart - The last thing I want to
deal with is dragging out a stored gen set each
time a power loss presents itself or when weather
like recently experienced, occurs. (Yeah, I'm lazy.)
A 5KW unit mounted on a garden wagon was tried,
but ran into the problem of tires deflating. The
weight of the combo being pulled across the grass
from the detached garage to 25 feet from the house
was another problem. Even with large diameter
wheels, it was a chore pulling it across the yard.
Fuel Type:
Gasoline is ok where you are using the generator
frequently, weekly or more frequently, but if the fuel
lounges in the carb or tank for extended periods, it
deteriorates. That leads to hard starts, particularly
with pull rope gen sets.
Diesel is fine but when cold, it can be a bugger. At
temps around 35° F, wax crystals begin to appear.
The Cold Filter Plugging Point (the temp where
diesel fuel begins to gel) is around 15° F. If your
temps fall below that point then you may need a
tank heater.
Propane is good down to around -40° F. At that
temp and below you have problems with the
fuel changing from liquid to gas.
My qth experiences temps down to 0° F rarely. So
I use propane. I do not have to worry with using
potentially degraded gas or diesel. For info on how
long gasoline and diesel can be stored, see this
link: Fuel Storage. I was surprised to discover that
bacterial and fungal contamination of diesel and
gasoline was an issue even in tightly sealed tanks.
Propane is reported to have an indefinite storage
life, limited pretty much by the tank's resistance
to corrosion. You can find a discussion here on
propane's longevity and storage requirements.
The other advantage of propane is the carb is
not prone to corrosion as found with gasoline.
There is no aggravation with gas/alcohol blends
breaking down into water that combines with
gasoline's acidic degradation products to damage
the carb.
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Lowell Tieszen
Jan 28, 2026, 9:39:13 AM (7 days ago) Jan 28
to David Tanks, valleyhams
Another aspect not discussed here is the availability of fuel when outages happen. We had a major ice-storm when we lived in North Carolina and I had a gasoline generator but at some point finding a gas station open with working gas pumps was a problem.
If you have propane, or natural gas, available then that would be a good option. If you have a tank of diesel available then that would be a good option. With the shelf-life of gasoline being relatively short, having enough good quality gas in storage is unlikely for most of us.
Just another part of the consideration.
Lowell - KK4PH
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Ray Albers
Jan 28, 2026, 10:23:36 AM (7 days ago) Jan 28
to Lowell Tieszen, David Tanks, valleyhams
For gasoline, there's a product called "Sta-Bil" (available at auto parts stores) that claims to make the gas good for 24 months. I've had gas to which I added the stabilizer stored for longer than that, and it seems to be fine (I run my 2 KW Honda machine for a quarter hour once every two months to keep it limber.) But maybe I should dump the gas into my truck fuel tank and replenish the stored gas.
One more quibble: In the section on propane, it says, "Propane is good down to around -40° F. At that
temp and below you have problems with the fuel changing from liquid to gas. " - I think it's the other way around: changes from gas to liquid.
When I lived in NC our community center had an auto-start generator fueled by natural gas - a nice (albeit expensive) option when you have gas heat or appliances.
73
Ray K2HYD
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/valleyhams/CAKuszae25Bzu_3RetZ1%3DOfiB_ERZ94HMwrOef_%3DRb8%3DEa2kr0g%40mail.gmail.com.
Ray Albers
Jan 28, 2026, 10:42:27 AM (7 days ago) Jan 28
to Lowell Tieszen, David Tanks, valleyhams
One more comment - I think it's best to use No-Ethanol gasoline, given that ethanol is organic stuff. I get mine at the Southern States station in Bridgewater.
Countryboy
Jan 28, 2026, 11:00:31 AM (7 days ago) Jan 28
to Valley
I concur with Lowell that propane or natural gas is the easiest for the most hands free usage and for long term storage.
No matter what system you have, occasional maintenance is important. It’s easy to forget and then panic when a storm hits and the gen don’t run. I well remember when the Deracho ( spelling? ) hit. The local small engine shop was flooded with small generators from desperate owners that hadn’t run in months or years. This past week I went over my generators, changed oil etc, to make sure they were ready to go just in case.
I have a 250 gal ‘farm tank’ that I keep on-road diesel in for some of my vehicles and doubles as gen fuel for when the power goes out, which it tends to a lot more here on the mountain then for most of you. It stays fresh since I use it in vehicles and refill periodically.
Bottom line, if you have a lot to lose by not having power, ( no heat, freezers with food ) it pays to keep things fresh even in good weather.
Jon
KD4OCN
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/valleyhams/CAFaaW6thyRxz5wVLY9MdKfP2Tu1b3tASkK%3D0sf6A%2BN0j%3DZ%2BHSQ%40mail.gmail.com.
Cameron Mac Millan
Jan 28, 2026, 11:13:09 AM (7 days ago) Jan 28
to valle...@googlegroups.com
While we're discussing no-ethanol fuel and additives: the following
YouTube playlist is worth checking out:
https://youtu.be/yeemc0Ufl8U?si=Nyv3vUwavzX98rS5
It's long. But it's a 19-month test of multiple additives being used
with fuel stored in equipment kept outside in a shed, and is probably
the most comprehensive real-world test of this stuff out there.
FWIW, the best results I've had with 4-stroke fuel has been no-ethanol
gasoline bought fresh every season and Seafoam added in the correct
ratio. If anything is left over at the end, it goes into one of the
vehicles. The machine also has its fuel tank drained and the fuel
system run dry when it's put away for the Winter; haven't had issues
with rusting float bowls, etc.
For 2-stroke fuel, same thing except skipping the Seafoam. Additives in
2-stroke fuel can be a bad idea since they may affect crankcase lubrication.
For diesel, add Power Service Diesel-Kleen (silver bottle) in the
recommended ratio for short-term storage in warm weather; in Winter, use
the white (anti-gel) bottle as recommended. Same goes for long-term
storage, but with the addition of Bio-Kleen.
As always, YMMV.
73,
- Cameron (KR4CKA).
>>>> *From:* Chuck Moore via groups.io <wd4hxg=iclou...@groups.io>
>>>> *To:* "ma...@ham-antennas.groups.io" <ma...@ham-antennas.groups.io>
>>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 03:03:12 AM EST
>>>> *Subject:* [Ham-Antennas] WAS: How best to install utility pole
>>>> <ma...@Ham-Antennas.groups.io?subject=Re:%20%5BHam-Antennas%5D%20WAS%3A%20How%20best%20to%20install%20utility%20pole%20halyards%3F%3F%20NOW%20Back-up%20Power>
>>>> | Reply to Sender
>>>> <wd4...@icloud.com?subject=Private:%20Re:%20%5BHam-Antennas%5D%20WAS%3A%20How%20best%20to%20install%20utility%20pole%20halyards%3F%3F%20NOW%20Back-up%20Power>
>>>> | Mute This Topic <https://groups.io/mt/117504530/503227> | New Topic
>>>> <https://Ham-Antennas.groups.io/g/main/post>
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>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/valleyhams/CAKuszae25Bzu_3RetZ1%3DOfiB_ERZ94HMwrOef_%3DRb8%3DEa2kr0g%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
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>>>
>>
>
YouTube playlist is worth checking out:
https://youtu.be/yeemc0Ufl8U?si=Nyv3vUwavzX98rS5
It's long. But it's a 19-month test of multiple additives being used
with fuel stored in equipment kept outside in a shed, and is probably
the most comprehensive real-world test of this stuff out there.
FWIW, the best results I've had with 4-stroke fuel has been no-ethanol
gasoline bought fresh every season and Seafoam added in the correct
ratio. If anything is left over at the end, it goes into one of the
vehicles. The machine also has its fuel tank drained and the fuel
system run dry when it's put away for the Winter; haven't had issues
with rusting float bowls, etc.
For 2-stroke fuel, same thing except skipping the Seafoam. Additives in
2-stroke fuel can be a bad idea since they may affect crankcase lubrication.
For diesel, add Power Service Diesel-Kleen (silver bottle) in the
recommended ratio for short-term storage in warm weather; in Winter, use
the white (anti-gel) bottle as recommended. Same goes for long-term
storage, but with the addition of Bio-Kleen.
As always, YMMV.
73,
- Cameron (KR4CKA).
>>>> *To:* "ma...@ham-antennas.groups.io" <ma...@ham-antennas.groups.io>
>>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 03:03:12 AM EST
>>>> *Subject:* [Ham-Antennas] WAS: How best to install utility pole
>>>> halyards?? NOW Back-up Power
>>>>
>>>> Robert
>>>>
>>>> At 74, here are the factors that drove not just my fuel decision
>>>> but the type of generator set.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *Installation Type*:
>>>>
>>>> Robert
>>>>
>>>> At 74, here are the factors that drove not just my fuel decision
>>>> but the type of generator set.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Whole Home Autostart - The last thing I want to
>>>> deal with is dragging out a stored gen set each
>>>> time a power loss presents itself or when weather
>>>> like recently experienced, occurs. (Yeah, I'm lazy.)
>>>> A 5KW unit mounted on a garden wagon was tried,
>>>> but ran into the problem of tires deflating. The
>>>> weight of the combo being pulled across the grass
>>>> from the detached garage to 25 feet from the house
>>>> was another problem. Even with large diameter
>>>> wheels, it was a chore pulling it across the yard.
>>>>
>>>> *Fuel Type*:
>>>> deal with is dragging out a stored gen set each
>>>> time a power loss presents itself or when weather
>>>> like recently experienced, occurs. (Yeah, I'm lazy.)
>>>> A 5KW unit mounted on a garden wagon was tried,
>>>> but ran into the problem of tires deflating. The
>>>> weight of the combo being pulled across the grass
>>>> from the detached garage to 25 feet from the house
>>>> was another problem. Even with large diameter
>>>> wheels, it was a chore pulling it across the yard.
>>>>
>>>> Gasoline is ok where you are using the generator
>>>> frequently, weekly or more frequently, but if the fuel
>>>> lounges in the carb or tank for extended periods, it
>>>> deteriorates. That leads to hard starts, particularly
>>>> with pull rope gen sets.
>>>>
>>>> Diesel is fine but when cold, it can be a bugger. At
>>>> temps around 35° F, wax crystals begin to appear.
>>>> The *Cold Filter Plugging Point *(the temp where
>>>> frequently, weekly or more frequently, but if the fuel
>>>> lounges in the carb or tank for extended periods, it
>>>> deteriorates. That leads to hard starts, particularly
>>>> with pull rope gen sets.
>>>>
>>>> Diesel is fine but when cold, it can be a bugger. At
>>>> temps around 35° F, wax crystals begin to appear.
>>>> diesel fuel begins to gel) is around 15° F. If your
>>>> temps fall below that point then you may need a
>>>> tank heater.
>>>>
>>>> Propane is good down to around -40° F. At that
>>>> temp and below you have problems with the
>>>> fuel changing from liquid to gas.
>>>>
>>>> My qth experiences temps down to 0° F rarely. So
>>>> I use propane. I do not have to worry with using
>>>> potentially degraded gas or diesel. For info on how
>>>> long gasoline and diesel can be stored, see this
>>>> link: Fuel Storage
>>>> <https://axi-international.com/the-shelf-life-of-fuel-how-long-can-gasoline-and-diesel-be-stored/>.
>>>> temps fall below that point then you may need a
>>>> tank heater.
>>>>
>>>> Propane is good down to around -40° F. At that
>>>> temp and below you have problems with the
>>>> fuel changing from liquid to gas.
>>>>
>>>> My qth experiences temps down to 0° F rarely. So
>>>> I use propane. I do not have to worry with using
>>>> potentially degraded gas or diesel. For info on how
>>>> long gasoline and diesel can be stored, see this
>>>> link: Fuel Storage
>>>> I was surprised to discover that
>>>> bacterial and fungal contamination of diesel and
>>>> gasoline was an issue even in tightly sealed tanks.
>>>> Propane is reported to have an indefinite storage
>>>> life, limited pretty much by the tank's resistance
>>>> to corrosion. You can find a discussion here
>>>> <https://paracogas.com/blog/propanes-shelf-life-storage-friendly-stable-durable-for-years/>
>>>> bacterial and fungal contamination of diesel and
>>>> gasoline was an issue even in tightly sealed tanks.
>>>> Propane is reported to have an indefinite storage
>>>> life, limited pretty much by the tank's resistance
>>>> to corrosion. You can find a discussion here
>>>> on
>>>> propane's longevity and storage requirements.
>>>>
>>>> The other advantage of propane is the carb is
>>>> not prone to corrosion as found with gasoline.
>>>> There is no aggravation with gas/alcohol blends
>>>> breaking down into water that combines with
>>>> gasoline's acidic degradation products to damage
>>>> the carb.
>>>> _._,_._,_
>>>> ------------------------------
>>>> propane's longevity and storage requirements.
>>>>
>>>> The other advantage of propane is the carb is
>>>> not prone to corrosion as found with gasoline.
>>>> There is no aggravation with gas/alcohol blends
>>>> breaking down into water that combines with
>>>> gasoline's acidic degradation products to damage
>>>> the carb.
>>>> _._,_._,_
>>>> Groups.io Links:
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>>>> You receive all messages sent to this group.
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