Dont use gas generators for emergencies

Don't Use a Gas Generator for Emergencies!

For years I have preached the hazards of using a gas generator for emergency power. There are many people who think they need an expensive gas generator to survive an extended power outage during or after a hurricane or similar disaster. Because I have several pages on the internet about safe emergency preparedness I get phone calls and emails telling me of the dangers of using gas generators.

The hazards are fairly obvious; First they are noisy, they produce smelly exhaust and they cause air pollution. But the real dangers are those associated with handling and storing gas, carbon monoxide poisoning, and the safety of your family because of predators. During and after most disasters gas is hard to find or simply not available. Often children get burned on the hot exhaust and engine.

I don't have time to go into all of the stories I have heard and read about the myriad of problems associated with using generators, but people die or get seriously hurt when these things are used to make electricity. Countless times accidents turns an inconvenient emergency into a family disaster.

Last year after the four hurricanes hit Florida I received a phone call from a fellow who resides in Florida. He told me that people are dying in Florida because of the wide spread use of generators during the power outages they were having. The loud noise attracts the attention of the predators (bad guys) and many of these generators get stolen, even while running! To combat this threat the home-owner puts the generator in the garage. He opens the window thinking that the carbon monoxide will exhaust to the outside but the deadly gas fills up the house and everyone dies during the night.

Generators run out of fuel and often fuel is spilled during the re-filling process. The hot generator can cause an explosive fire or the volatile fumes reach a flame source such as a water heater and ignites with deadly force.

I was also told that the noise and fumes from generators operating all night has caused some neighbors in Florida to go to a motel just to get some sleep. Hey, gas generators are not only a huge safety hazard, they are expensive to operate and repair and often it is a hassle just finding gas! Generators also tell predator types that you are prepared, and that could cause other problems. There is another way...

USE SOLAR!

A small solar panel with a deep-cycle battery with a 12 volt fan and a small 12 volt florescent light will get you by in an emergency. Get a larger panel and another battery and you can operate a special 6 cubic foot refrigerator too! No, not the one you have, but a special one invented by NASA: The SunDanzer. During power outages most people use a gas generator to run their refrigeraor, a fan and a few lights. Now you can do the same with just one or two quiet, safe solar panels! No need for a powerful gas hungry generator. More will be on this site soon about this unique life saver, but you can learn more right now at the Vegas Trailer Supply site.

The Florida Solar Energy Center has published fifteen articles about using solar photovoltaics for emergencies. You can read this valuable information here: http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/pvt/Resources/publications/pubs3.htm

For further research go to our links page. Isn't the safety of your family worth it? Wouldn't it be wiser to invest your hard earned money in quiet, reliable solar energy for emergencies? And, unlike generators, you can use them all the time to save a little bit of your energy bill too!

More information on safer lighting can be found in "Safer Lighting with Solar" article.