Backup Generators

We've discussed backup power with emphasis on solar systems with batteries to carry loads at night when sun is not available. Solar systems may sustain moderate loads through lengthy blackouts from a few months through a few years-an operating life limited by batteries.

For short blackouts of a week or less, or on small or treed properties, gas or diesel generators are cheaper than solar; gas generators can drive loads directly or charge batteries for when generators are off. Gas generators also supplement solar charging when bad weather blocks sunlight for several days.

Altitude

We began by totaling runtime watts and estimated starting surges of our loads; these numbers are crucial to designing backup power systems.

In Colorado, gasoline and diesel engines do not put out rated power because air is less dense at altitude; at 10,000 feet air density is only 60 percent of that at sea level, and at 5,000 feet (Canon City) about 80 percent of sea level. This has two effects-engines often need carburetor adjustment to lean mixture for best horsepower output and efficiency, and horsepower output drops. Thus, in Colorado mountains, a 4500-watt gas generator may only put out 3000 watts if altitude-tuned (2000 if not altitude-tuned)-while sucking gas as if fully loaded at sea level.

To run our loads directly, generator actual continuous capacity must exceed total runtime watts of the loads; those loads may include a high-power battery charger for recharging batteries-often-included 12-volt outputs are intended for light loads or recharging starting batteries, they are usually inadequate for charging large deep-cycle batteries.

115 and 220-volt chargers are available for every battery chemistry and charge current. If generators are used to charge batteries, to keep charging time and generator run time down, we suggest one able to charge at the highest practical rate given battery charge current and generator output power.

Fuel

One manufacturer claims their 3500 running watts unit runs 11 hours at 50 percent load, or 22 hours at 25 percent load, on 4 gallons gas-9 gallons per day, 63 gallons per 168-hour week. Fuel use varies wildly, test your generator under load to see how much fuel it sucks. That's a lot of gas. Fuel used weekly is lower if run part time to charge batteries.

Storing sufficient fuel for long blackouts is difficult, 5-gallon cans are impractical for more than a day or two. Fuel may be stored in drums, in overhead or underground tanks, or compressed in propane tanks. Propane provides 2/3 the energy of gasoline but reduces engine wear.

Summer-formula gas without alcohol, or avgas (avgas is leaded), stores better than alcohol-laced gas station gas, and both gas and diesel store better with storage-enhancing additives. Even with additives, storage over a year is not recommended as gas forms “varnish” that clogs carburetors and fuel injectors. Diesel and propane store longer than gasoline.

Generator Engine Life

Gas and diesel generators come in low-speed 1800 RPM 4-pole, high-speed 3600 RPM 2-pole, and inverter types; small units are air cooled with larger units water-cooled. 2-stroke units may die in as few as 100 hours. Cheap 3600 RPM 4-stroke units may wear out after 250-hours with better ones lasting 1000 hours; pricier 1800 RPM units last 2-3 times longer. Inverter generators decouple power output frequency from engine speed and can last still longer if lightly loaded. Higher-quality diesel units can last from 4,000 to 20,000 hours before rebuilding.

Like cars, generators need maintenance like oil changes, fuel filters, and air filters, or fail quickly when needed.

Safety

Monoxide kills: Never run portable generators indoors or even in an open, attached, garage. Generators MUST be vented away from windows and other air intakes.

WuFlu News

Variants

Vaccines fail against Delta/India, Lambda/Chile and Mu/Columbia; studies also show Pfizer protection fading after 6-9 months. Expect re-vaccination campaigns with ineffective vaccine as no Delta/Lambda/Mu vaccine exists yet.

Mu/Columbia is now in all states.

Virus Origins

Freedom of Information Act documents show Fauci lied, he not only funded “chimeric” coronaviruses (viruses formed by combining sequences from different species) in the Wuhan lab, but received reports these engineered viruses reproduced in “humanized mice” 10,000 times as well as wild virus. Wuhan lab scrubbed its public databases of numerous viral genomes-both engineered and wild-to conceal WuFlu origins in September 2019.

Virus in Children

From August 2020 to August 2021 nationwide CDC reports 214 total kids under 18 died of engineered lab-escape WuFlu in 2021, while 261 died of gunfire in Chicago alone. Many more children died from vaccine side effects like myocarditis than from infection, and infection provides stronger immunity against more variant viruses.

Counts

Sept. 14, 2021, 2 p.m. 225,585,522 infected (4,644,508 dead). U.S. 41,293,294 (662,928 dead); India > 33.30 million; Brazil > 21 million, Delta in the last 28 days: 4.3 million in U.S., 1 million in India, 851K in Iran, 965K in UK. Colorado 640,380 (7,599 dead) almost all India/Delta B.1.617.2. Fremont County 7,052 (state), Fremont County shows 6,945, 3716 in community, 3,229 in prisons, three in hospital, 71 dead. Neighbors Chaffee 2,007, Custer 273, El Paso 86,531, Park 1089, Pueblo 21,568, and Teller 2,216.