>
> Dear Ken:
>      That is very kind of you.  I would really appreciate the info.
>                       Thanks: Bill
I hope those three discussion strings I sent you in those three e-mails
help you decide what type of gen set to get.

Here are some more hints: cheapo ($500) one cylinder gasoline generators
can run about 100 hours before they need a tune-up or rebuild.  These
always run at 3,600 RPM are noisy and chug themselves to death.  Serious
generators run at 1,600 RPM are usually multiple cylinders and run on
diesel, propane, or natural gas and will run for 1,000s of hours before
rebuilding.

Gasoline is dangerous, toxic, and explosive.  It doesn't store all that
well, you'ld need to store it in a cool place with stabilizers.  It has
been said that you can re-add the stabilizer every year or two to keep
the gas from breaking down.

Diesel is not flamable. If you have a bowl of diesel fuel you can
extinguish a match in it.  It still needs stabilizers but can last
longer.  It also needs to be kept water free and have anti-fungals put into it.  
It is said that you can run most diesels on kerosene in a
pinch, long term effects? - I can't guess.

Best storage fuel is propane, will last forever, starts engines easily
in winter, safe, cheap. etc.

Natural gas - wonderful IF the pipeline keeps working.........   :(

 There are multiple fuel engines that can run on nat.gas, propane, and
gasoline.  You have to swap out the carburators of course.

Please note that reliable generators aren't cheap.  My best friend just
bought a 15kW propane Winco set (like my brother in-law's) for around
$6,500, beautiful unit comes complete with auto start, transfer switch,
maintance run, etc.  It is 4 cylinder and runs at 3,600 RPM in a highly
sound dampened cabinet (weighs 1,000#) and we mounted it on a trailer.

I don't know what your financial resources are, or if you live rural,
are going to relocate, are going to bug-out to a friend's place, own a
retreat location or whatever, or even what part of the country you live
in. Hint: solar and certain parts of Oregon = no-way.

  If you are straped for cash, here is a poor man's system, one
automobile + stored gasoline + plus big (or small) bank of slow
discharge type batteries + lots of heavy cables + a good inverter = run
car to charge battery bank about 15 minutes each day at idle.  Might
want to alter the pulley size on the car's alternator/generator to get
full output while idling the engine,being darn careful not to rev the engine 
and overspeed the generator!  Check with the alternator manufacturer for what 
speed is needed for full output. If you vehicle has a generator rather than a 
rectified alternator, you most definately need higher shaft speed, this is why 
car marker changed to alternators since generators don't put out much at lower 
speed.

You can do this at different levels.  You can get cheapo inverters for
$40 and could run it right off the car battery for emergency lighting or
radios, not the best but for $40....  If you plan to run refrigerators
or sump pumps you need to go heavier duty.

Additional notes:
On the poorman's.  An automobile should be run once every week preferably or at 
minimum once per month.  Otherwise many of the engine bearing seals will fail 
and you'll have an expensive oil sieve.  When running an engine, it might take 
just a short time to flex and lubricate the seals, but running the engine for 
just a short time is bad for it due to condensation of combustion by-products.  
This is why short trips are harder on a car than long trips.  You should get 
the engine up to operating temerature every time you turn it on.  Therefore, if 
you have three cars at your survival retreat, running one each week to charge 
batteries will keep you in power and maintain the engines.  If you place 
cardboard in front of the radiator or remove the fan to bring up engine 
temperature faster you'll have to monitor the engine temperature manually, not 
recommended with a car that does not have a temperature guage.  I would think 
that most cars would heat up in 15 minutes of running.  All precautions to 
muffle sound apply.