alt.energy.homepower

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:21:51 -0500, Chris Hill
wrote:

>So can diesel, if you keep water out of it and use biocide. I think
>propane is still likely the way to go, just be sure of what you'll
>have to pay for propane before you commit. Also be aware that a
>gallon of propane has about 92K btu where Diesel is over 140K and
>gasoline is about 122K.

Here in Downeast Maine, I use propane for my backup generator. We've had
no problems down to about -20°F which is as cold as it's been since we
moved in. However, as per the manual, we do preheat the engine when the
temperature is below +40°F. And we also run the engine every ten days for
15 minutes or so.

We use propane also for our furnace, stove and clothes dryer.

With regard to price, one way to compare is $/btu rather than $/gal.
Propane, at least here, is less expensive than diesel or gasoline.
However, it is still a bit more expensive in $/btu, but only slightly.

The ease of storage and the quality of only needing to store one type of
fuel outweighs the slightly higher price.
--ron