Ideas for Generator Security in a SHTF Scenario

HomeINsteader sent this to me as a comment on my last Generator post and I liked it so much I felt it warranted a post of it’s own.

I think you will find that gen is very noisy, even a small one. If you live in an urban or suburban area, AND the entire community isn’t “down”, you might have complaints from the neighbors. In an OpSec situation, you’d be running up a red flag and shouting, “Here I am!”. You can quiet these noticeably (although, it will never be “silent” unless it’s “off”) by digging a small “basement” if you will and running it outdoors, from your little basement. You DO NOT want to run a gen in a house basement, garage, attic, or any other enclosed area, because of danger from fuel emissions.

Dig your outdoor mini-basement close to the connection source and large enough that it can double as a root cellar! You’ll need a hard floor (even well-packed dirt can suffice), some kind of structure around the walls (to keep the walls from caving in – if nothing else, cut trees from your own property and line the walls with these “logs”, burying them deep enough to keep them upright; place a thick sheet of heavy-duty plastic or rubber sheeting between the dirt wall and your logs, for longer life – check Mike Oeller’s book on the $50 Underground House for how to treat the wood against insect damage without chemicals, if you really want it to last!) – or, line the walls with concrete blocks or stones, and a suitable cover of some sort, to keep it dry. You do not want your gen floating in water. Speaking of which, you might want to get oak shipping pallets and set the gen on them – up off the “floor” of the basement. Most places will give them to you if you just need a couple. Some may charge a small price.

Place this “basement” high enough for drainage – not in a low area where everything will drain into it! This is a common error in tornado shelters, believe it, or not!

If you keep your gen in this mini-basement, and keep a thick cover over it, such as a heavy plate of thick metal, you will likely also protect it from any possible EMP event. So, now you have a way to quiet your gen, you have a root cellar, and a means of protection from EMP strikes. 3 bird with one stone!

While you’re at it, why not dig it big enough to suffice as a tornado shelter? Hmmm….oh, well…getting carried away here.

If you’re going to dig a “basement” without supporting the walls, do some research. A vertical wall of dirt is almost sure to cave in; a gently curved (inverted bell shape) wall will not. It will require a larger opening, which will require a larger cover. The point is you could build such a structure without reinforcing, if you have to.

You will need to dig the basement with at least one ramp for entry/exit – you can’t just dig a hole and drop her down in it – not easily, anyway. You will be able to pull it up and down using just the wheel kit with a proper ramp entrance/exit. The ramp will need to be covered and protected from the elements and EMP, as well.

If you’re lucky enough to have a friend who is a metal worker, they can help you with the cover, I’m sure.

You will need the gen on wheels to move it in and out of your basement without hurting yourself, so invest the additional $50 or so for a proper wheel kit. DIY wheels that are not the right size will not work well, and you may still injure yourself trying to pull it.

The gens from Harbor Tools, a very popular place to get them because of “price”, are also not the highest quality, they have a high incidence of repair, and parts are not always easy to get, FYI. It’s always true – “you get what you pay for”.

If you’re wanting a gen to run an RV, you can buy them “ready to go” for just that, without a conversion kit; if you try to save $$ by buying without, you won’t save $$, the conversion kit will see to it.

If you have a Tractor Supply in your ‘hood, they can be of great help to you in a gen decision.

A single back-up system is better than none, but the truly prepared have more than one back-up plan, because systems fail and equipment fails.

It’s always wise to have not only a gen (two is better!), but also candles, oil lamps, extra lamp oil (smokeless is best), extra wicks, propane, stored and treated gasoline for your vehicles and/or your gen (which you will rotate – fill your car and go fill the can again, on a regular basis), a propane cooking stove, a propane heater system, solar lights, a solar system (for those who can afford one; and, for those who can, a good supply of seasoned firewood and a way to burn it – all of these things, not just one. These do ALL cost $$. Start somewhere, and add as you can.

And while you are taking care of all this, I hope you’re also stocking not less than a 30-day supply of water, food, medicine, pet supplies – everything you might possibly need when SHTF – for yourself and every member of your family, and a little extra for all those who can’t or won’t prepare. As well all know, S DOES HTF – sometimes it even has a name, like “Sandy” and “Katrina”.

Just some things to think about from a “gen runner”.

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