Generator Fuel: How Much for a Day, and How to Store It

In a big Midwest ice storm, gas stations lose power too. If the outage lasts three days, the fuel you have on hand is the fuel you have.

01How much does it burn?

Look in your manual or on the generator for run time at 50% load (sometimes 25%). It'll say something like "10 hours at 50% load on a 4-gallon tank."

That tells you: about 0.4 gallons an hour at half load.

• Bigger loads burn more.
• Smaller loads burn less, but not proportionally less. Generators burn fuel just running.
• Inverter generators throttle down with the load and use much less at light loads.

02Run it in shifts

You don't need to run a generator 24 hours a day. A common plan:

• 2 to 3 hours on to cool the fridge and freezer, run the sump, charge everything.
• 2 to 4 hours off.
• Repeat, more often in summer heat or if the sump is busy.

That can cut fuel use in half or more. See day two with no power for how cold food holds up.

03Example

Generator burning 0.5 gallons an hour, running 12 hours a day in shifts = 6 gallons a day. A three-day outage = 18 gallons.

04Storing it

• Approved gas cans only, clearly labeled.
• Detached shed or garage, away from the house, furnace, water heater, and anything with a pilot light.
• Fuel stabilizer added when you fill the can.
• Rotate it. Use stored gas in the car or mower every few months and refill. Write the fill date on the can.
• Check local rules. Many towns limit how much gasoline you can store at home.
• Lock them if they're where people can get to them.

05Other fuels

• Propane stores much longer than gas and doesn't go stale. Dual-fuel generators can run on either, though usually with a bit less power on propane.
• Natural gas standby generators run off your gas line. No storage needed.

See also start the generator in October and how to size a backup generator.

Photo by NoName_13 on Pixabay.

Related: Midwest Power Outages: How Long They Really Last (NIPSCO's August Storm)