If you are going to use a portable generator to power part of your house, the recommended and safest method is to install a "Transfer Switch". With it, there is no danger of feeding back into the power system. As I recall, they sell for about $100. I see them for sale frequently on eBay. Do a search on eBay for "GENERATORS". The transfer switches are usually mixed among the listed generators.

I can't stress enough how important it is to OPEN THE MAIN BREAKER before you connect ANYTHING to your home wiring. You can energize lines outside your home and KILL SOMEONE.
While the pigtail method works, a dedicated transfer switch for specific loads is a safer method.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000CCXUF/102-1523412-2314534?v=glance
In addition, many portable generators have GFCI's that get confused when connected to home wiring, leaving you with the requirement to run UNGROUNDED from your generator to the home panel.
Extension cords may be a pain in the butt, but at least they maintain the integrity of your home wiring's safety features.

I'll have to look for those. I have a couple funnels stored under the hood which fit the oil and transmission fillers a anyway but nothing that long.

How long does it take to pump 5 gallons? I'm looking at speed of refill in an evac situation, I don't want to be stopped by the side of the road emptying 5 gallon cans for longer than necessary.

Aren't you having to pay out the waz for the sat net?

Just curious, Peanut. What did you have stockpiled in the way of folding money, and how much have you burned through?

I got the impression Izzy already had satellite service. If that's the case, all you need is an extra dish (dirt cheap to free). Remove the satellite receiver from your house and take it wherever. Make some kind of base or mount for your spare dish, learn to aim it, (easy) and you have satellite service anywhere. An exception to this is if you have a TiVo receiver. They have to be connected to the phone line full time plus they have two lines in from the dish and the dish will probably be a triple LNB type dish. (The oval ones that look "cocked" at an angle when you see them). For a complete satellite system without a generator, consider using a DC to AC inverter for your vehicle. They come in various sizes. Get one with enough capacity to handle both the TV and the satellite receiver. Then you can run off your vehicle. Problem with these inverters is they have a low voltage cutoff and when the vehicle voltage drops to about ten volts, they shut down. Of course if you have a generator, you can watch TV till you run out of gas. The smallest of generators
(1000 watts) will handle the load and will run for 10-12 hours on less than a gallon of gas. I have used my satellite receiver in my travel trailer and traveled over 100 miles from home and it works. The receiver does not know where it is so this is not a problem. If you have a TiVo or otherwise don't want to unhook the receiver in the house, used receivers are a dime a dozen. DirecTv will activate it and send you another card for it and charge you $5.95 a month for an extra receiver, the same as if you had an extra set in the house. The folks at DirecTv can be pretty testy sometimes. They may tell you that they don't activate used receivers. Not to worry. They do. Just ask for technical support. If the used set came with a card, they will activate it over the phone. Otherwise, they will want the model and serial of the receiver and they will mail you a card, usually FedEx overnite. If you are a Dish Network subscriber, I can't help you there but I would suspect that the procedure would be similar. Personally, I am no fan of DirecTv. If I had it to do over, I would be a Dish subscriber. Sorry, I just CAN'T be brief. It's a curse I have to live with. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

<rant>
I very much agree with the DirecTV vs. Dish sentiment. My experience may not be typical, but it was very, very annoying. I spent an afternoon trying to get service for my grandmother. I called DirecTV, they referred me to a regional installer, who gave me the number of a local installer who asked for my zip code who then told me they couldn't install there. I called DishTV. One call, just ONE CAll was all it took. Made an appointment and the guy actually showed up when he said he would. DishTV rules. And they're cheaper.
</rant>

I have both a single burner dual fuel and an old fashion two burner Coleman. I predict that you will like yours when it comes in.

Dual Fuel is good because gas is usually available in more places and makes the stove more flexable.

There is much discussion that follows on gas cans, which got me thinking. One advantage of Coleman Fuel is that it comes prepackaged in a storage container that is designed to sit on the shelf for months. I do not know how long an unopened can of Coleman Fuel is good, but I have used fuel from a partuallly used can that was several years old and still worked fine.

Right now a gallon can of camp fuel is about $4 at Wally World. When you consider that it comes in it's own storage container, that is not too bad compared to gas. A gallon or two stored with the stove is not a bad idea even if you have gas for multi-use. You can do a heap of cooking with a gallon of fuel and a Coleman stove.

Am I off base on this? For long term storage would sealed gallon containers of camp fuel be better than gas, assuming it is for use in a stove/lantern ?

You can also buy an adapter for your Coleman propane stove that hooks it up to a standard 20lb propane cannister - like on your barbeque grill.

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=5470A7931T&categoryid=27203

I suspect 20lbs of propane would keep you cooking for a while too.