"...after a year it quit when the oil in the tank hit the generator assembly and plugged everything up..."

You were lucky, our Big Buddy died in about a month!!!

Just an interesting thing that happened here yesterday due to propane:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2655934

I realize that it was the only source of heat for this cabin but I'm assuming that you are not looking to install a 500 lb propane tank either. Just something temporary. Kerosene does not volitolize enough to be an explosive hazard. Just the reminder again to not bring a propane tank inside (ar least not larger than a 1lb tank).

The lecture I attended by Tim Woolf (I mentioned in an earlier post) also mentioned generators. He thought not a good plan. For a few hours, sure, but if your situation extends into days or weeks, fuel becomes an issue. Gasoline is difficult to store in large quantities, is not real stable, is a huge fire hazzard, and if things go real bad, will be the first fuel to be used up (people trying to evacuate will consume all of it almost immediately). He also talked about wood as a heat source, and for the typical person in an urban/suburban area, storing that quantity of wood is not possible.

Disclaimer: I am just relaying what I was told in this lecture. Made a lot of sense to me. I don't know very much about this and appreciate the discussion. Thanks to all.

Thank you so much. It looks like Kerosene is the way to go for heating and potentially cooking.

How about a wood/pellet stove? Efficient and easy.

Kohler and others make generators that you can tap right into your gas connections if you have a gas furnace. They are very expensive and permanent. They can be wired in also, and if you have a power failure, start right up. As long as you have gas, you have power.

Pellet stoves are great, but they (at least ours) require electricity to run the pellet feed and fan...