Those of you following the other forum know that oil is coming in for a good bit of analysis. If possible, I would recommend that you lay aside fuel stocks for your generator (if you have one); oil lamps; cars; farm vehicles; tools ......

Don't forget to purchase Stabil or PRI-G/D for long-lived storage.

The good side of an oil collapse is that there won't be much reason to drive anywhere anyway! Pretty funny, eh, not.

As always, do what you can even if it isn't what you would wish to do.

Buy and fill small gasoline cans.

Pick up a gasoline storage tank if it fits your zoning and/or pocketbook (we got one used for $100).

Don't be overly fussy but choose the best possible drums.

Get a pump and/or needed siphoning equipment.

Don't forget oil and accessories for changing the oil of your vehicles.

What am I missing? Lay up a little at a time but keep doing it.

BOTTOM LINE: IF THERE WERE EVER any Y2K prep that you KNOW you will use, it's fuel. This is a can't miss proposition (unless you fail to take reasonable storage and fire precautions). Great for barter also. The chances that oil will be cheaper January thru April, 2000 than they are now approaches nil, in my opinion.

How much is enough? No such thing. Start with 10 gallons. Add 10. Add 20. Add 100. Do it.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), November 01, 1999

Answers

Hey there BigDog...

I was just talking with my hubby yesterday about making sure our gas can is full and possibly getting another one. He said that the gas doesn't store well past a month or so. I'm assuming that's what you're addressing when talking about Stabil and the other product. Where do you get these and how much longer will your gas stay OK with it?

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), November 01, 1999.

Hoard that gas/diesel like gold.

Think spring planting. Think trading fuel for someone to plow your garden. Think non-replaceable.........

Folks, I started out thinking we were looking at maybe a 7.0. Got to where I felt, if lucky, we could squeak by with an 8.0.

Now, like another Yourdonite who shall remain nameless, I'm wondering if we won't be seeing feudalism (or something like it) in what's left of this country within the next two years.........

-- mushroom (mushroom_bs_too_long@yahoo.com), November 01, 1999.

Yep, my guesstimate is that many of our y2k problems will center on fuel availability. Every time I go to town I fill both tanks on my van and upon my return home I pump out my front tank and put about 15 gallons in a nice clean drum that previously held 190 proof tax-paid USP ethyl alky I got from a pharmacutical company that used the alky for medications. I put stabil in the drum prior to filling it. I'm using a Holley Brand "Red" 97 gph 12vdc fuel pump with 8 feet of 3/8" hose on the inlet/outlet fittings and the wires extended 20 feet terminating in a cig lighter plug. This works very well and I'm spared the danger of having gas in the interior of my vehicle (hard to put it anywhere else with a van) OR having folks see me filling gas cans or drums at the station. Pump (from www.summitracing.com), fittings, hose and wire cost me about $120...money well spent (I can use it to fill the van from the drums as well or help a stranded motorist)(if she's cute).....DCK

-- Don Kulha (dkulha@vom.com), November 01, 1999.

If you have the fuel to run a tiller or small tractor or chain saw, make sure you have some important component parts: spark plugs, oil, fuel and air filters, etc. For the two-cycle engines, don't forget the mix.

-- Vic (Rdrunner@internetwork.net), November 01, 1999.

If you don't want to spend the money for a pump, you can get a hand siphon/pump cheap at Walmart etc. Look in the boating section. This is a hose with a squeeze bulb & check valve in the center. It's more versatile than a hand drum pump. If you set your drum up on blocks, you can siphon the gas out & down into a gas can.

-- biker (y2kbiker@hotmail.com), November 01, 1999.

But those siphon hoses are prone to cracking fairly quickly when used with gasoline. We used to go through several in a season when we used them to transfer fuel for ski boats.

Tractor Supply / Farm & Country stores carry a pump for 55 gallon drums for just under $20. It's a tube-style pump (like a bicycle air pump) that drops into the drum and is locked into place by screwing into the threads for the cap. The handle sticks up out of the top along with an outlet tube.

This isn't a high-volume pump like the $140 gas tank pump the sell, but for filling gallon cans to use with a generator or kerosene heater, it fits the bill very well.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), November 01, 1999.

By the same token, get those jobs finished up or at least started now that require tools and equipment that burn gas. (Oh, but for more time...)

Clean out the garden, apply your compost, lime or other fertilizer and get it tilled this fall yet; it will take less fuel and effort next spring.

Get some more firewood ahead, cut if not split and stacked; post holes dug, if not used yet; hiring of backhoe or other equipment for bigger jobs; mowing and clearing of the back 40; and even burning brush and trash piles later will use precious fuel.

Kerosene in this area has went up .20 a gallon just through October, I have lost money already with my procastination.

Likewise, though not using fuel but electricity, we hope to get a greenhouse built before spring. We have most of the lumber, so I hope to get the plans drawn up and lumber cut ahead of time, just in case.

-- Lilly (homesteader145@yahoo.com), November 01, 1999.

Try PRI/D (diesel) or PRI/G (gasoline) for long-term storage. Check it out here: http://www.rjkpower.com. They have associations with Stan Pierchowski, the power dude. This stuff should keep your fuel usable for a loooonnngg time (longer than Stabil, they claim).

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), November 01, 1999.

Thanks BIGDOG for your reply. I've bookmarked the page for my husb. to peruse later. I didn't see any info. on their shipping. Do you know if they ships UPS or what? I'd only only afford a quart.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), November 02, 1999.

Beej:

I ordered a quart each of Pri-D and Pri-G. A quart will treat 512 gallons, so it's much more effective (and much less expensive) than Stabil.

If memory serves, it was shipped USPS, but it arrived in less than a week. Best of luck.

-- Vic (Rdrunner@internetwork.net), November 02, 1999.

Shelf life: My understanding is gasoline stored in a metal can lasts a month, but stored in plastic "cans" can last years.

-- David (go180@aol.com), November 03, 1999.