TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM ARRL DISTRICT 3
EMERGENCY COORDINATOR WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
WOOD COUNTY ARES BULLETIN NR 20.06 DATE: February 9, 2020
SUBJECT: CHECK YOUR GASOLINE
Is your generator ready to go into operation at a moment’s notice? When was the last time you checked to see if your generator has a full tank of gas, and is it still fresh? Do you use any kind of fuel stabilizer to keep the fuel ready to use?
It just seems the only time the commercial power goes off is when it's dark. You must get re-dressed go out start the generator and transfer the house to it. But before you start the generator you've got to make sure that it has enough fuel. If you must fuel it up, you'll have to do it in the dark because you can't hold the flashlight in one hand and pour gasoline with the other one.
Are you sure you are pouring just gasoline, with no water? If the fuel has been sitting around very long, there's a good chance that water has condensed in the can. If you pour water in with the fuel, now you need to drain it out and start over, remember, it's still dark.
Take time right now and check out your generator before any more snow gets here.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV