Extra RV and generator fuel

[RedManRising]

I am traveling to the playa in a 30' motor home and am pulling a 14' enclosed cargo trailer for equipment and camp supplies. The RV has a 75 gallon tank and I will top off in Finley before heading to BRC. The onboard generator runs off of the RV gas tank and has a feature where it will not allow it to run the motor home tank dry.

I am wanting to bring extra fuel in 5 gallon gas cans rated for fuel storage in the trailer.

My questions are:

How many five gallon fuel cans may I bring?
What storage precautions must I take?
Is it acceptable to store the fuel cans in the enclosed, locked cargo trailer?
Would I be better off with a 55 gallon fuel barrel and a transfer pump?

I have already searched the boards and BM website regarding this and did not find clear answers to my questions.

Appreciate any advice to help me do this responsibly.

Thanks.

[Token]

If the fuel cans are DOT approved, bring no more than 110 gallons, else you need a NDOT permit.

There are regulations for storing fuel in camp on the Playa.

http://burningman.org/event/art-perform ... t-storage/

All your answers are there.

[RedManRising]

Thank you, Token.

[Token]

If you post some specs on the rig, gas or diesel, size of generator, you might get some more precise responses on quantity of fuel to bring.

[RedManRising]

Good idea, Token.

It is a 2000 Class A Fleetwood Southwind Storm, 31' motor home with a 464 Chevy Workforce chassis. The generator is an Onan Marquis 5500. Both run on gas from the same common tank. The fuel feed to the generator is higher in the tank so that it cannot run the engine tank dry of fuel.

[FIGJAM]

If you fill up in Fernley I'm not sure you will need extra fuel.

If the genny uses 5 gal. a day, 7 days is 35gal.

That would leave 40 gal. to get to the playa and back to Fernley.

[GreyCoyote]

Here ya go. This site has published fuel burn rates: http://www.norwall.com/product_pdfs/592 ... _specs.pdf

Basically, your genset is a 5500 watt unit. It burns 0.3 gph with no load, 0.6 gph at half-load, and 0.9 gph at full load.

Plug your various loads into the formula above and you'll have an answer. (Derate genset capacity for altitude. The playa is 4400 feet above MSL)

[RedManRising]

Okay, I am a little star struck that FIGJAM replied to my post. Seriously, you are one of my Burning Man idols and I love your swamp cooler.

To everyone, thank you so much for the help and advice. LOVE this community and am so excited about coming to make my first burn.

[Token]

The Onan generator should have an altitude switch so take a look and see if you can find it. May or may not be needed at 4K feet. Some do, some don't depending on how gummed the jets are, already may be running lean.

[RedManRising]

It does have an altitude adjustment and it makes a difference. I drove through six states in June and July from as high as 9,000 feet to as low as 9 feet above sea level.

[Token]

You're already ahead of the game!

I'd bring a couple 5 gallon Jerry's of unleaded just in case.

Pick up a mortar mixing trough at hardware store as containment.

Bring a chain and lock as well as the ABC extinguisher and follow the rules.

Keep fuel on north side of trailer, chain the cans to the bumper , vent them during late morning briefly once when they are not in direct sun to set a mid-pressure.

[Captain Goddammit]

The big variable is how much you want to run the power. If you want to keep the rig air conditioned all day, you'll probably want extra fuel. Those big Onans can drink.
And air conditioning is really nice.

[RedManRising]

Hey, Token, good tips. I have a mortar mixing trough in my garage (I'm a contractor, so I seem to have one of every tool and two of too many!). Lots of fire extinguishers, too, both for work and my pyrotechnic hobby. I am pulling an enclosed 14 foot Wells Cargo trailer to the playa. Is it acceptable to keep my fuel cans stored and secured in there? Works fine a job sites but recognize that the BRC rules may be different.

[Token]

If it is not used as housing or for sleeping, yes your store in trailer.

[mooserider]

The Onan generator should have an altitude switch so take a look and see if you can find it. May or may not be needed at 4K feet. Some do, some don't depending on how gummed the jets are, already may be running lean.

Hmmm... do diesel generators have an altitude switch?

[GreyCoyote]

Nope. No altitude switch on a simple diesel. It either runs or it doesn't. You just hit the smoke limit earlier at high altitude. For routine high-altitude operation you can monkey a little bit with the injection timing, but this isn't something you'll be doing outside of a good shop.

If it's a modern electronic diesel, there are already injection timing changes built-in to the ECU.

Either way... no switch. Or at least not on any one I've ever wrenched on.

[dragonpilot]

I've run about the same size rig. My last stop for gas is Cedarville coming in from the north 100 miles to the playa. I calculate my gas mileage along the way from home...average 8-10 mpg. I "worse case" it and go with 8 mpg. I also figure I'm going to be in the line getting in and out (Exodus) about 5 hours so I SWAG an idle burn rate as well. I also figure I'm going to run the gennie maybe 4 hours a day (brewing coffee, microwave, AC, recharging house battery) at .5 gal/hour...YMMV.

So, 200 mile round trip from Cedarville, waiting in lines, running gennie = total fuel burned and subtract that from tank capacity tells me how much I'll have in the tank back at Cedarville. For insurance I always brought 15 gallons extra in jerry cans...it was always more than enough but it gives ya the confidence you're not gonna run out in the middle of the godforsaken wilderness of the Paiute Reservation (but love those fish tacos).

I don't have a fuel storage issue because one of the first things I do upon reaching the playa is empty those cans into my fuel tank. I now drive a big SUV pulling a trailer, using the same calculations I only need 5 gallons for insurance.

[RedManRising]

I am making those calculations and am being 80 gallons of insurance. It won't go to waste because I can use it on the trip home. Plus, I rotate gas stock at home to keep gas available for disaster preparedness. I put the "radical" in radical self-reliance ... perhaps a bit too much. I like to over prepare so I can under worry at my destination. LOL