Can a gasoline generator be easily converted to gas, or is that not practical?
I'd really be interested in knowing the same thing. Along with how to quiet it down. When we've had to use ours for power outages, we did not run it continuously. We'd just run it enough to keep the essentials going, like the furnace and the freezer and the fridge. We bundled up, got what food we needed out of the fridge, got it cold enough again, and shut the thing off to save gas.
Ours is only a 4,000 watt one, but it's good on gas and takes care of the basics. It is noisy however.
“Along with how to quiet it down.”
Some ideas here: http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=209390
One that I’ve seen many times is to dig a hole and put the generator in it, so the dirt absorbs a bunch of the sound. The armed forces apparently do that a lot. Mufflers (like from a motorcycle) are also suggested, as is a “doghouse” to enclose the thing. Note, making the doghouse out of materials that don’t deaden sound doesn’t appear to help much - but if the inside walls are covered with rubber or fiberboard, this helps. Then the exhaust is the weak point, hence the muffler.
“Can a gasoline generator be easily converted to gas, or is that not practical?”
http://www.propane-generators.com/
You can purchase kits online to run your generator on propane, but I believe that if an engine is not specifically designed to run on propane it can be ruined. I think the propane causes the engine to burn hotter. I inquired about this specifically from Generac and that’s what they told me.
I have an old 5000 watt Coleman powered by a 10 hp Tecumseh engine with a “muffler” the size of a pack of cigarettes. If I fire it up near a cemetery, there’ll be a repeat of “The Night of the Living Dead.”. Fortunately, I’m several hundred feet from my nearest neighbor.
Of course an alternative is to use a power inverter hooked up to your car. Not as fuel efficient of course, but it works as a short-term power need. It’s also a lot less noisy than most stand alone generators and attracts less attention.
Also, if you’re going to run any sensitive electronics or medical equipment from your inverter or stand-alone generator you should seriously consider a pure sine wave model.