72-hour storm runbook
Last updated: September 28, 2026 (CT). A wattage widget tells you what to buy. This page tells you what to stage in the garage before the county truck cannot get down the road.
We turn running watts into cans, a 50-hour oil clock, a motor-start order, and CPSC-style placement (20 ft from doors and windows, exhaust aimed away). Print it. Tape it. Do not keep this only in a browser tab when the cell tower is dark.
Why 16 hours, not 24
Most homes do not run the generator while everyone is asleep if the fridge can ride a few hours and the sump has a charged battery backup. Sixteen hours is a Wisconsin ice-storm default — daytime water and heat fan, night shed to cut fuel. If you have medical devices, set hours to 24 and do not argue with this paragraph.
Gasoline stored in cans wants stabilizer and rotation. Propane tanks do not go stale; they just need to be full before the storm, not after the station’s generator dies. Oil: portable consumer engines usually want a change around 50 hours. A 72-hour event at 16 h/day is 48 hours — one change on the clock if the storm stacks a second week.