As for length, its about 90 days of blackout for us. Preparing for longer just isn't very feasible.
But that is 90 days of "the rest of the world disappears and our life isn't THAT altered".
I mean, I guess I'd spend less time on the internet...
Realistically we are okay for 180+ short of some unforeseen medical emergency or something (and plenty of stuff to cover most contingencies, but its not like I can perform surgery other than perhaps the most minor operation). Got enough juice to run the generator at least 2hrs a day for at least a month. I think I am being overly pessimistic on actual fuel use in those 2hrs (I am mathing at 50% load, but even with freezer and fridges running full out to cool back down morning and evening, likely with that and some of the other loads like the well pump I don't think we'd be much over 40% average load). My math comes out to 33.3d btw. Add in the tanks in the vehicles and it gets us to about 80 days (we keep both vehicles no less than 3/4ths tank right now). That isn't including syphoning the mower. Nor counting a 2 gallon gas can I have laying around and full. That gets us to around 90 days. Realistically more in the range of 60-75d since the vehicles aren't always absolutely full and at any given time the mower and one of the 5 gallon cans is at some state of being used. But I'd also assume I'd at least have enough warning to go top everything off.
More than likely once we'd run through the first 3 5-gallon cans, probably we'd reduce generator usage to an hour a day. Which gets us out to around 4-5 months. An hour a day is enough to at least keep the chest freezer stuff frozen and probably the stuff in the freezer of the fridges. Would have run through anything we'd want to keep refrigerated long before then. So it might be more like after the first couple of weeks.
Even in the winter, an hour a day is enough to run the oil heat up enough to coast through even a bitterly cold day without freezing pipes and keeping it not too uncomfortable. I do need/want a wood stove at some point (I have a wood boiler, but it relies on electric pumps for circulation and runs in loop with the oil boiler for hadronically heated central air units. Installing radiators in my basement as there is currently no heat down there (it was unfinished, I am finishing it now), but it will still need minimal power to run the pumps).
Water, well. So long as the gas for the generator lasts.
Past gas running out, do have a fireplace, so at worse could at least keep the house minimally warm (fireplaces suck to try to heat a house). Also have a creek on the property, so can collect water easily enough and boil or filter it as needed. Have sufficient food reserves for the 5 of us for at least 90 days without rationing, hunting or growing anything. We also happen to have a garden that supplies about half the produce we eat in a year. Orchard that was just planted, that sadly isn't going to help out any for the next year or two really. Some other irons in the fire that'll help out. Planted grapes this year, but it'll be 2-4 years before we get a lot (should be enough for a bit of eating and probably a couple dozen bottles of wine as they are all dual purpose grape varieties. Can always do cuttings and propagate to expand that production). I'd imagine I could do at least a little hunting, even if neighbors knock down deer and other animal populations (I'd imagine I could supplement with at least some squirrels, crow and dove). Some fishing too. Creek holds a few smallish sunfish and smallmouth. And the river isn't far from our place that has the same (but much bigger). Do depending on the season could stretch that 90 days to probably half a year or more. Right timing fully self-sufficient as winter/spring we could easily double the plantings and still be fenced from deer. Quadruple in a pinch, but don't have enough spare fencing or already fenced area for that. Plenty of wood from the forest to keep fires running in winter.
So all that said, we are pretty tightly nailed down for 90 days of the world ignoring us. Probably could stretch it to half a year. Maybe even make it "forever", but likely not because of the fellow human factor.
But disruptions periodically? Yeah that isn't going to cause us any issues. Even repeated prolonged ones.
PS Per my earlier post, partly why I want a dual fuel generator is it is a bit easier to keep more fuel on hand. 4x30# propane bottles would be sufficient to add at least 20 days at 2hrs per day of run time at expected load. And I have a pair of 20# tanks already for the grill and brewing which would add some amount of endurance. Plus having a backup generator in case the other one died would be really nice.
But that is 90 days of "the rest of the world disappears and our life isn't THAT altered".
I mean, I guess I'd spend less time on the internet...
Realistically we are okay for 180+ short of some unforeseen medical emergency or something (and plenty of stuff to cover most contingencies, but its not like I can perform surgery other than perhaps the most minor operation). Got enough juice to run the generator at least 2hrs a day for at least a month. I think I am being overly pessimistic on actual fuel use in those 2hrs (I am mathing at 50% load, but even with freezer and fridges running full out to cool back down morning and evening, likely with that and some of the other loads like the well pump I don't think we'd be much over 40% average load). My math comes out to 33.3d btw. Add in the tanks in the vehicles and it gets us to about 80 days (we keep both vehicles no less than 3/4ths tank right now). That isn't including syphoning the mower. Nor counting a 2 gallon gas can I have laying around and full. That gets us to around 90 days. Realistically more in the range of 60-75d since the vehicles aren't always absolutely full and at any given time the mower and one of the 5 gallon cans is at some state of being used. But I'd also assume I'd at least have enough warning to go top everything off.
More than likely once we'd run through the first 3 5-gallon cans, probably we'd reduce generator usage to an hour a day. Which gets us out to around 4-5 months. An hour a day is enough to at least keep the chest freezer stuff frozen and probably the stuff in the freezer of the fridges. Would have run through anything we'd want to keep refrigerated long before then. So it might be more like after the first couple of weeks.
Even in the winter, an hour a day is enough to run the oil heat up enough to coast through even a bitterly cold day without freezing pipes and keeping it not too uncomfortable. I do need/want a wood stove at some point (I have a wood boiler, but it relies on electric pumps for circulation and runs in loop with the oil boiler for hadronically heated central air units. Installing radiators in my basement as there is currently no heat down there (it was unfinished, I am finishing it now), but it will still need minimal power to run the pumps).
Water, well. So long as the gas for the generator lasts.
Past gas running out, do have a fireplace, so at worse could at least keep the house minimally warm (fireplaces suck to try to heat a house). Also have a creek on the property, so can collect water easily enough and boil or filter it as needed. Have sufficient food reserves for the 5 of us for at least 90 days without rationing, hunting or growing anything. We also happen to have a garden that supplies about half the produce we eat in a year. Orchard that was just planted, that sadly isn't going to help out any for the next year or two really. Some other irons in the fire that'll help out. Planted grapes this year, but it'll be 2-4 years before we get a lot (should be enough for a bit of eating and probably a couple dozen bottles of wine as they are all dual purpose grape varieties. Can always do cuttings and propagate to expand that production). I'd imagine I could do at least a little hunting, even if neighbors knock down deer and other animal populations (I'd imagine I could supplement with at least some squirrels, crow and dove). Some fishing too. Creek holds a few smallish sunfish and smallmouth. And the river isn't far from our place that has the same (but much bigger). Do depending on the season could stretch that 90 days to probably half a year or more. Right timing fully self-sufficient as winter/spring we could easily double the plantings and still be fenced from deer. Quadruple in a pinch, but don't have enough spare fencing or already fenced area for that. Plenty of wood from the forest to keep fires running in winter.
So all that said, we are pretty tightly nailed down for 90 days of the world ignoring us. Probably could stretch it to half a year. Maybe even make it "forever", but likely not because of the fellow human factor.
But disruptions periodically? Yeah that isn't going to cause us any issues. Even repeated prolonged ones.
PS Per my earlier post, partly why I want a dual fuel generator is it is a bit easier to keep more fuel on hand. 4x30# propane bottles would be sufficient to add at least 20 days at 2hrs per day of run time at expected load. And I have a pair of 20# tanks already for the grill and brewing which would add some amount of endurance. Plus having a backup generator in case the other one died would be really nice.