Finding fuel

I had been planning to get diesel for the generator all day yesterday. Being new to the whole house thing, I wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it. I share the generator with my neighbour Serena. But she is just about as clueless as me on the matter of getting fuel since it was the former occupants of my house who had always dealt with the refueling. Suggestions from her office included a contact number for a company that delivers to your door.

The rate? 15% above pump price for 5000l or more or 20% above pump price for anything less that 5000l.

Serena’s office contact noted that they spent less than 5000l per month on average on diesel for their generator.

That still wasn’t a lot to go by. After a few inquiries in my office, it seemed getting the diesel yourself at a gas station would be the best route. My office just gets is from the gas station across the street from the building and our office guy told me we use around 3000l per month if there are lots of power cuts.

This information helped build my strategy (buy a jerry can and tank up close to home), but without knowing my generator capacity or anything, I was still a bit clueless. But if our office used 3000l for a building housing 70+ employees with an air conditioner in every room and cafeteria, surely the amount for two houses sheltering to single women, must be drastically below this.

So began my hunt for a big jerry can that would be the safest way I can think of to transport fuel. My office partner had promised that she’d get one of the cleaners to run out and get me a jerry can, but alas, that didn’t pan out. I asked the hascari (guards) at my colleague’s house where Peanut is currently staying. They have a generator so I figured the guards might be able to give me some tips. But Umari didn’t seem to understand the jerry can concept and instead suggested that I use an empty water bottle. I was skeptic, but took an empty 12l water bottle from him anyway.

I headed for the gas station close to my home hoping at if anyplace sells jerry cans, it would probably be a gas station. The attendant seemed to understand me and disappeared around the corner, getting my hopes up. He reappeared carrying a plastic water jug, much like the one I’d gotten from Umari. Not willing to admit I’d brought my own water bottle and hoped for something more, I agreed to buy the 10l bottle and had it filled with diesel, repeatedly asking whether he was sure this was a safe way to transport fuel. This might have been a silly question in a place were traffic laws are routinely broken and multi-story homes are constructed with the sketchiest scaffolding.

Now this is not the kind of water jug that goes on top of a cooler, which is at least somewhat heavy duty plastic. No, it's like a giant bottle of water - and that plastic is far from durable.

I was a little worried about the safety implications of transporting fuel in a flimsy water jug. But off I went with Peanut in the back and the 10l of diesel in the passenger’s seat. I was glad I’d chosen the gas station closet to my house rather than the cheaper one further away, especially once the container fell over as soon as I turned the first corner on the road.

I got home just as dusk was swallowing the last of the daylight met by the sound of generators running around the neighbourhood. Power cut. Good thing this has been on the top of my list today, I thought. Our generator ran out of fuel before I left for Christmas and I would have had to sit in the dark all last night. And go to bed in the sticky heat without even a fan to circulate some air, which would have made sleep impossible – not exactly an appealing thought while I’m still trying to recover from jet lag.

The hascari from my house and Serena's house and I huddled around the generator to refuel. Without a flashlight we found the funnel, filled the tank in the generator, and started that monster up.

Serena's hascari said it's a 20l tank, so half full isn't half bad, I thought, and a better clue to how much fuel we’ll need on a monthly basis. The 10l should get us through the next week or so at least.

As we're standing around the generator I notice there's a 20l jerry can beside the generator. Great, I think. I suppose I would have known this had I checked around the generator before beginning operation refuel. But honestly, I only thought about the refueling at work when the power cut and our monster generator here was started—that and remembering that on Tuesday night when I’d come home from swimming, the power had just come back.

The jerry can is a great discovery as it eliminates the issue of transporting diesel fuel in a used water jug. Later that night, I decided that it'd be a good idea to put the jerry can in the back of my car in the morning and then fill it up on the way home. That way I could top up the tank and have a bit of a reserve on hand. Of course, I completely forgot about that this morning when I left for work. So I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow. If I'm rememberful enough today, I'll pop it in the back of the car when I get home with Peanut.