Cursa Fuel Co. / Learn / Diesel vs gas generators
Generators
Diesel generators run longer and store fuel better. Gas generators are common in smaller sizes. The fueling strategy differs for each. Here is how.
The fuel your generator burns changes how you keep it running. Diesel and gasoline backup power both have their place, but they fail differently and they get fed differently. Knowing which you have shapes your outage plan.
Diesel is the workhorse for larger backup power and longer outages. The fuel stores more stably than gasoline, the engines are built for extended duty, and most diesel units draw from a tank that can be kept filled by scheduled delivery. For a multi-day event, a diesel generator fed by a fuel partner can hold a facility up indefinitely.
Gasoline units are common in smaller and portable sizes. They are quick to deploy but burn through fuel faster and need more frequent refueling, and gasoline does not store as long. Keeping one running through a long outage means a steady supply of fresh fuel, not one big drop.
The fuel runs out before the generator does. Whichever type you run, the limit on backup power is almost never the machine. It is whether fuel keeps arriving. That is the part we handle.
For diesel units we keep the tank ahead of empty. For gasoline units we run fresh fuel on the cadence the burn demands. Either way, the generator stays fed for as long as the power stays out.
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