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Cookstove Basics

The Creosote Problem: Chimney Fires & Chimney Cleaning

The Creosote Problem - Cookstove Community

The combustion process when wood is burned is never complete. The smoke from a wood fire usually contains a dark brown or black substance which has an unpleasant odor. This tar-like substance is called creosote and is found almost anywhere in a wood heating system, from the top of the chimney to the stove or fireplace itself.
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Cookstove Basics

The Pizza Oven Evolution

Pizza Oven Evolution - Cookstove Community

At Obadiah’s, wood cookstoves have been our bread and butter for many years. They’re a staple of life for those in the country and other remote locations, where electricity is sparse and hauling in bottles of LPG is both cumbersome and dangerous. Not only is a cookstove the best option for many folks, but having one offers them the potential for total self-sufficiency in both heating and cooking. There’s a great sense of freedom in knowing that you rely on no one but yourself for two of the most essential parts of daily life, and Obadiah’s is proud to have helped so many people realize their off-the-grid dreams.
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Cookstove Basics

Imported Cookstoves: Why They Are Taking Over

Imported Cookstoves Taking Over - Cookstove Community

Cookstoves are part of a deeply rooted tradition in the United States, combining the peace of socializing around a flickering a fire and the partaking in delicious home cooking. It’s no wonder that we still have demand for these stoves here, a demand that has remained consistent for decades despite the growing popularity of electric and gas heating, and the ease of cooking with modern stoves. Cookstoves capture a basic desire in all of us for the simple life, and that’s why they are still with us.
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Cookstove Basics

Antique Cookstoves: What to Know

Quaker Antique Cookstove - Cookstove Community

You remember it: Going up to Grandma’s, the quaint cozy household, the smell of homemade cooking, and most importantly, the cookstove. Not only did that stove make countless delicious meals, it also cooked up a lifetime of fond memories with the family. Can you ever hope to recapture that?
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Cookstove Basics

Making the Most of Wood Ash

Wood heat is messy. Limbs from the tree leave piles of debris everywhere, small pieces of the rounds fall off during splitting, bark crumbles off and gets all over the house when you bring it inside, and last but not least: There’s a pile of ash left in your stove after every burn. Most of us learn to accept all these little side-effects of heating with wood, the trade-off being quality, inexpensive warmth for our house. But what if there were a way to turn some of that mess into something useful?
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Articles, Cookstove Basics

Domestic Hot Water and Wood Cookstoves: What To Know

Domestic Hot Water with Elmira Stove - Obadiah's Cookstove Community

Many folks who want to live the self-sufficient lifestyle know how to handle their food: Hunting, gardening, and building a fire. Mastering the methods behind each of those tasks means you’ll never have to worry about starving, no matter the situation. But what about water? Specifically, hot water?
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Technical Information

Cookstoves in Washington State

Cookstoves in Washington state might not seem like a big deal, especially after the EPA ruled that wood cookstoves are exempt from emission regulations as part of the New Source Perfomance Standard for Wood Heat. Great news for all cookstove users, right?
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Cookstove Basics

Cooking In Your Fireplace

Cooking with the Fireplace Conversion System - Cookstove Community

So you’ve been looking at cookstoves and are absolutely smitten with the idea of having one. How could you not be? The ability to cook your food in the same place that gives you heat without adding on any additional energy expenses is invaluable, especially in emergency situations. That, combined with the time-tested trustworthiness of many stove manufacturers, means you’ll be relying on it year-round for many years. Without question, a cookstove is a great investment. There’s just one problem:

You’ve got a fireplace, and nowhere to put a cookstove.
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Community Favorites, Cookstove Basics

Firewood: Six Tips For Better Burning

If you’re new to wood heat, you might be tempted to just grab the nearest block of wood, throw it in the fire, and call it good for the day. But those of us who have lived season after season by the light of the fire know the most important aspect of wood heat: Firewood. Here are six tips to help you get the most out of your firewood and keep that fire burning bright and hot all winter long.
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Cookstove Basics

Choosing Your Cookstove

When you picture a cookstove, what do you see? An old, dusty piece of equipment from a time gone by? An oddly shaped woodstove? Or maybe just an ordinary old stove? Whether you’re looking for a new cookstove or just curious about what’s out there, there’s a whole world of designs and features to investigate. The following is a short list of cookstoves that demonstrate the kind of variety in visual and mechanical quality offered today, all of which we recommend to anyone choosing the cookstove life.
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