Sunday 17 May 2009

Vintage Stoves – Classic Designs to Warm your Heart

Have you ever been to the antique market, or watching the “Antiques Roadshow", and seen those wonderful woodstoves for days passed? They are absolutely amazing, especially if you can find one in good shape. A friend of mine recently installed a “4 O’clock" stove

dating back to the early 1900’s, and it looks marvelous! It got me thinking about woodstoves, in general, and I started to research many of the vintage stoves. I have listed the most popular models below. Get yourself a cup of tea, put your feet up, and read on!

Victorian Stoves – These stoves date back to the late 1800’s. They are generally made from cast iron, and adorned with nickel. This early kitchen stove will meet all of your cooking needs.

Country Stoves – These stoves generally date to around the early 1900’s. It is very similar to the Victorian stove, but more effort has been out into the nickel highlights and the clean, crisp casting.

Retro Stoves – These particular stoves are simply updated versions of the above. In the 1930’s, when these stoves were immensely popular, the kitchen seemed to be the central point in one’s home. These stoves were integral to the “modern" kitchen.

Cylinder Stoves – These stoves are likely the most easily recognizable of the antique stoves. They were renowned for their extraordinary ability to heat a home, while taking up very little floor space.

Potbelly Stoves – Early American photographs abound with images of the potbelly stove. These stoves were found in railway stations, saloons, brothels, and many other historic settings on the western frontier.

Parlour Stoves – Back in the Victorian era, these beautiful stoves were a focal point in traditional parlour rooms. At the height of their popularity, artisans adorned them with various designs such as cherubs, mythological figures, and floral designs.

Franklin Fireplaces – This stove is pure Americana. It was designed by Benjamin Franklin, and early American inventor, craftsman, and President. All wood stoves used for heating owe their heritage to Benjamin Franklin, and his efficient design.

These are but a few of the stove types I came across in my research. These stoves are all wonderful examples of design and function. If you happen to see any of these stoves while shopping for antiques, do let me know. Or buy one for yourself! You won’t regret it!

Monday 11 May 2009

Coleman Stoves – 7 Tips On Caring And Cleaning

Coleman stoves are more efficient and look more dazzling when it’s in clean, and in spick and span shape. Proper cleaning and caring for your Coleman stoves would ensure you that it stays in top shape, looking brand new and will reap you benefits including better fuel efficiency, control of flame and absence of rust and oxidization.

Here are some tips on caring and cleaning for your Coleman stoves to make sure they last a long time doing cooking service for you and your family.

First tip: Clean your stove every after use to avoid build-up on burners. When it’s not going to be used for some time, you should still clean it regularly. Wipe the surface of your camping stove with warm water and dishwashing soap. It is very important that you dry it completely before storing.

Second tip: For more thorough cleaning, especially after a boil-over, unscrew the burner rings and bowls to check if there are any fluid or food debris on the manifold. In case there is build-up, soap with dishwashing detergent diluted with warm water then rinse it with clean water.

Third tip: For worse case like heavy volumes of grease and dirt build-up inside the case or on the burners, it is a good idea to bring the stove to a car wash for high-pressurized washing. Turn the stove upside down after the clean up to ensure that there is no water residue inside the manifold that can cause for it to rust and disrupt the efficiency of the stove.

Fourth tip: Store your Coleman stove properly after cleaning. Place it inside a plastic bag and seal it so that spiders or other crawling insects that can block fuel and airflow will not be able to crawl their way through the stove. This is also important to keep it dry and prevent rusting of the parts..

Fifth tip: If you have a liquid fuel stove, it is important that you transfer as much fuel as possible from the fuel tank to the fuel can to avoid the build-up of on the fuel tube of the tank. This is necessary to avoid fuel build-up on the fuel tube which can restrict the flow of fuel to the generator and burner.

Sixth tip: Oil the pump cup on the tank’s pump plunger with machine oil at least two times every year to allow the cup to seal against the inside of pump barrel and keep the pump working smoothly.

Seventh tip: Read the manual of the stove carefully and follow all instructions for cleaning and caring.

Take care of your Coleman stove, needless to say, it is a worthy camping equipment investment.
But making a camping trip a great family time is not all about fun and games. It’s not all about great food and great hiking. Sure, you have to bring your family to a nice camping site and create exciting and wonderful camping activities and games for them, but also one of the most important aspects of camping that you should never overlook is camp safety.

Thursday 7 May 2009

Pellet Stoves Gas Stoves Room Heating Systems

Sitting beside the fireplace in the coolest season in your sweet home always makes the surreal heavenly feelings. In the coolest climate it becomes very essential to make warm your rooms. There are a variety of room heaters could be found but if you want to have an economical, space saving and efficient room heater, the wood pellet stoves are the best choice.

Wood pellets are a type of wood fuel. These are generally made from the compacted sawdust. Wood pellets are usually produced as a byproduct of sawmilling and other wood transformation activities. These are extremely competent, produce very little waste, and inexpensive also.

Wood pellet stoves are versatile durable appliances. These are a kind of free standing fireplaces which do not required any chimney and hearth, but they add the fireplace ambiance to the rooms and they produce a considerable amount of heat. Most pellet stoves are auto-igniting and cycle themselves on and off controlled by an automatic thermostat. Automatic ignition stoves can be equipped with remote controls. Current technological researches have innovated the high definition pellet stoves. This type of pellet stove system automatically runs a diagnostic test if an imminent problem arises.

A properly cleaned and well maintained wood pellet stove or fireplace does not create creosote, the sticky, flammable substances. Wood pellets are burnt completely and create only a layer of fine fly-ash at the time of ignition. The performance and ash output of the pellets can be different as per the quality of pellet fuel. The best quality pellets produce less than one percent ash content, while standard or low grade pellets produce two to four percent ash.

The wood pellet stoves require electricity to its blower which distributes the hot air outwards. These stoves drive the hot air they produced outward, so that the heat can go farther than it would naturally. The pellets are burnt so completely that they hardly emit any smoke. As a result of that it is not compulsory to build a large chimney to channel smoke out of the home. Wood pellet stoves only need a small pipe leading outside to dispose of excess smoke. As the Wood pellet stoves are so efficient it creates less than a cup of fly ashes if around 40 pound of wood pellets is burnt. Wood pellet stoves generate heat more efficiently than bigger and more expensive gas heaters.

Wood pellet stoves are the best substitute for gas or electrical heating system. This is very economical and efficient enough to produce sufficient heat to warm an entire house. This is one of the most non-polluting heating appliances. Currently the heating system industry is substantially moving towards the bio friendly, combustible and renewable energy. The byproducts of the pellets are also used as the fuel for the wood pellet stoves.

Saturday 2 May 2009

The Best Way of Choosing the Best Wood Burning Stove For Your Home

Are you trying to decide how you can go about choosing the right wood burning stove? If so, you have come to the right place! Choosing a stove that burns wood for the home requires some careful consideration. There are many different types and models available in today's stove market, and the choice can be really difficult.


However, if you know what you need to consider right from the start, choosing the right wood burning stove for your home can be an easy task. Here, you will learn how!


The first thing that you should consider is why you are shopping for the stove that burns wood for your home. Do you want a unit that focuses on heating? Do you want to use the stove to cook with? Do you simply want a decorative piece for your home? You should consider these things so that you know what level of functionality that you are looking for.


A stove that is being purchased just to enhance the appearance of a home does not need to have the same level of functionality as the stove that is required for cooking or heating.


The second thing that you will need to consider is the amount of heat that should be able to come from the unit. Once you consider this, you should consider the overall size of the room or the home that will need to be heated. If you are not purchasing the stove to provide a source of heat, you will not need to worry about this consideration.


However, if you are, the next thing that you should consider is the method in which the heat will get from the stove to other locations in and around the home.


The third thing that needs to be considered when you purchase a wood burning stove is how often that the unit will be used. If it will be used frequently, you may consider a larger, high quality unit that aims to display the quality that is needed for long term use. If you just want a unit that will add a little décor to the home, and enhance the overall appearance of the home, you will more than likely not require a stove that costs a lot of money.


If you are in the process of choosing the right wood burning stove, you can follow the considerations mentioned here in order to make a decision that will work for you and your needs.


Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to BeautifulWoodStoves.com - a website with information and resources for all your wood burning stove ideas and questions