wood-stove
Firewood Management 101
Wood-splitting tools have enabled homesteaders to survive and thrive for centuries. Just like many of today’s tools we use on the homestead, there have been some marked improvements since the days of yore.
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Alternative Heating Ideas for Price Hikes and Power Outages
Growing up, I got in big trouble for turning on the heat. And we walked to school uphill both ways and then came home to milk the pigs, right? Actually, we did have a house rule prohibiting electric heat. Firewood was much cheaper.
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Know Your Firewood Moisture Content
Knowing firewood moisture content can make the difference between creating steam or heat. Most folks agree that water doesn’t burn, not unless you break H2O down into H and O, both of which are highly flammable, and that doesn’t happen in your stove or furnace.
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Firewood Management With Pallet Forks For Tractors
Pallet forks for tractors and other tractor bucket attachments are great complements to your wood-splitting tools. From dragging logs, bucking, moving and storing split wood, your farm tractor will be an indispensable asset as you prepare for the winter ahead.
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A Guide to the Best Trees for Firewood
All of us who live off of renewable energy have to know what are the best trees for firewood. After all, if you’re going to put in the time to cut, split and properly store firewood, you want to know you’re being as efficient as possible.
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Surviving Weather-Related Power Cuts and Outages
It’s all fun and games until it’s lights out. But a little preparation can help you survive power cuts and outages.
Losing power during summer is hot, sweaty, and miserable. You hold glasses of milk against your perspiring forehead then drink before the milk goes bad.
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How to Clean Creosote From a Wood Stove
Add to Favorites In our home, knowing how to clean creosote from the stove pipe chimney is a job best handled by my wonderful husband. Although I do try to …
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Surviving Spring Power Outages
Add to Favorites It’s all fun and games until the lights go out. Losing power during the summer is hot, sweaty, and miserable. You hold glasses of milk against your perspiring …
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Natural Ways for Dealing with Cold Temperatures
Add to Favorites By Christopher Nyerges, California Let’s start from the beginning. Let’s start with you and what you do and what you wear when it gets cold outside. Then we’ll …
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The Big Adventures of Piggy Smalls
Add to Favorites By Justin Thaxton, West Virginia People say pigs are smarter than dogs. I don’t know if dogs should be flattered by the fact that their kind is the …
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A Guide to Buying Your First Wood Stove
Add to Favorites By Alexis Griffee, Florida Wood stoves are a great addition to any home. A home centered on a wood stove not only offers financial benefits and self-sufficiency, but …
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DIY Solutions For Off-Grid Cooking
Add to Favorites By Jim Cobb Quite often, utility services are among the first things to go in the wake of a disaster. Tornadoes, blizzards, even just a bad thunderstorm …
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Off-Grid Refrigeration
Add to Favorites By Dan Fink When buying appliances for a new home or a remodel, most people cruise the big box store looking for the right combination of features, …
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We Had So Much Fun Building The First Cabin, We Built Another
Add to Favorites By Chris Bordeleau OUR OFF-GRID ADVENTURE started in 2007. Little did we know that building cabins was fun and that our place would sprout four additional structures in the next …
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Preventing Fires On The Homestead
Add to Favorites By Eric Witter RESPONSIBILITY Starting a fire is a huge responsibility. You could burn friends or family members. Your property or your neighbor’s property could be damaged …
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