About Endless Embers, L.L.C.
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I
admit, I thought I'd be the last person on earth who could build
a fire and keep it going let alone be the Manager of a company,
Endless Embers, which developed the KoalKeeper
a fireplace accessory tool that does just that. KoalKeeper
helps keep your fire going without having to restart from scratch.
It all began about 10 years ago
when I, a city slicker from Bridgeport, CT, married Paul Bunyan.
OK, maybe not Bunyan but Paul Marley. Paul is an experienced outdoorsman
who loves, values and respects nature. I have always felt that
way too but let’s face it a walk through Beardsley Park
and a 5 mile hike in Pisgah National Forest are two different
things!
Paul taught me how to build a fire
in our woodstove to keep our small apartment toasty warm. One
day Paul was out after leaving a cozy fire in the woodstove. It
was up to me to keep the place warm all day. I failed miserably.
I knew how to build a fire but I was never faced with having to
keep it going. I resorted to using newspaper, which did not make
for thick glowing coals. Needless to say, the flames didn’t
last long. I was frustrated, on the verge of tears and cold!
That’s how Paul found me
when he returned. He then showed me his great idea. It was a
device
he made years ago that separated the hot coals from the ash so
you could use the coals to restart a fire with new wood. It worked
great but it was held together with duct tape and the handle
was
very wide. We now refer to this as “prototype 1”.
I asked Paul to make me a shovel that I could use, one that had
a smaller handle. We now call that version “prototype 2”.
In a short time I mastered building
and keeping a fire going all day long with ease, which came in
very handy when I had two children to take care of. I thought
of other friends who could use a
KoalKeeper
and so Endless Embers was born.
I would like everyone, even non
experienced fire builders, to be able to enjoy a toasty, warm
fireplace, woodstove or campfire without worrying about keeping
it going. If I can do it, you can do it.
~Karen Marley
Managing Member,
Endless Embers, L.L.C. |
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The
Origins of KoalKeeper
The
idea that became KoalKeeper
was conceived through years of experience with fire to fulfill
a long-standing deficiency in the standard fireplace accessory
set.
In 1987 I was living in a small
apartment that had supplemental wood heating. Using the woodstove
deferred the costs of electricity and the feel of the stove
heat was nicer than that of the “heat”pump. The
stove would go for a couple days before the ash would have to
be emptied. After removing the remains of the previous fire,
it would have to be started again from scratch. As an Eagle
Scout, fire starting is second nature. The hot embers that hide
in the mounds of ash can be used to speed the restart process.
Trying to salvage as many embers possible was always a challenge.
Using the tongs or the shovel of the standard fireplace accessory
set was a slow, inefficient and frustrating effort. Some sort
of sifting devise was needed to separate the embers and ash.
Galvanized wire mesh, a bent piece
of steel rod and some duct tape comprised the elements of the
first prototype sifter. The wire mesh was cut  and
folded into a crude shovel shape and the bent piece of steel
rod was pushed down the handle into the scoop for structural
support. The handle was wrapped with duct tape as a final touch.
It worked exactly as planned.
All but the smallest hot embers were recovered from the ash
mound. Adding a little kindling and other wood resulted in
a
roaring fire with the entire procedure taking less than three
minutes.
The additional safety resulting
from virtually no hot embers in the ash bucket was inadvertent
but greatly appreciated.
The new sifter enabled me to
maintain a long lasting fire more easily and efficiently while
having a higher level of safety. The fireplace tool set was
now complete!
Over the years the tool was improved
a few times to give it a finished and professional look. The
KoalKeeper
Live
Ember Recovery Tool is the culmination of that evolution.
If you want to simplify the fire
maintenance process we have the tool for you!
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Paul Marley,
Inventor
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Complete
Your Fireplace Accessory Set!
Buy a KoalKeeper
Today! |
| Made
in USA! |
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