Category Archives: Northern Living

2010 sets new temperature records

From BBC, Thursday, December 2, 2010:

Temperatures reached record levels in several regions during 2010, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says, confirming the year is likely to be among the warmest three on record.

Parts of Russia, Greenland, Canada, China, North Africa and South Asia all saw the mercury soar to record levels.

The three main temperature records show 2010 as the warmest, or joint warmest, year in the instrumental record.

The UK Met Office suggests 2011 will be cooler, as La Nina conditions dominate.

This brings colder than average water to the top of the eastern Pacific Ocean, which lowers temperatures globally.

Continue reading: 2010 sets new temperature records

Tok School burns biomass in big boiler

From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Monday, December 6, 2010:

A new wood energy project in Tok has turned surrounding forests from a fire hazard into renewable fuel. The Tok School lit a new wood chip-fired boiler for the first time several weeks ago.

The 5.5-million-BTU steam boiler produces the school’s heat, saving the school district thousands of dollars in heating fuel and saving forest managers untold costs fighting fires and eliminating waste wood. The school district plans to add a steam turbine generator to the system in May to produce 75 percent of its electricity.

“We’re the first school in the state to be heated entirely by wood,” said project manager and assistant superintendent Scott MacManus, who has been trying to spur wood energy in Tok for 10 years. “As far as I know, we’d be the first public school in the country to produce heat and power from biomass.”

At the school’s new biomass facility, trees and slash are fed into a Rotochopper grinder, processed into chips that resemble wood shavings, spit into a bin and carried by conveyor belt into the boiler, which is

17 feet tall, six feet wide and 12 feet long. Fuel comes from forest thinning projects, scraps and nearby sawmills. The forest around the school has yielded enough biomass for the first year, according to Alaska Division of Forestry spokeswoman Maggie Rogers. Project leaders hope the system will be used as a model of energy independence for other school districts, communities and utilities.

Alaska acknowledges effects of climate change

From The Associated Press, Thursday, December 3, 2010:

Alaska’s fish and wildlife managers have released a state plan anticipating effects on Arctic bodies of waters, fishing industries and wildlife resources brought on by climate change.

The state is suing to overturn the federal listing of polar bears as a threatened species because of declining sea ice habitat but the 19-page report released this week begins by acknowledging that scientific and traditional evidence increasingly shows climate changing at unprecedented rates throughout the Arctic.

“We have to take a look at what could possibly occur,” said Doug Vincent-Lang, endangered species coordinator for the Department of Fish and Game.
Continue reading: Alaska acknowledges affects of climate change

Proper venting is more than blowing off steam

Q: My sewage vent on my roof gets clogged with ice when it gets really cold outside. This creates a sewage smell in my home. A cap of snow often forms on top of the vent.

I wonder if this snow contributes to the icing, either directly or by slowing down the exit of warm air. What can I do?

Sewer vents can ice up when condensation and warm air coming up through the vent meet the cold air outside. Finding a solution to this problem can be cumbersome because of its reoccurring nature, plus the fact that you have to climb on your roof in wintertime.

Simply applying an open-sided cap runs the risk that condensation might form on the underside of the cap and worsen the problem as air is now forced to take a less direct path to the atmosphere.

Another tactic is to hang a copper tube on the edge of the sewer vent.

Soldering a copper tee across the top of copper pipe will ensure that it will rest across the top of the vent and not fall in.

The theory is if the copper should extend far enough down the vent and get into the heated space, then it is conductive enough to stay warm and keep the vent thawed out all the way to the top.

However, this tactic has mixed results. This tip also requires that the vent pipe go straight down to the heated space, which is not always the case.

If you have an accessible attic, the first, and usually easiest, fix for a freezing vent would be to wrap a thick layer of fiberglass insulation around the pipe all the way to the roof deck.

This approach solves the problem most of the time.

It will keep the escaping air warmer and cut down on crystal build up inside, and possibly melt any snow that collects on top, too.

If the portion of the pipe on the cold side of the roof is really tall, you may try cutting it down so it is closer to the roof flashing, to limit the amount exposed to the exterior.

Note that the city of Fairbanks building code requires a that the top of the pipe be at least 10 inches above the penetration in the roof.

It is possible ice crystals forming inside the pipe are also serving to support the snowfall. If the vent has a two inch diameter, consider upsizing it. Current code requires a three-inch minimum stack vent.

On some occasions it may even be necessary to go to four inches.

Another method is to purchase a non-frosting vent cap.

These are well-insulated caps that use a heating element, similar to heat tape, to help warm the top of the vent and keep it free of ice.

These caps can be purchased online.

Alaska HomeWise articles promote awareness of homerelated issues. If you have a question, e-mail the Cold Climate Housing Research Center at akhomewise@cchrc.org.You can also call the CCHRC at (907) 457-3454.

Inversion spurs air quality alert for Fairbanks

From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Thursday, December 2, 2010:

Air pollution spiked to unhealthy levels Wednesday, prompting the borough to urge residents to avoid exercise and to cease wood and coal burning when possible.

The air quality advisory is in effect until 5 p.m. today when weather conditions are expected to change, improving the air.

Tiny yet harmful airborne particles reached a density of 56.4 micrograms per cubic meter of air by Wednesday afternoon, according to the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s air quality index.

Levels above 35.5 micrograms are deemed unacceptable by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The air began deteriorating early this week. On Tuesday, the borough issued an advisory judging the air unhealthy for sensitive groups, namely young children, older people and people with heart and lung afflictions.

The air grew progressively worse on Wednesday, air quality technician Jim McCormick said.

Healy coal plant slides off restart timeline

From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Tuesday, November 23, 2010:

Restart plans for a dormant coal plant in Healy have slipped off schedule again. The proposed owner, Golden Valley Electric Association, said signs of progress still offer hope.

State environmental managers pulled permitting plans for the unit, dubbed the Healy Clean Coal Project, from a federal review desk in September.

The decision offered the federal Environmental Protection Agency more time for discussion, the state and GVEA explained following the decision. Brian Newton, CEO of GVEA, said at the time the decision reflected a “good sign” federal regulators wanted to clear the plan eventually.

Newton said the same Monday, even as the restart plan’s timeline appeared to backpedal again.

State environmental managers, carrying the proposal on behalf of GVEA, had suggested two months ago they’d likely resubmit the plans in November. Newton said Monday it will instead take weeks longer.

Bottle gardens add indoor greenery all winter long

From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Tuesday, November 23, 2010:

Are you missing the green of your garden? Grow a garden year-round with a bottle garden.

A bottle garden, also known as a terrarium, is a self-contained, closed system that sustains itself much like Earth’s atmosphere. Photosynthesis and decomposition occur in a balanced state, creating an environment that requires minimal care.

Bottle gardens enable you to grow plants that require high levels of humidity, which can be difficult during the dry winter months in your house. It is an excellent option for the Fairbanks gardener.

You will need a glass container, small rocks, activated charcoal (available in the aquarium section at the store), sphagnum moss, potting soil, a few complementary plants that have similar growing requirements, and a spoon or tool that can reach into the jar.

Fairbanks borough regulations fading on wood smoke ordinance

From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Sunday, November 21, 2010:

A new air quality measure by the Fairbanks borough mayor scales back regulations on wood smoke emissions but maintains a prohibition on the installation of old, dirty stoves.

The regulations on smoke emissions were set to go into effect next fall.

The ordinance on Monday goes before the Air Pollution Control Commission, an advisory panel to Mayor Luke Hopkins.

Hopkins said he wants rules on the installation of uncertified stoves to continue because the ballot proposition prompting his new air quality ordinance referred to the use of home heating devices and not their installation.

“We are still limiting the stoves so that we don’t keep digging ourselves in a hole,” the mayor said.

Emissions from increased wood burning in the borough include a tiny but toxic particulate known as PM 2.5, and the federal government has put Fairbanks on notice to reduce levels of PM 2.5 by 2014.

Fairbanks borough requests state subsidies for heating change-outs

From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Monday, November 22, 2010:

Hundreds of residents are showing interest in subsidies to upgrade to cleaner-burning home heating systems, according to the borough. So the Borough Assembly last week asked the state Legislature for $5 million to keep things rolling.

The incentive program, started with $1 million of federal seed money, is a response to chronic air pollution in Fairbanks. Health and air pollution officials from the local level to the Environmental Protection Agency have various interests in stamping out chronic wintertime air pollution. Studies consistently point to wood-fed heating as a major culprit.

The seed grant, from the 2009 federal recovery act, will mean hundreds of new heating systems, but Mayor Luke Hopkins said Friday many more people are expected to apply. 

What to do about moisture levels in your wood fuel

ASK A BUILDER

By CCHRC Staff

The “Ask a Builder” series is dedicated to answering some of the many questions Fairbanks residents have about building, energy and the many other parts of home life.

Q: Where can I get information on the moisture content of wood for burning in my stove?

Freshly cut wood can be very wet and can contain up to 80 percent moisture.

In terms of moisture for wood burning, 20 percent or less is ideal.

Fortunately, Fairbanks is a fairly dry climate, and if wood is cut in the spring, split, stacked and covered, it should be dry enough to burn by the fall.

However, do not cover a woodpile with tarps that drape over the sides.

Wood should be stored in a woodshed, or covered with a spare piece of plywood, roofing tin, or anything that will allow air to flow through the pile.

Also, stack the wood on pallets to avoid exposure to ground moisture.

The bottom line is, the drier the wood, the cleaner and more efficiently it will burn.

The more moisture in the wood, the less energy will come out of it as heat because the moisture has to be burned off as steam first.

Excessive moisture also creates problems with creosote.

Burning wood with a moisture content of 25 percent or higher the amount of pollution increases in the form of harmful particles exiting the chimney.

A moisture meter can identify how wet wood is.

Moisture meters are handheld devices with prongs that stick into the wood. They can be purchased locally or online and consumer models are relatively inexpensive.

Alaska HomeWise articles promote home awareness for the Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). If you have a question, e-mail us at akhomewise@cchrc.org.You can also call the CCHRC at (907) 457-3454.