Carbon monoxide (CO) Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas produced by any appliance that burns fuel–your car, furnace, or wood stove, to name a few. The fact that it’s colorless and odorless makes it even more dangerous and difficult to detect. Each year, approximately 400...
How to ventilate the bathroom With the very tight homes being built in Alaska today, moisture loads can reach damaging levels more readily without mechanical ventilation. Building codes require bathrooms to be mechanically ventilated to the outside to reduce the high...
What is an HRV and how does it work? Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) systems are becoming increasingly common in cold climate construction and are almost indispensible in today’s super-insulated, airtight homes. As older homes are being retrofit to be more energy...
How do I keep dust, smoke and other particulates out of the house? Ventilation is the primary way to maintain good indoor air quality by regularly replacing stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air. It’s also important not to store hazardous substances like fuel...
When should I worry about snow load on the roof? Because snow conditions are so diverse across Alaska, snow loads vary widely, from as much as 300 pounds per square foot (psf) in Whittier to as little as 25 psf in northern Alaska. Several data points are needed to...
