Alaska BuildingScience News

A quarterly publication of the Alaska Building Science Network and Alaska Cooperative Extension

This publication was developed andprinted through support of the AlaskaHousing Finance Corporation(AHFC). The opinions, findings, andconclusions expressed in this pub-lication are those of the author(s)and not necessarily those held byAHFC.

The Alaska Building Science Newsis a joint publication of the AlaskaBuilding Science Network andAlaska Cooperative Extension, Of-fice of the Energy Specialist. It isedited by Richard D. Seifert. Anyletters, opinions and responses tothe articles, should be directed toMr. Seifert either by e-mailffrds@uaf.edu, phone (907) 474-7201,or fax at (907) 474-5139.

Alaska Building Science News’ solepurpose is to bring timely buildingscience information to Alaskans inorder to improve the quality anddurability of the housing stock inAlaska as well as save energy andmaintenance expenses for homeowners.

We hope that ABSN Newsletter willbecome a mainstay in yourinformation menu in the future. Ifyou would like to receive ABSN’snewsletter electronically, please letus know by e-mail and we will savethe expense of mailing it to you,cutting the trees and using the paper.This newsletter can be found on ourwebsite @ http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/ faculty/seifert

Fall 2000 Vol. 6, issue 1

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

ABSN - Who Are We?... ................................. 1

Errata & Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ........ 2

CES Featured Publications ............................ 3

Cold Climate Housing Research Center ...... 3

New Residential Sewage Treatment Plant .. 4

VISTA Volunteer Transitions ........................ 7

Radon Action Week ....................................... 7

Need a Lift? Residential Elevators ............... 9

Calendar of Events .......................................11

ALASKA BUILDING SCIENCE NETWORKWHO ARE WE? WHAT CAN WE DO FORALASKANS?

A revitalized organization, new values, new employees, and newseason of effort. Alaska Building Science Network, a 501C3,

nonprofit educational corporation, which collaborates in theproduction of this newsletter, recently had its annual meeting inWasilla at the end of July. As the corporation enters its 4th year ofexistence and examines its mission and future, it was felt to be a goodtime to reach out and make more people aware of the services andbreadth of skills available from this Building Science Network.

The major mission of Alaska Building Science Network is to providethe highest quality building science and technology information andeducation available in Alaska. Our services are provided to theshelter industry, to housing agencies, to health organizations, and thegeneral public and government agencies including Federal, state,local, and native corporations. A primary goal is to improve thequality of life of Alaskans by promoting safe, healthy, durable,affordable, and environmentally friendly building practices. We tryto accomplish this by providing building science research andeducation using the experience,knowledge, and diversity of ourmembership and throughcreating and maintainingbuilding sector partnershipsand alliances.

Much of our diverse and com-petent educational program-ming can be found on ourwebsite at www.absn.com

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Phone: 1-800-563-9927 (out-of-town) or 907-562-9927 (in Anchorage). Our fax number is 907-563-8061 and the email address is: absn@alaska.net

Members of Alaska Building Science Networkinclude builders, energy raters, material suppliers,weatherization contractors, and other buildingindustry members throughout Alaska and NorthAmerica. ABSN along with the CooperativeExtension Service is committed to keeping Alaskansup-to-date on building science field with thisquarterly newsletter and the technical trainingworkshops held throughout Alaska. Many ABSNcourses earn continuing education credits throughthe Alaska State Homebuilders Association and/or the Cooperative Extension Service.

Members of our organization have access to ourtechnical and practical experience in northernbuilding science. As an ABSN member you willreceive the Alaska Building Science News, thisquarterly newsletter, discounts on workshops andconferences sponsored by ABSN, discounts onrelated building science publications andsubscriptions including Energy Design Update, amajor source of building science information in theUnited States, and an opportunity to participate onABSN contracts to perform energy services aroundthe state.

ABSN is striving to become the resource of choicefor all educational services necessary to housingcorporations, RAVEN AmeriCorps, and thebuilding and shelter industries in the state. We feelwe offer the highest level of professional skill andcommitment to the shelter industry.

At our meeting in July we also elected a new Boardof Directors: Conrad Zipperian of Rural AlaskaEnergy Services was elected Board Chair. GordonIssacs of Dillingham and owner of Alaska WestBuilding Supplies in Dillingham, was elected VicePresident. Dan Berube is employed by AnchorageCommunity Development Corporation, aweatherization contractor, and is the Secretary.Rich Seifert, Professor with the CooperativeExtension Service was elected Treasurer of theBoard. The real strength of ABSN comes from itsmany active members. In professional and volunteer

roles, we have been providing Alaskans withresidential construction and energy efficientbuilding services for over 20 years and we hail fromall parts of the state: Juneau, Unalaska, Dillingham,Kotzebue, and the Anchorage/ Fairbanks rail belt.

Alaska Building Science Network is keenlyresponsive to needs and interests of its membersand is a member driven organization. Classes,technical support, marketing opportunities are allavailable with membership. Visit our websitewww.absn.com for a membership application andmore information.

ERRATA

In our last issue, a small error was stated in thearticle on the Alaska Statewide Housing Survey.

We referred to cost of heating, per square foot offloor space, per year, but the actual cost should beper month, which if anyone has done the calculationwill make a great deal more sense. So the numbersshould be multiplied by 12 to get an annual heatingcost for a house of any reasonable size. We apologizefor any misapprehensions this may have caused.

THE ECONOMICS OFCARBON MONOXIDEPOISONINGJoseph Laquatra and Daniel Cullen1

According to the National Safety Council andthe Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 500 to 1,000 people are killed in theirhomes in America by carbon monoxide each year.This cost of life is immeasurable in human terms. Ineconomic terms, however, we can make someestimates. Using March 2000 US Bureau of LaborStatistics data, civilian workers earn on average$44,013 annually in wages and salaries plus benefits.Using the insurance industry life valuation formula(http://www.life-line.org/life/life_value.html),the Human Life Value total to retirement of a 30-year-old person earning average compensation,with plans to retire at 65, is $1,359,343. If 750 suchpersons were to die this year, the economic costnationally would be $1,019,507,250.

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How this figure was calculated:

Average compensationof a civilian worker2: 21.1640 hrs./week × 52 weeks × 2080Annual compensation $44,012.80

The annual compensation was entered into theLIFE-Line Human Life Value Calculator (http://www.life-line.org/life/life_value.html). Thisinteractive Web Site calculates the financial burdenimposed upon families by the death of an individual.The calculator requires the user to select values forpersonal maintenance expenses (food, trans-portation, etc.) as a percentage of annual income,age, retirement age, annual rate of increase inincome, discount rate, and average tax bracket. 3

Consider the cost of preventing carbon monoxidepoisoning:

Annual servicing of an oil or gas central heatingsystem is about $200. A carbon monoxide detectorcosts between $30 and $60, not including batteries.

Most deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning canbe prevented by:

• having a heating system serviced every year;• not using unvented space heaters in the home;• not idling a car in a closed garage;• not using a gas oven to heat a home;• not using gasoline-powered engines in enclosed

spaces.____________________1Joseph Laquatra is an Associate Professor andDaniel Cullen is a Research Associate. Both are inthe Department of Design and EnvironmentalAnalysis at Cornell University.2Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment CostTrends, Table 1. Civilian workers, by majoroccupational group. http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.101.htm (site visited 7/27/00).3We estimated 45% of annual income for personalmaintenance expenses for a 30-year old personwho plans to retire at 65, 4% annual rate of increasein income, discount rate of 6%, 35% average taxbracket.

CES FEATUREDPUBLICATIONS - SOLAR

Fairbanks, Alaska Solar & Weather InformationFactsheet EEM-01355 andAnchorage, Alaska Solar & Weather InformationFactsheet EEM-01356

Two new information sheets specially aimed atthe mission of the new Alaska State Million

Solar Roofs Coalition were recently released. Thedata are updated from 1985, the date of the lastedition of these publications. The comparison showsthat the climate has been warming over the past 15years. The data is intended to be used for peopledesigning or anticipating the use of solar energysystems onsite in Alaska’s two biggest cities. This isthe first of what we hope to be several new datapublications aimed at helping the application ofrenewable energy in Alaska. Both of thesepublications are now on our website.

COLD CLIMATE HOUSINGRESEARCH CENTER RECEIVESMAJOR FUNDINGNora Kelly, Director of Program Funding andJack Hébert, Director of Research

Supporters of the CCHRC throughout Alaskawill be pleased to hear that the Research Center

has recently secured major funding from threesources.

The Fannie Mae Corporation has formallycommitted $500,000 to support the initial startupand general operating expenses of the ResearchCenter. These funds will be distributed over a three-year period beginning in FY 2000. We have received$75,000 as the first installment for this year.

The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation hasmatched Fannie Mae’s commitment and dedicated$450,000 to cold climate housing research projectsacross the state. At the IABA general membershipmeeting on May 17th, Dan Fauske, CEO of AHFCannounced that he and John Bitney, legislativeliaison and members of the building community

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were successful in convincing the Alaska legislatureof the importance of research to the future of quality,affordable housing in Alaska. The CCHRC will bean active partner with AHFC in identifying issuesimportant to the building industry andimplementing research projects. CCHRC memberswill have an active role in the direction of theCenter’s work. We continue to feel our firstresponsibility to the homebuilding industry inAlaska and that our efforts should produce resultsof real benefit to Alaska builders and homeowners.

On May 15th, the CCHRC was notified that theywere chosen to receive a $75,000 grant from the U.S.Dept. of Energy’s “Building America” Program.The grant proposal was written in partnership withthe State Energy Office and will include a $75,000grant match from AHFC. The project is titled“Building America in Alaska” and will establish anAlaska-based interdisciplinary team of builders,designers, engineers, economists, and energyexperts. The team will produce three templates forenergy-efficient, durable, cost-efficient, single-family homes affordable to low-moderate incomeAlaskans in the Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneauareas. Each design template will include a plan formonitoring and evaluating building and productperformance and cost/benefits analyses for bothindustry and home owners.

The Center’s Directors and staff are excited aboutCCHRC’s early funding success and potential forfuture growth. We are grateful to the Alaskanbuilders, industry partners, and CCHRC memberswho have supported the Center from its earliestconception to the most recent lobbying efforts inWashington, D.C. during the spring NAHB BoardMeeting. We owe much to U.S. Senator Ted Stevensand his staff for their work with Fannie Mae, and toDan Fauske and John Bitney of AHFC for theirwork with the Alaska legislature in support of coldclimate housing research. Over the next 30-60 days,the CCHRC will be contacting builders to identifythe regional research issues the CCHRC shouldinvestigate. Please feel free to write or call the Centerwith your building concerns or research interests.

The interim five-member CCHRC Board ofDirectors will expand to a regular nine-member

Board in November 2000. A nominations committeehas formed and will develop a nominations processto assure statewide representation on the Board.Nominations committee members are Robin Wardin Anchorage, Marquam George in Juneau, andMark Tomlinson in Fairbanks. Remember—if youwish to be on the CCHRC Board of Directors, youmust be a member.

A NEW RESIDENTIAL SEWAGETREATMENT PLANT USEFULFOR PERMAFROST AREAS

Most of this article is taken from a paper deliv-ered at the Water Resources in Extreme

Environments Conference in May 2000.Fairbanksans, Bob Tsigonis and Michael Pollen1

wrote a paper describing a new onsite sewagetreatment system. Anyone experienced in theseareas knows that sewage treatment in permafrostareas has presented formidable problems toengineers and homeowners in the past. Traditionalseptic tanks often experience differential movementof components and system failure as heat from thepipes, tanks, and mound meets the permafrost. Thepermafrost is unable to allow passage of percolatingwater below the permafrost table since it is frozenand impermeable.

In 1999 an above ground residential sewagetreatment plant was developed specifically forpermafrost areas. This system combines a patentedfixed activated sludge aerobic treatment unit withan automatic dosing siphon in an insulated tank(Figure 1). The key to the system’s success is its airrecirculation system. Two of these sewage treatmentplants were installed in Goldstream Valley nearFairbanks during September and November 1999and performed well even during -60°F weatherwithout any addition of heat other than that____________________1Respectively, P.E. and President of LifewaterEngineering Company, PO Box 10750, Fairbanks,AK 99710 (Phone: 907-458-7024, Email:lifewatr@eagle.ptialaska.net) and President ofNorthern Testing Laboratories, Inc., 3330 IndustrialAvenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701 (Phone: 907-456-3116,Email: mrp@ntlalaska.com)

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provided by the internal blower. Temperature,dissolved oxygen, and effluent quality testing doneduring the winter of 1999-2000 demonstrated thesuitability of these treatment plants for use in coldregions.

The system has only one moving part and that is theATU (aerobic treatment unit) blower. One of thekeys to the system’s success is its air recirculationsystem, that conserves heat within the systemwithout decreasing vigorous oxygenation of the

Figure 1. A view of the aerator and tank from above.

Figure 2. Cross-section of the sewage treatment plant with a thermosiphon beneath it.

wastewater or contact between the wastewater andthe microbes. Another important modification isthe automatic dosing siphon overflow pipe. Byaddition of a trap this prevents the convective flowof cold air into the sewage treatment plant whileallowing the overflow pipe to function as originallyintended. Construction and operation approvalsfor two of these systems were received from theAlaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

One of the more interesting parts of this new aerobictreatment system is the discharge mechanism.Amazing as it seems this system actually dischargesthe effluent water from the septage treatment systemto the surface of the ground in doses of 60 gallons.This is achieved by discharge control. It’s veryimportant to prevent freezing of the effluent pipeand glaciering on the ground surface at the point ofdischarge. This of course would be a big question ifsomeone just casually explained or described thissystem to you.

An automatic dosing siphon is used to store treatedeffluent in a third compartment and intermittentlyit is discharged from the sewage treatment plant.The siphon prevents the release of water until thewater level in the third compartment rises to a

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preset amount that depends on the construction ofthe siphon. Once the water rises to that preset level,a rapid discharge begins. The automatic dosingsiphon has no moving parts, other than the water.Although during freezing conditions a smallamount of water may freeze inside the dischargepipe, each time a discharge occurs that small amountof ice is melted by the rush of warm water flowingout the pipe in the 60-gallon discharge.

For the systems that are now installed, 3-inchsiphons were used. The siphons discharge at 60gpm for about one minute and then stop. This highflow rate, short duration, and intermittent dischargeprevents icing up of the effluent pipe and the pointof discharge during freezing conditions. In one ofthe subject systems, treated effluent flows onto a 1-foot by 3-foot steel plate to prevent erosion andthen flows through natural vegetation where itreceives tertiary treatment.

The paper presented at the Proceedings of theSpring Specialty Conference of the American WaterResources Association in Anchorage, May 1-3, 2000also includes design considerations, oxygenconsiderations, and comparison of heat losses.Important considerations are the cold climateaspects of this design. Temperature control isachieved by using warm recycled air from thesewage treatment plant in the aeration chamber. Bymixing a high volume of warm recycled air that isat the same temperature as the sewage in the sewagetreatment plant with a small volume of outside air,which can be in the range of -65°F to +95°F, theresulting mixture has a temperature that is close tothe temperature of the sewage in the sewagetreatment plant. This provides a warm, stablethermal environment in which the microbes thatdecompose the sewage can thrive.

Heat from the compression that occurs in the blowerand dissipation of heat from the blower motor iscontained within an insulated cover and is used towarm the fresh air before it enters the blower. Thenet result is that the blower outlet air temperatureis tempered year round to a temperature similar tothat of the sewage treatment plant’s operating inwarm climates.

Where does this heat come from? Mostly the sewagetreatment plant is working in a continuous aerationoperation and the blower is the only moving part.The blower uses about 330 watts continuously, notan insignificant amount of electrical energy.However this provides for the aerobic treatmentand the capability of having a sewage treatmentsystem on a permafrost site. This tradeoff is to beexpected and it is the reason why this system canwork when others have failed. This electrical heatinput and the continuous operation of the systemkeeps it warm and functional. A photograph of theaeration treatment system in operation is shown inFigure 3.

One of the crucial aspects of this system for gettingit approved by the Department of EnvironmentalConservation, is the quality of effluent. The paperdescribes the effluent quality performance of thissystem, and the values are averages of three monthlysamples. Total suspended solids and biochemicaloxygen demand are both very ample, althoughthere are differences in the flows and the strengthsof the incoming levels of both of these variables.The effluent biochemical oxygen and totalsuspended solids were at or near secondarytreatment standards. This is a crucial designparameter and a crucial performance measurement,to enable the disposal of septage effluent on thesurface. Obviously if it is not safe to dispose of it onthe surface then it can not effectively work in Alaskaand this is a crucial design parameter for acceptanceby the DEC.

Figure 3. A picture of the installed system at a homein the Goldstream Valley.

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Neither of the presently operational systems haveany effluent disinfection system. Future researchand experimentation will be directed toward findinga simple, low maintenance disinfection system thatwill reduce the effluent values of fecal coliformwithout harming the vegetation at the point ofdischarge.

As a final note, the paper includes this summary.The subject sewage treatment systems performedbetter than initially anticipated, especially regardingthe dispersal of treated effluent. They operatedthrough an interior Alaska winter with no artificialheat source other than the air blower, which is anintegral part of the aerobic treatment unit. Simple,low maintenance systems such as these can beadapted to serve clusters of homes and smallcommunities. This approach to on-site sewagetreatment appears to be well suited to usethroughout Alaska and other cold regions. Patentprotection for this cold climate sewage treatmentprocess is being pursued. Questions are to bedirected to the authors of this paper and theirreferences are cited earlier.

AMERICORPS/VISTAVOLUNTEER TRANSITIONS:URSULA DEPARTS

BROOKE ARRIVES!

This year, as in past autumns, we changed per-sonnel in our VISTA volunteer position. Ursula

Graham, from Lime Village, has just finished a verysuccessful year. She was offered a position withRuralCap to continue helping the RAVENAmeriCorps volunteers complete their duties byDecember of this year. Our new VISTA is BrookeKirkland who arrived in late August and will as-sume the responsibilities of the previous VISTAswith the RAVEN AmeriCorps Program as our en-ergy and housing liaison. Brooke hails from Illinoisand is a graduate of the University of Missouri.Welcome Brooke! We are sorry to see Ursula go, butwe know she will have a lot of success with theskills and experiences she gained during her year inVISTA. We hope that those for Brooke will be asenriching and rewarding.

RADON ACTION WEEK

It is now clear that some areas of Alaska have aradon problem. Not everywhere is it an issue but

in certain areas in the Fairbanks area, especially inthe hills, and in some areas of the Palmer/Wasillaarea, and some unknowns in Seward and the KenaiPeninsula, and the Eagle River/Chugach hillsidedistricts.

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One of the jobs at Cooperative Extension is to makesure Alaska’s citizens and families know these riskareas, and motivate them to test their homes forradon and reduce elevated levels, if they are found.We also have available a “Radon Resistant NewHomes” publication, which describes how toconstruct new homes with radon resistant features.This is particularly of concern if you know the areayou’re building in has some radon risk. The bestway to determine this, since we do not know all theareas where radon risk is an issue, is to call 1-800-478-8324, the Statewide Radon Hotline (474-7201 inFairbanks). Richard Seifert, Professor at theUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks, CooperativeExtension Service is the statewide radon contactand the number rings at his desk.

Cooperative Extension publishes a RadonInformation Pamphlet, which has a listing of all thesources of radon test kits in Alaska. Radon testingis highly recommended, particularly in the autumnof the year. Radon is a winter problem and thereforeradon risk is maximum in the winter, so that if anyfamily or head of household is interested indetermining the radon risk, October is a good timeto start testing. That is why October 15th - 21st isdesignated this year as National Radon ActionWeek. It is also the reason why we are schedulingour Fairbanks area “Cold Climate HomebuildingTechniques” workshop on the Saturday of thatweek to emphasize the radon risk associated withbuilding in the Fairbanks area.

National Radon Awareness Week is a ‘kickoff’week of an entire season of activity designed toincrease awareness of radon’s serious health effects.Here are some basic radon facts that Alaskansshould consider.

First of all, what is radon?

• Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorlessgas that comes from deposits of uranium in thesoil in rock and in water. It is normally harmlesslydispersed in outdoor air but when trapped inbuildings can be harmful, especially at elevatedlevels. Radon is a radioactive decay product ofradium which is itself a decay product of uranium.

Uranium and radium are both common elementsof the soil.

How does radon get into my house?

• Warm air rises, when this happens in your home,especially while you are heating it in the wintertime in Alaska, it creates a lower pressure in thelower areas of the house. This means that there isa slight suction on the bottom of your house andair seeps in from the soil around and under thehouse and is sucked in through the openings,cracks below ground into the lower levels. Radongas enters the same way air and other soil gasesenter the home, through cracks in the foundation,floor, or walls. Through hollow block walls andthrough openings around floor drains, pipes,and sump pumps.

What are the health effects of radon?

• Exposure to radon is the second leading cause oflung cancer in the United States. Radon can beinhaled into the lungs where it undergoesradioactive decay. As it decays, radon releasestiny bursts of energy called alpha particles, whichcan harm sensitive lung tissue by damaging theDNA. This damaged DNA can lead to lung cancer.

How do I find out if my house has elevated levelsof radon?

• The Cooperative Extension Service along withseveral other commercial establishments in Alaskahave radon test kits that meet EPA guidelines andcan be obtained from us for a fee of $25. Ourpublication called the Radon InformationPamphlet can be obtained by calling 1-800-478-8324 the Radon Hotline (474-7201 in Fairbanks).This Information Pamphlet tells where to getradon kits, how much they cost, and otherinteresting and important information aboutradon risk in Alaska. Testing your home for radonis simple as opening a package, placing a radondetector in a designated area, and then after theprescribed number of days, sealing the detectorback in the package and mailing it to a lab.

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How can I fix my house if it has elevated levels ofradon?

• The Cooperative Extension Service has availablean EPA publication called Radon Mitigation andNew Construction. If you are anticipating buildingin a radon prone area, please call 1-800-478-8324(474-7201 in Fairbanks) and ask for the radonresistant new construction publication.Anticipating the problem and building a methodof fixing it into the new construction, is the bestapproach we are aware of. However a variety ofmethods can be used to reduce radon in existinghomes. Sealing cracks and other openings in thefoundation is a basic approach to radon reduction.However we don’t recommend the use of sealingand caulking alone to reduce radon because byitself sealing has not been shown to be a consistentway to lower radon levels. In most cases, systemswith pipes and fans are needed to reduce theradon, such systems are called “subslabdepressurization”. The Cooperative ExtensionService has a publication describing this methodas well called, “Radon Mitigation: AlaskanExperiences, Costs, and Results” RAD-00755 alsoavailable by calling 1-800-478-8324 (474-7201 inFairbanks). These systems prevent radon gas fromentering the home from below the concrete floorand foundation. Similar systems can also beinstalled in homes with crawlspaces.

NEED A LIFT? RESIDENTIALELEVATORS

As the baby boomer generation matures, thereis a general thrust in housing to try and move

toward a concept called Universal Design, whereinevery possible amenity and effort is included inhome design and layout in order to optimize access,and the use of the facility by the disabled andelderly. Several examples include: handicappedaccess toilets with lots of bars, similar designs forshowers and bath tubs with braces, and otherprecautions designed into the building to preventaccidents. Use of large numbering and dials enablesvisually impaired people to more easily handlecontrols of stoves and microwaves and other deviceswhere good sight is required for proper control.

And things such as lever-type door handles areeasier to use for people with arthritic hands, as arepush-type fire escape doors and windows for egressso that people with disabilities can easily escape inemergency situations.

This quarter we feature an amenity incorporatedinto a house in a very elegant and top-of-the-linefashion, an elevator. This elevator is in the home ofJune Pinnell and Dennis Stevens. June is anemployee of the Fairbanks North Star BoroughLibrary and Dennis is a professor and librarian atthe University. June has a condition in her hips thathas led her to anticipate some disabling deterior-ation of those hips. She and Dennis decided thatbefore things became difficult in coping with theirhouse, rather than move out of a house that wastwo stories and difficult to negotiate with bad hips,they would get an elevator to enable them continuedaccess to their home.

The elevator that they selected is made by a companycalled Matot, which has a very detailed webpage atwww.matot.com/elevator. The model that theSteven’s purchased is rated at 700-lbs.-lift capacityand has an energy efficient 2.5 horsepower electricmotor, which drives a hydraulic drive. The exteriorshaft and enclosure of the building was designedby architect, Patty Piersol for the site specifically.From the outside it looks certainly like an elevatorshaft, or perhaps a large stairwell. It is sheathed incorrugated steel, and painted red. For the internallayout, the elevator is surrounded on all sides by anencircling staircase with several landings.

Dennis and June used the elevator to access a kindof “refuge”, a ‘widows watch’ deck and personalspace at the very top-most point of the elevator.Their property is good view property overlookingthe Tanana Valley to the East and the Alaska Range.One of the reasons they wanted to invest this typeof effort and financial stake in their property, is thatthey really love the house, and rather than changehomes because of the accessibility problems, theydecided to make the home work for them in thisparticular way.

This article is intended to alert readers that theseamenities are becoming more prevalent and

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desirable. They may ultimately become standardpractice as the population gets older and multi-generational families become the norm. In thatsense, Dennis and June are the leading edge of ageneral direction in which housing technology anddesign may be headed.

June and Dennis have gone to what might be calledthe “BMW version”, a very high quality elevatorsystem for their choice. However, for the morefrugal of us, it’s possible to use mechanical pulleydevices and even adapt hydraulic devices such asfork lifts, and build elevator platforms on the baseof an old fork lift and use the fork lift drive andframe to elevate an elevator car to a second floorwith that fork lift drive. A simple set of mechanical

pulleys to manually operate an elevator is also apossibility. It has the advantage that it doesn’t needelectricity to operate and consequently can alwaysbe used in an emergency (assuming that the elevatoris not damaged in any way by an earthquake orother natural disaster!)

It is our intent in this article to encourage thinkingin the direction of maximizing access, safety, andfreedom of movement and independence forindividuals who may have physical or sensoryhandicaps.

For more information: www.matot.com/elevatorMatot Elevator Company, 2501 Van Buren,Bellwood, Illinois 60104-2459Phone: (708) 547-1888

Figure 1. A view of the mechanical “topside” of theresidential Matot elevator. Note the hydraulic pistonmounted on the elevator track.

Figure 2. A view of the elevator entry, with door slightlyclosed. Interior is pleasant wood finish, very clean anddurable finishes accent the installation.

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Figure 3. Exterior view of the entire new addition to thehome. It rises three stories and includes the elevator, itsshaft, and mechanical room, and encircling the elevatoris a staircase winding up the entire tower. At the topis an enclosed “deck, refuge, and viewspace”, a lovelydesign addition, which provides a quiet space and viewof the Tanana Valley and Flats.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

29th September - 1st October, 2000, Fairbanks WinterTrade Show, Carlson Center.

10th October - Membership meeting of InteriorAlaska Building Association, River’s Edge, 6pm, todiscuss Rural Housing in Alaska. Guests arewelcome. For more information call 455-6650.

21st October, Annual Fall Cold Climate Home-building Techniques Workshop in Fairbanks at theSchaible Auditorium. This is at the end of theRadon Action Week. Call 474-6366 for moreinformation and to pre-register.

1st to 3rd November, Cold Climate HVAC 2000, 3rd

International Conference on Cold Climate Heat-ing, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning, HokkaidoUniversity Conference Hall, Sapporo, Japan.Website: http://www.ec-inc.co.jp/cchvac2000/

2nd to 4th November, ASHBA Convention, Talkeetna,for more details call 455-6650.

Workshop Schedule for Alaska Building ScienceNetwork

20th to 22nd September, Circumpolar Housing Forum2000, Yellowknife, NWT, Canada.Website: http://nwthc.gov.nt.ca

Call ABSN @ 1(800)563-9927 or (907)562-9927, ore-mail: absn@alaska.net for more information.