Battery backup for a gas furnace: best power stations, sizing, hookup
Battery backup for a gas furnace: a power station runs the blower and controls in an outage. Size it from the rating plate; hook it up via a transfer switch.
Streams, skies, wild places, and how to read them
Hollow & Headwater is a journal for people who like to know what is going on in the creek behind the house, the haze over the ridge and the meadow at the edge of town. Our five writers cover water, air, wildlife, the outdoors and greener everyday living in plain language, with the sources linked.
Current Briefs See the whole journal ›
Wood stove accessories worth owning, and the ones you can skip
The wood stove accessories that earn their keep: a moisture meter, a stove thermometer, CO alarms, a metal ash can and a yearly sweep. The rest is optional.
What radon level is safe? Reading 4 pCi/L, 2 pCi/L and 100 Bq/m³
No radon level is known to be risk-free. What the EPA's 4 and 2 pCi/L mean, how WHO, Canadian and EU limits convert, and what to do with your own result.
From the journal
How to shock a well: bleach amounts, contact time and flushing
To shock a well, mix plain bleach into the standing water to 50 to 200 ppm, draw it to every tap, wait 12 to 24 hours, flush it out and retest for bacteria.
Best well water test kit: strips, home kits or a certified lab?
The best well water test kit is a pairing: a home screen for quick checks and a certified lab for bacteria, nitrate, arsenic and lead. Here is how to choose.
How to tell if firewood is seasoned: signs, a meter and the wait
Seasoned firewood reads under 20% on a pin meter at a fresh split face. Without one, look for cracked grey ends, loose bark, light weight and a hollow knock.
Best radon detector for a home: charcoal kit, alpha-track or monitor
The best radon detector depends on the question: a charcoal kit for a quick lab result, alpha-track for a yearly average, a monitor for watching changes.
Flash floods in steep terrain, explained: rain, rock and runoff
Why steep, narrow valleys turn heavy rain into sudden floods: stalled storms, thin soils, fast runoff, the forecast terms to know and how to stay safe.
Rail-trails and the small-town comeback along old railroad grades
How abandoned railroad lines became trails, why some trail towns thrive while others stall, and a practical checklist for riding a long rail-trail well.
Browse by theme
- Water & RiversStreams, rivers, wetlands and groundwater: how to read them, enjoy them and keep them healthy.
- Air & ClimateSmoke, ozone, weather, a changing climate and the air inside our homes, explained in plain numbers.
- Conservation & WildlifeHabitat, native plants, birds, amphibians and the work of keeping wild places wild.
- Sustainable LivingPractical writing on home energy, waste, gardens and everyday choices, honest about costs and free of greenwash.
- Outdoor RecreationHiking, paddling, seasons and safety: getting outside and coming home with good stories.
- Science & ExplainersHow the natural world works, from soil chemistry to storms, explained without the jargon.
- Community & LifestyleTowns, people, food, travel and the everyday life that grows up around land and water.
Field guides
Field AlmanacWhat is blooming, spawning, migrating and turning colour, month by month.Maps & DataHow to read the public stream gauges, air maps, wetland and soil maps yourself.Green TipsSmall, honest habits for the home, the garden, the trail and the river.
- Air quality at home: particles, ozone and cleaner wood smoke
- Kick-net stream monitoring: technique, bug groups and simple scores
- Erosion and sediment control on building sites: what good looks like
- What an impaired stream means: 303(d) lists and TMDLs, explained
- How a watershed assessment works, from creek chemistry to land use
- Inside an environmental lab: why water test results can be trusted
- Shale gas and water: wells, wastewater and what is still debated
- Illegal dumping and roadside trash: why it happens and what helps