TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR RADON SYSTEM

Radon is widespread in homes in the United States – on average, 1 of every 15 homes have radon levels that are higher than the recommended action levels. In Utah, 1 of 3 homes have dangerous levels of Radon.

Soil is porous, so radon moves up from the soil and into the home. Radon gets into buildings because the air pressure inside is usually lower than the pressure in the soil surrounding it. This difference causes the building to act like a vacuum and suck radon in through foundation cracks and other small openings such as gaps around pipes, cavities inside walls and the water supply.

Most radon exposure occurs inside homes, schools and workplaces – places where people and pets spend most of their time. Modern construction is not exempt from radon risks, as new insulation strategies often trap radon gas more effectively in new homes than older homes. Radon exposure can happen in any type of building, whether it has a basement, a crawl space, or is built on a slab. Testing is the only way to know your property’s radon levels.

Radon gas does not have color, taste, or smell, and therefore is not detectable by human senses alone. However, indoor radon can be controlled and managed with proven, cost-effective techniques. There are simple steps you can take to control the amount of radon in your home.

The first step would be testing for radon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) , Surgeon General, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, and National Safety Council recommend testing all homes for radon. Testing is the only way to determine radon levels because each house is different. You cannot predict radon levels based on state, local, and neighborhood radon measurements. Even if your neighbor’s home has acceptable levels of radon, it does not mean your house would show the same results. After test completion, you will know whether further steps are necessary.

If you need professional radon testing, you can contact us. We provide free, nonbinding price estimates. We can consult you on the best solution for your home

According to US EPA: “Any radon exposure has some risk of causing lung cancer. The lower the radon level in your home, the lower your family’s risk of lung cancer.” However, there are standard radon levels that can make it easier to calculate your exposure risk.

We measure the concentration of radon in the air in units of picocuries per liter (pCi/L). A pCi is a measure of the rate of radioactive decay of radon. US EPA recommends taking action if your test results show radon levels of 4.0 pCi/L or higher. At this level, there will be approximately 12,672 radioactive disintegrations in one liter of air during a 24-hour period. You should consider taking further actions if the levels are between 2.0 and 4.0 pCi/L. The levels 2.0 pCi/L and under are considered safe without further actions but you still need to test your home every two years.

No, radon constantly enters into your home or business and will need to be mitigated (once tested high) to stop radon gas from entering.

Any radon exposure has some risk of causing lung cancer. The lower the radon level in your home, the lower your family’s risk of lung cancer. The amount of radon in the air is measured in picocuries (pCi/L). The EPA recommends fixing your home if the results show radon levels of 4 pCi/L or higher. With today’s technology, radon levels in most homes can be reduced to 2 pCi/L or below. The American Lung Cancer and EPA also recommends fixing if the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L.

Very low levels, less than 2% of the total home radon levels.

This is difficult to answer. The number one risk of health from radon poisoning is lung cancer. This can lead to other health conditions.

Yes, the question isn’t is there radon, the question is how much. New or old, the only way to find out radon levels is to test.

Radon Be Gone has the best warranty in the industry. Guaranteed to reduce radon levels to 2.7 pCi/L or below in most buildings. Lifetime transferable warranty on system. Five-year manufacturer warranty of fans. Five year no leak warranty on roof jacks.

• At installation, if a stronger fan is needed than estimated for, there is no upcharge, and included in the performance guarantee. FREE
• We include custom paint on exterior systems, we math the downspout color. FREE
• Run the system in the interior whenever possible, no upcharge. FREE
• Transferable Lifetime Warranty. FREE

A mitigation system usually involves creating a vacuum beneath the basement slab greater than the vacuum pressure of the home. Thus reversing the air pressure differences and moving ground soil gases into the radon system rather than into the home. Typically, a pit is created in the basement slab, by aggregate (some dirt, rocks, etc.) being removed to create a void, (pit). Then a PVC pipe is installed into the pit and then ran either up through the attic and roof or to the exterior of the home.

A fan is sized to accommodate the soil compaction and square footage of the house footprint in the basement to effectively move air from under the basement floor; from one side of basement to the other, allowing air (and radon) to be sucked up and outside – not allowing radon to enter the home.

Internal piping from the slab routed up through the home and through the attic or an aesthetically matching pipe is then used to vent the radon gas on the exterior of the home and safely discharges above the roofs eave where it naturally dissipates into the atmosphere.

It is common in the winter for the plastic in the crawl to get air pockets, it is not a bubble of radon. Placing weight on the plastic will help prevent this.

Pipe slop is off or pipe in smaller sizes tend to gurgle at the elbows (Contact our office for repair).

Repair: Adjust pitch of the pipe, increase the size of the pipe, or add another suction point to allow for drainage.

Contact our office, we need to re-evaluate your system.