How to Know if You Need Radon Mitigation

Everyone is concerned about the indoor air quality in their homes. People buy smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, humidifiers, air cleaners, and many other devices and systems to breathe healthier, but there still lurks a deadly gas that threatens the lives of everyone that lives in your home. The deadly gas is called radon, and if you have high levels of radon in your home, you will need to remove it. The removal process is called radon mitigation. In order to improve your indoor air quality and get the best performance out of your HVAC system, you should test the levels to determine if you need radon mitigation. 

What is Radon?

Radon is a naturally-occurring radioactive gas that is produced when uranium breaks down in the soil, rock, and water. It has the chemical symbol Rn and has an atomic weight of 86 on the periodic table. It is a noble gas, which means that the outer shell of each molecule has a complete set of electrons that prevents it from readily reacting chemically with other molecules. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and even though radon is found in the soil, the concentration varies from location to location. Air pressure inside the home is lower than the pressure in the soil around and underneath the home. This causes the radon in the soil to be sucked up into the home through any cracks or openings in the foundation. Since radon can also be found in rocks such as granite and limestone, radon can also be introduced into the home by seeping out of building materials in the home, such as countertops, tables, or fireplace surrounds. 

The Importance of Testing

It is important to test for radon in your home because this gas is radioactive and it has been known to cause certain cancers. It is the cause of most of the cases of lung cancer in nonsmokers and it greatly increases the risk of smokers of developing lung cancer. You should perform at least two short-term tests or one long-term test. A short-term test will measure the radon levels over a period of 2 to 90 days and long-term tests will take over 90 days. It is best to perform two short-term tests so that you can get a more accurate reading in the event of transient weather that can skew the results. The long-term test will give you a better picture of the average radon level in your home year-round. After testing, you send it to a testing site for processing. When you get your results, you should consult with a professional who can provide guidance on any actions that need to be taken. If you have a well, you will need a different type of test in order to measure the radon level. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter, or pCi/L. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that no home should have a radon reading of less than 2 pCi/L. If you get a reading that is 4 pCi/L or higher, you will need radon mitigation. 

Radon Mitigation Methods

The EPA recommends that you hire a contractor for radon removal because it requires special skills and knowledge. The method used will depend upon the initial radon level reading, the size of your home, and the type of foundation upon which your home sits. The most common and effective method is soil suction. This method draws out the radon from underneath the home and vents it out through pipes that siphon it out into the air above the home. If you don’t know what type of foundation you have, the contractor has several diagnostic tests at their disposal to help determine how the radon is entering the home. If your home has elevated radon levels from building materials, the best method to use is mechanical ventilation, which uses fans to replace the indoor air with fresh outdoor air. This will help improve indoor air quality. If you have radon in your well water, your contractor can use an activated charcoal filtration system or an aeration system.