What is Radon Mitigation?

There is a lot of discussion about radon mitigation in the news, especially when everyone is starting to make their pre-winter inspections of their homes and HVAC systems. There are a number of products on the market that can improve indoor air quality and remove things such as dust, debris, allergens, and excess moisture. While you are inspecting your home, performing your carbon monoxide leak detection tests, you should also test for radon. If you have high levels of radon in your home, you will need to remove it by using a process called radon mitigation. Radon mitigation will not only improve your indoor air quality and home comfort, it can also save your life.  

What is Radon?

Radon is a radioactive gas that is produced naturally when uranium, also a radioactive gas, breaks down in the soil, rock, and water. It is one of the noble gases, which means that it will not readily bond chemically with other elements because its outer shell is full. Colorless, odorless, and tasteless, radon seeps into your home without your knowledge. Since radon concentration in the soil varies from region to region, you should check to see if you live in an area where concentration is known to be elevated. Radon seeps into your home through cracks in the foundation because air pressure inside the home is lower than the pressure in the soil around and underneath the home. Radon can also be found in rocks such as granite and limestone, so you could have radon in your home because it is seeping out of your limestone or granite countertops and other home furniture and building accents such as fireplace surrounds.  

Why Should You Test for Radon?

Radon, by nature, is a radioactive gas. It has been known to cause certain cancers. There are a number of people who develop lung cancer even though they never smoked and are not regularly in the presence of secondhand smoke. It is recommended that you perform at least a total of three tests: two short-term tests and one long-term test. A short-term test will measure the radon levels over a period as short as two days to as long as 90 days and long-term tests will take over 90 days. If you two short-term tests, you can get a more accurate reading in case transient weather interferes with the results. Since the weather can affect the level of radon in your home, a long-term test will give you a better picture of the average radon level in your home year-round. When you complete the test, you send it to a testing facility for the results. You should consult a professional when you receive your results so that you can determine if you need to take any action.  If you have a well, you will need to use a different type of test. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter, or pCi/L. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that a home should have a radon reading that is less than 2 pCi/L. Any reading that is 4 pCi/L or higher mandates radon mitigation. 

Which Radon Mitigation Method Should You Use?

Radon mitigation is a specialized skill that would be handled best by a professional. The professional will have the necessary knowledge needed and will know which mitigation method to use, which will depend upon on the size of your home and the foundation, and the level of radon detected. The most common and effective method is soil suction, which draws out the radon from underneath the home and vents it out through pipes into the air above the home. If the building materials are the culprit for the elevated reading, the best method to use is mechanical ventilation, which uses fans to replace the indoor air with fresh outdoor air. An aeration system or activated charcoal system would help remove radon from well water.