Radon Gas - anyone deal with it?

[ncowan]

i'm getting my sewer line replaced right now and they're recommending that I test the place for Radon gas levels once they patch up my floor and it finishes curing. I'm in the Hamilton area.

for anyone that has done this and found high levels of radon, what did you do and how much did it cost?

I don't know if i have high levels yet as i'll test it next month but i was looking at the options and the active subfloor depressurization system doesn't sound too costly but what do i know.

would love advice on that and where you did your test. i only go to the basement for laundry once or twice a week so i'm wondering if i test the basement or the main level of my house where i actually live and spend most of my time.

a mouthful here but thanks for your help!

 

[ncowan]

i'm getting my sewer line replaced right now and they're recommending that I test the place for Radon gas levels once they patch up my floor and it finishes curing. I'm in the Hamilton area.

for anyone that has done this and found high levels of radon, what did you do and how much did it cost?

I don't know if i have high levels yet as i'll test it next month but i was looking at the options and the active subfloor depressurization system doesn't sound too costly but what do i know.

would love advice on that and where you did your test. i only go to the basement for laundry once or twice a week so i'm wondering if i test the basement or the main level of my house where i actually live and spend most of my time.
radon test in home
a mouthful here but thanks for your help!

thanks in advance for any help

 

[efficientPV]

I would test before the floor is patched up. Thi is when you could put leach field pipes in and a plastic barrier. Vented outside, that may be enough. A fan can always be added.

 

[Supervstech]

Have you read the wiki article?

 

[Bluedog225]

I’d look first to whether there is radon in your area.

 

[MaximusAnonus]

Wait guys you don't radon proof your houses when you build them?? ?

 

[Supervstech]

Wait guys you don't radon proof your houses when you build them?? ?

How would you recommend that be done?

 

[Bluedog225]

Wait guys you don't radon proof your houses when you build them?? ?

It was only discovered to be a problem in some homes in the early 80s. How old is your housing stock?

 

[MaximusAnonus]

How would you recommend that be done?

Around here its done with layers of asphalt/foil plating over the concrete foundation of our houses. (AFAIK low = one layer, medium radon = two layers, high radon = two layers and ventilated foundations) There are maps of how severe the radon is in each part of the country so you can usually check beforehand.

It was only discovered to be a problem in some homes in the early 80s. How old is your housing stock?

Pretty new. Almost everything around here was build after 1990.

 

[Danke]

Radon gas is not a concern, just hype.

 

[curiouscarbon]

I have used the device "RadonEye" to monitor Radon levels in a previous house.

Basically, the long story short is that a decent number of Radon Harm studies mainly rely on data from miners which involve significantly higher concentrations than are usually encountered in residential situations.

This means relatively fewer studies use data from residential scenarios eg house, and therefore are relatively less able to estimate harm for lower level concentrations.

This means the magnitude of harm is still relatively poorly understood. Some jump to the conclusion that this means there is no harm, but that is not rigorous in my humble opinion.

Anyways, the data needed is Radon exposure levels for various people living their lives, and relatively few people even check once, much less continuously monitor and log Radon levels in residential situations.

The devices available for monitoring are still pretty immature imo. I rejected the type that require sending a sample after placing it for months. Some digital type respond very slowly. So far "radoneye" has been helpful and I have operated five so far. I access it through phone over bluetooth, so being within 15ft or so is needed for good reception.

best wishes and good luck with your study

 

[curiouscarbon]

Radon gas is not a concern, just hype.

please, what concentration level do you consider the cutoff for below which there is no harm?

there are plenty of studies of miners being exposed to high radon concentrations, and harm resulting, so please clarify if you refer to normal residential levels or an arbitrarily high level of concentration.

also curious about your thoughts on duration of exposure. miners exposure may be very high concentration but shorter duration as compared to residential which generally might be lower concentration but longer duration.

thanks

 

[curiouscarbon]

How would you recommend that be done?

generally a vapor barrier separating the foundation from the living space is common as a mitigation. metal is often included in the film as radon is very small like helium and can permeate many membranes.

another is a continuously operating fan that pulls air from the soil and ejects it outside. those outflow terminals are usually required to be a certain height above ground level to prevent the gas to re enter the living space from ambient wind patterns.

the second one is like a water sump pump but for gas in the soil

radon fans are useful because of their high static pressure

 

[Pierre]

generally a vapor barrier separating the foundation from the living space is common as a mitigation. metal is often included in the film as radon is very small like helium and can permeate many membranes.

another is a continuously operating fan that pulls air from the soil and ejects it outside. those outflow terminals are usually required to be a certain height above ground level to prevent the gas to re enter the living space from ambient wind patterns.

the second one is like a water sump pump but for gas in the soil

radon fans are useful because of their high static pressure

“another is a continuously operating fan that pulls air from the soil and ejects it outside. those outflow terminals are usually required to be a certain height above ground level to prevent the gas to re enter the living space from ambient wind patterns”
This is the system my son , who lives near Halifax , NS , had installed on the advice of the building inspector when he bought the house.

 

[MattiFin]

Wait guys you don't radon proof your houses when you build them?? ?

Radon is small problem in most of the world. Sweden and Finland on the other hand are one of the problem areas.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

i'm getting my sewer line replaced right now and they're recommending that I test the place for Radon gas levels once they patch up my floor and it finishes curing. I'm in the Hamilton area.

for anyone that has done this and found high levels of radon, what did you do and how much did it cost?

I don't know if i have high levels yet as i'll test it next month but i was looking at the options and the active subfloor depressurization system doesn't sound too costly but what do i know.

would love advice on that and where you did your test. i only go to the basement for laundry once or twice a week so i'm wondering if i test the basement or the main level of my house where i actually live and spend most of my time.

a mouthful here but thanks for your help!

Radon is all over NC.

We had a mitigation system put it a few years ago.
We paid like $1500 for our basement.

It’s a fancy exhaust fan with Pipes.

It’s mandatory if levels high enough.

Don’t let someone BS you into a $6-7000 system.

Shop around you can find certified people who won’t rip you off..

 

[NEpowerandlight]

Radon is all over NC.

We had a mitigation system put it a few years ago.
We paid like $1500 for our basement.

It’s a fancy exhaust fan with Pipes.

It’s mandatory if levels high enough.

Don’t let someone BS you into a $6-7000 system.

Shop around you can find certified people who won’t rip you off..

Around $1500 is dead on based on a conversation i had last week with a guy who installs these systems. We are building a large addition in SE Pa. where radon is an issue.

 

[MiSh]

We had a radon test before we bought our house. Came back high (9 pcl). Supposed to be under 4 pcl for healthy air. Cost to install a sub slab vent system that pulls air from under your basement slab was about $1800 (Chgo area). Anyway, I'm very mechanically inclined. I did some research and found an outfit online that provides assistance if you want to install your own system. I bought the exhaust fan thru their company and installed my own system. Total cost was about $700. System works great. Dropped our radon level to under 1 pcl.

 

[peakbagger]

There is pretty good research that Radon at hihg enough levels is a cause of lung cancer. Its come in house two ways, directly from the soil and in with the water (usually from deep well). Generally reducing soil transfer into a house is a combination of sealing the basment and installing subsurface ventilation. Ideally the area under the slab has a layer of geotextile over the undelying ground and then a layer of crushed rock prior to the sealed slab. This makes the depressurization work better with lower power draw. Radon in water comes out the many uses of water in the house with a high transfer from hot water. Thus taking a hot shower usually mean breathing in a dose. The radon is heavier than air and will collect int he lowest part of the house. With a sealed slab its not going anywhere. Samples are usually taken at low point so the values are probably overstated a bit compared the living space. The radon can be removed from water with activated carbon filters, usually two in series, when they are used up some area treat them as low level nuclear waste. Most people just chuck them in their trash but contractors may have to do special handling. The alternative is air stripping where the water is sprayed in tank while air is blown up through the water droplets and then vented up the side of the house to the roof. Since the water is no longer under pressure after being sprayed in the tank it must be repressurized with pump. Public water supplies are supposed to be tested for radon so they should not be an issue.

The scammy aspect about radon is that it normally comes up in a house sale assuming there is inspection (some states require it) and a requirement for testing in the contract. It usually comes up at the last minute. The real estate firm usually is asked to recommend a contractor to fix the problem and in some case the agent is getting a commission from the contractor. Both the seller and buyer is in a rush, so the typical solution is very pricey. Many of the equipment companies will only sell to contractors that are part of their sales network and a lot of it is overpriced. I have seen identical radon fans range in price by a couple of hundred percent depending on who is selling it.

 

[fortcollinsradonco]

In terms of testing for radon gas, the most reliable method is to use a professional radon measurement device. There are a number of companies that offer this service in the Hamilton area, and the cost depending on the type of test and the size of your home. If high levels of radon are detected, there are a number of mitigation options available. The active subfloor depressurization system you mentioned is one effective solution that can help to reduce radon levels in your home. This involves installing a vent pipe in your basement floor that draws radon gas from beneath the foundation and vents it outside. The cost of this system can vary depending on the size of your home and the complexity of the installation.

If you spend the majority of your time on the main level of your home, it's also a good idea to test there as well.

I hope this information helps, and I wish you all the best with your radon testing and mitigation efforts!