How do I make my house safe from radon?
An active radon sump, fitted with a fan, is the most effective way to reduce indoor radon levels. Sumps work best under solid floors and under suspended floors if the ground is covered with concrete or a membrane. Occasionally, passive sumps without a fan may reduce radon levels.
What percentage of homes have radon?
In fact, you and your family are most likely to get your greatest radiation exposure at home. That is where you spend most of your time. Nearly one out of every 15 homes in the United States is estimated to have an elevated radon level (4 pCi/L or more).
Is a radon level of 14 dangerous?
Radon levels are measured in picocuries per liter, or pCi/L. Levels of 4 pCi/L or higher are considered hazardous. Radon levels less than 4 pCi/L still pose a risk and in many cases can be reduced, although it is difficult to reduce levels below 2 pCi/L.
What time of year is radon highest?
Radon was once thought to always be higher in a building during winter. This is no longer true. Data shows that radon is increasingly even across seasons, and in ΒΌ of homes can even be at its highest during summer periods.
How much does it cost to fix a radon problem?
The cost of a mitigation system may vary according to the home’s design, size, foundation, construction materials and the local climate. Radon reduction systems average costs nationally are $1,200 with a range from $800 to $1500 common depending on house and market conditions.
At what level should radon be mitigated?
EPA recommends fixing your home if the results of one long- term test or the average of two short- term tests 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. You also may want to consider fixing if the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L.
Can radon fans go in basement?
A radon fan must be installed in a non-livable area of the house. This cannot be a basement or crawl-space area!! A radon fan may be installed in a garage, house attic, or outside the house.
Do radon fans have to be outside?
So where should your radon fan be located? Radon mitigation standards require that the fan to be placed outside of the living space of the home. Another way to define this is any where outside the conditioned air space of the heating and air conditioning system.
How do you vent radon in a basement?
A contractor will drill two small test holes in the concrete floor on opposite sides of the basement, then install a vacuum in one and measure air flow with the other. If there is sufficient air movement below the slab, then a radon evacuation stack can be installed with a fan that exhausts to the exterior.
What causes radon in basement?
Radon comes from decaying Uranium that is contained in the rock and soil beneath the basement (under the foundation) of every home. This process actually draws air more forcefully between the high and low-pressure areas and can pull more air from the rock and soil beneath your home impacting your radon levels.
Is living in basement bad for health?
Some health risks to people who live in basements have been noted, for example mold, radon, and risk of injury/death due to fire. Presence of mold can lead to “respiratory symptoms, respiratory infections, allergic rhinitis and asthma”, as well as personal belongings being contaminated by mold.
Does a dehumidifier reduce radon?
No, buying a dehumidifier will not make radon go away. Radon must be removed by a remediation method like active soil depressurization (ASD), which ironically has been shown to be even more effective at removing humidity from a home than a dehumidifier in the same EPA study.