Is Radon Testing Necessary?

Radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. You run a higher chance of getting lung cancer if you smoke and reside in a house with high radon levels. The only reliable way to find out if you and your family are at increased risk of radon exposure is to have your house tested after the best home inspectors in Albuquerque have shown their doubts. While radon testing is not essential during a home inspection, the EPA does advise it. You may decide not to have radon testing done if the home already has a radon mitigation system or if the seller can produce documentation showing that the house doesn’t have high radon levels. Still, there are many reasons radon testing becomes essential. Read below to find out about those.

Why is Radon Testing Important?

The fundamental reason for radon testing in homes is that the gas is otherwise invisible to the human senses. Radon gas penetrates homes through cracks, joints during construction, drains, and other openings. It has no taste, smell, or color. Therefore, testing the house is the only way to determine whether radon is present. To ascertain whether a remediation system will be required, you may hire a qualified radon specialist to carry out testing.

Many new homes come equipped with passive radon mitigation systems, which remove radon from home using “passive” methods like natural airflow. However, passive mitigation devices function unevenly and struggle to remove significant radon levels. Other homes might have radon mitigation systems installed, but they could experience issues like equipment failure. Because of this, radon levels in a home might still be high even with a mitigation system in place. Testing your new house for radon and then remediating it if necessary is the most reliable way to ensure it will be safe.

How To Test For Radon?

According to Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration News, the main radon entrance points into a structure are below-grade joints, fractures in walls and floors, loose-fitting pipe penetrations, and sump pump openings. The lowest habitable part of a home, such as a basement, should be tested for radon. Experts advise that all windows and doors stay shut for 12 hours before and for most of the test itself. There is active radon testing in addition to passive radon testing.

According to Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration News, a professional sampling group with specific equipment must visit the home for functional testing. Follow-up measures in at least two inhabited areas of the house should be taken if the initial radon readings are higher than the four pCi/L limits.

There are two types of tests: those carried out during best home inspection services in Albuquerque by an inspector professionally and those that householders can carry on their own by obtaining a basic kit at the hardware store. A DIY test requires you to place it on the lowest level of your home for at least 48 hours before returning it to a lab for analysis. Consider contacting a radon expert certified by the National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) or National Radon Safety Board (NRSB), two independent bodies, for a professional test.

Short-Term Tests

You can find out the results of a short-term test in two to three days, giving you a quick indication of whether you have a problem that you should look into more closely.

According to Fixr, these tests can range from $15 to $300 depending on whether a professional does them or you do it yourself. There are various varieties, with professional pricing ranging from $150 for a charcoal canister to $300 for the electret ion chamber, while average DIY expenses for each type vary from $15 to $35.

Long-Term Tests

If your house has high radon levels, a specialist will frequently advise you to conduct a short-term test first, followed by a long-term one. With a long-term test, your radon will be monitored for up to a year and for a period longer than 90 days. This is because radon levels can change over time, making longer-term tests more reliable because they account for a longer time frame.

Long-term tests come in various forms, with prices ranging from $25 for an Alpha Track test, a basic plastic sheet that reveals etchings when radon is present, to $300 for a continuous monitor test, which specialists more frequently perform.

Radon Remediation

Can radon be removed? Yes. The EPA claims that some remediation methods can lower the amount of radon in your house by up to 99%. To manage this, you should speak with an experienced contractor and get quotes, just like any home repair project.

No one method works for all Wi-Fi-connected radon detectors. When creating a mitigation plan, a radon expert must collect readings at different locations and consider various parameters.

Use the EPA’s state-by-state list of radon-related resources to locate the closest Radon Mitigation in your area.

Potential Remediation Techniques

• Active Subslab Suction – Active sub-slab suction involves inserting suction pipes below a basement or slab-on-grade floor into the ground. A fan draws gas out of the house and releases outside, soon diluted and rendered harmless. It’s also referred to as the pressurization technique.
• Soil suction – By releasing radon through pipes into the outside air, quickly diluted and rendered harmlessly, soil suction takes radon away from the house.
• Sealing – Re-sealing the foundation will help stop radon seepage since radon enters the house through cracks and gaps. Sealing should be used in conjunction with other cleanup methods to reduce radon exposure further rather than as a stand-alone remedy.
• Aeration Treatments – By bubbling air through the water and releasing it outdoors, aeration treatments eliminate radon from the water. Only well water is often contaminated with radon.
• GAC Treatment – You can eliminate radon through GAC treatment, which filters water through carbon.