Do I Need a Radon Test? The First Step in Radon Exposure Prevention
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Even better, she gets to share their stories with the world. If necessary, water can be treated for radon either before it enters the home or at the tap. Testing is recommended during a time of the year when all of the windows and doors are closed – like this month, January. Stay in the know with real estate, architecture, technology, and industry disrupters. Is it time to swoop in and gobble up properties after they drop in value? The question of whether or not the housing market is going to crash in 2023 is a valid one.
Previous blogs, radon is a pressing concern, especially since it cannot be detected by human senses alone. Radon is the second-highest cause of lung cancer and poses other health concerns. It’s also an odorless, invisible gas so there is no good way to keep track of levels in your home without a bit of assistance. Most people aren’t about to buy a house sight-unseen — not even house flippers looking for a run-down house to build up.
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Some states, and some lenders, may require you to disclose the presence of radon since it is considered a potentially harmful gas. Soil suction- draws radon away from the home by venting it through pipes to the outside air, where it quickly becomes diluted and rendered harmless. Radon can actually be produced from the breakdown of several different radioactive metals, including radium, thorium, and uranium. The EPA estimates that one out of every 15 houses in the U.S. has an elevated radon problem. We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.
Digital detectors use an air sensor to detect alpha particles, counting the number of particles several times per hour and displaying a radon level. Passive radon detectors are generally very easy to set up, with most having instructions that specify a temporary location for them to sit during the allotted time period. This style of test is more accurate than short-term test kits and is a medium-range option falling between short-term kits and ongoing radon detectors.
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Alpha track detectors are coated in plastic film, marked by alpha particles that hit it. It’s why you need to test for 2 to 90 days or more than 3 months . You may conduct short-term testing if you need the results quickly. However, you should immediately do another short-term test after the first one. 12 hours prior to dropping of the radon monitor you will need to have closed house conditions. To check for radon-contaminated water, a professional company should check private wells, public water supplies and any groundwater sources.
The windows and doors of your entire home should remain closed, except for the main entry/exit point. Long-term kits measure radon in your home for over 90 days and are more likely to tell you your home’s year-round average level. The longer the test, the better the results will reflect your home and lifestyle. Contact your state radon officefor specific information and resources in your area for testing and for a list of qualified radon testers.
Radon testing devices-passive
There is no mailing required, and the results of your test are immediately available. Using a CRM to test provides the most accurate and precise measurement of the radon levels in your home during the test period. CRM tests can be provided by licensed and certified radon testing professionals. Our team here at Protect Environmental is NRPP certified to conduct radon testing for accurate and detailed results.
It is important that either the professional service or home test kit be EPA-approved. If the company you hired confirms the presence of radon in dangerous levels, they will work with you to recommend the appropriate radon mitigation techniques and systems. Radon gas occurs naturally as uranium breaks down in soil, rock and water. Although radon can enter homes through well water or even through some construction materials, such as granite or concrete, the greatest risk of radon entry into a home is through the soil. The long-term test is recommended if the short-term test results are close to the 4 pCi/L mitigation threshold. However, a short-term test can be used to confirm an earlier test with very high levels of radon, according to the state.
What to Do if Radon Gas Is Found in Your Home
While it’s not possible to eliminate radon entirely, a radon mitigation system helps to expel the gas from your home to keep concentrations low. Often, the system consists of a pipe that is sunk through your basement floor and into the soil beneath your house. The pipe may continue upward through your home to an exit point on the roof, or it may exit the basement and continue upwards along the outside of the house. For more detailed and accurate results, a professional radon test is recommended. These are performed by home inspectors with special training in radon testing.
You’ll want to do routine checks to make sure your house is still structurally sound and in good shape. Part of those ongoing checks should include regular radon testing, especially if you’re in Colorado. The EPA recommends radon mitigation when levels exceed 4 pCi/L, and it is said that 50% of homes in Colorado have higher radon levels . The CDPHE recommends all homes — new and old — be tested every few years for radon. Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in rock and soil, an abundant metal in the West.
The EPA suggests a radon removal system be installed for any radon level reading higher than is considered acceptable. Radon test kits use several different methods to test the air in your home for elevated radon levels. Bluetooth connectivity allows the data to be retrieved from the RadonEye app, where 10-minute intervals of information are updated into a helpful graph. The continuous real-time and long-term monitoring provides an average reading over time, and an alarm feature will notify you if the radon levels in your home exceed 4 pCi/L. After sending the test kit to the lab, you can expect results to be available online within a few days.
The housing market has been behaving erratically - prices rose at breakneck speed, only to hit the brakes once mortgage rates rose. Radon remediation can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 or more - where you live and how large your home is will help determine this number. GAC treatment - filtering water through carbon can remove radon. A great pick that provides all the information you would need to know about radon. Radon levels can vary considerably by region, from extremely low in regions of the south such as Louisiana and Mississippi to much higher in the Pacific Northwest. You should plan on retesting your home for radon after any significant remodeling jobs and even after nearby construction.
If you smoke, quitting is still the best way to reduce your risk of lung cancer. If levels are still high, consider installing a radon mitigation system yourself or hire a pro. We picked Atlantic Real Estate Services for a new sump pump and radon pump because Tommy the owner was the one who came to our house and did all the work. At the lab, the sodium iodide counter counts the radioactive particles transmitted by the charcoal. Short-term testing can take 2–90 days and long-term testing takes more than 90 days. The exact length of time for testing depends on the specific test.
Short-term tests are best done if the results are needed quickly and should be followed by another short-term test. Long-term tests will yield better information on a home's average year-round radon levels. Radon test devices are placed in the lowest occupied level of the home.
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