How accurate are do-it-yourself DIY radon test kits? ProMatcher
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You’ll also need to turn off and fans or vents that bring in outside air or vent large quantities of air out. That means a basic ceiling fan or stove vent is okay, but if you have a whole-house fan, you’ll need to turn it off. Choose a commonly used room on the lowest level of your home — something like your living room or your den in the basement. Do not test in bathrooms, the kitchen, or other rooms not meant for occupancy like closets or crawl spaces.
The study provided important information about how much radon exposure causes lung cancer. If the results of the test come back elevated, you may have an opportunity to negotiate an allowance to install a radon mitigation system. Elevated levels can be resolved and should not be a reason to not move forward with the purchase of the home. Two homes next to each other can have different levels of radon - so don’t depend on your neighbor’s test.
How common is radon?
Sealing - because radon enters the home through cracks and holes in the foundation, re-sealing the foundation helps to eliminate radon seepage. Sealing isn’t meant to be a remediation technique on its own, but should be used in conjunction with other techniques in order to further limit radon exposure. Active subslab suction - suction pipes are inserted through the basement or slab-on-grade floor into the soil beneath. A fan draws gas away from the home and releases it into the outside air, where it quickly becomes diluted and rendered harmless. Radon enters homes through cracks and holes in your home’s foundation. Radon can’t be seen or smelt, so the only way to know if it’s present in your home is to test for it - and radon has been found throughout the U.S., in both new and old homes.
Air in the home is cycled out less often, meaning more opportunity for radon to accumulate and stick around. Radon levels are almost always higher in the cold winter months due to changes in atmospheric pressure. Simply put, your home breathes in more air more quickly in the winter. Any risk of radon exposure is likely to be elevated in the colder season. Air in the home is cycled out less often, meaning more opportunity for radon to accumulate in higher concentrations. Regardless of what situation you find yourself in, if you are questioning whether you need a radon test, it is better to be sure that harmful levels of radon are not present than to not test.
Testing for radon
Not to mention the un-sealed hole in your foundation, which is a perfect avenue for radon to intrude into your home. Like any machine, radon systems can experience wear and can break down or not work as effectively as they once did. It is important to test every few years to ensure your mitigation system is continuing to keep you safe at home. The American Cancer Society offers programs and services to help you during and after cancer treatment. We can also help you find other free or low-cost resources available.
There is no price for the peace of mind that comes in knowing your home is healthy and safe. Read about lung cancer survivors in Kentucky who lived a healthy lifestyle, never smoked, and who believe their diagnoses were caused by exposure to radon gas. ” because you find yourself needing to come to a decision in the middle of your real estate transaction, wondering if the added cost is worth it.
First Alert RD1 Home Radon Test Kit
The more darts you have, the greater your chances of hitting the bullseye on the dartboard. A radon test helps you to know how many darts you have, and a mitigation system helps reduce the number of darts, or your chances of hitting the bullseye. Elevated radon levels have been found in both new and old homes and buildings. New homes may be at greater risk because of how efficiently they are built.
Health Metric Radon Home Test Kit Check Price Knowledge Is Power Bottom Line A great pick that provides all the information you would need to know about radon. Return shipping is pre-paid and lab results are typically given out fairly quickly once received. Cons Some users reported that they needed to pay for priority mail in order to get accurate results.
That radon gas can get trapped inside your home, and years of exposure to high levels of radon can cause cancer, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Jens Housley, Radon Product Manager forAprilAire, explains that if a DIY radon detector shows high radon levels, the next step is a certified tester. "We recommend that if a home test shows elevated levels, a professional should come in and do a more thorough test just to be 100% certain of the situation in the home," he says. Smoking combined with radon can greatly increase your risk for lung cancer. While drastic, spending less time in your house can minimize your risk, as can spending less time in the lower levels of your home.
Risks from radon are cumulative, which means serious effects result from exposure to high levels over a long period of time. It is prudent to test radon levels and decide on a course of action. But you don’t have to move out of your house or hire the first contractor who can fix the problem. A radon mitigation system involves ventilating your home by using PVC piping to draw radon gas up from the soil and out of your house, according to the EPA.
Short-term radon tests take between 2 and 90 days to collect readings from your home, depending on the manufacturer. You must then send these test kits to a laboratory to have the results calculated and returned to you. The lab fees and shipping costs are sometimes included with the product you purchase, so be sure to understand whether you will need to pay the fees. Radon is a radioactive gas that is naturally released in the air from rocks and soil. It can be found in the air outside and can get inside buildings and homes, where it can build up. Aiming for the lowest radon level you can achieve in your home will reduce your risk of harmful health effects, including lung cancer.
A digital display continuously updates radon level readings that you can check at any time. However, newer digital radon detectors can also be complex, depending on the additional features the manufacturer has added to the device. Smart home–compatible detectors will require a level of technical know-how for ongoing use. The best radon test kits alert you to the presence of this carcinogenic gas by detecting radon levels over a few days, a few months, or through ongoing radon detection. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a radon removal system if the radon level reading in your home is higher than 4 picocuries per liter of air (pCi/L). Radon tests detect either radon gas directly or the daughter products of radon's radioactive decay.
The AccuStar radon gas test kit is perfect for real estate agents who are in regular need of short-term radon test solutions for their clients. Although it can seep directly through pores in concrete, the worst entry points are gaps in walls and floors . Any house, of any age, in any state, can have elevated radon levels, the EPA warns. It really depends on the way your specific house interacts with the surrounding soil.
If you’ve tested your home and determine you have a problem, work with our team of licensed and certified professionals for the best results. According to the EPA, radon gas exposure is second only to smoking as the primary cause of lung cancer in the U.S. In fact, the combined effect of smoking and radon exposure dramatically increases your risk of developing lung cancer. Other factors that influence your risk of radon exposure are the length of time you’ve lived in a home with high radon levels and the intensity of exposure. Passive, short-term radon test kits are usually less expensive and can rely on several different mechanisms, such as charcoal canisters, to operate.
What is radon testing?
If you have a private well, you can have it tested for radon. If the levels are high, you can have the water supply treated so that the radon is removed before it enters your home. If you are concerned about radon and your water comes from a public water supply, you should contact your supplier. You can hire a professional tester or do it yourself with a kit you buy at a hardware store or online.
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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