Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that forms naturally in the earth. As the earth shifts,fissures and veins carrying radon gasses open and close. When those gasses release from theearth into open air they dissipate. When the openings are under your home they run into yourslab/foundation. The gasses then enter through cracks, gaps and holes. Once inside, the gas canbecome concentrated and dangerous.

While there are no “safe” levels for sustained radon exposure, the EPA (EnvironmentalProtection Agency) recommends considering mitigation at levels of 2.0-3.9 pCi/l and considerslevels of 4.0 pCi/l or higher to be the level at which to mitigate.

An EPA certified Radon Testing Company will place an Activated Charcoal Canister in yourhome for a minimum of 48 hours and submit the testing to a laboratory for results.

EPA guidelines state a home should be tested every 2-5 years. More often if renovations thatinvolve the foundation have been done. This is because changes in the passageways in soil (highwater, construction, weather conditions etc.) as well as changes in the building condition (energyimprovements) can cause radon levels in the home to vary and change.

Every home is different as are the fissures and veins that carry radon gasses under each homedifferent. What your neighbor’s test results are should be rrelevant to whether you test yourhome or not. There are areas of New York that historically have high radon levels (CortlandCounty and Yates County are two), but it is our opinion that every home should be tested toconfirm the radon gas levels.

The terrific weatherization options now available for a home may actually be worse for dealing with radon gasses. Because the home is so efficiently sealed any gasses that enter are essentially trapped. Whereas older homes with loose caulking, ill-fitting doors and windows and poor insulation actually allow the radon gasses to dissipate.

There are several factors that can contribute to cost such as slab condition, composition of soilunder slab and whether you have a crawlspace or a full basement. Call us for a free, onsiteestimate.

A radon mitigation system works by depressurizing the area underneath a basement slab or vapor barrier. The system draws the radon polluted air out of the house and expels the gas above the roof line with the use of a radon approved fan.

A typical installation takes a single day to complete, however, there are instances where a second day is needed.

We do our best to keep the aesthetics of the home intact. If it is possible, we run the PVC piping alongside a chimney, we try to keep the piping in the rear of the home or we can paint the PVC to match the home’s color.

There are a couple of possibilities:

• When the water table surrounding your home is high it may collect under your foundation/slab.
  The radon fan is powerful and can pull water into the pipes. A sump pump can help.
• The radon mitigation system can pull humidity from the basement and water can collect in the
  pipes. A dehumidifier can help.
• The pitch of the pipes may be wrong and not allowing water to run off properly. Call us for an
  inspection.

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There is no maintenance with a radon mitigation system. There are just two ‘moving parts’ to a radon mitigation system – the fan (which has a 5-year warranty) and a manometer. The manometer is a u-shaped glass tube filled with a liquid (colored for easy reading) that measures pressure. The liquid levels of the manometer should not be level but offset. If they are level the system is not working and you should contact your installer. If the fan is not working you should contact your installer.