my home office is down here in the
basement the other day I was reading an
article about radon and wondering if I
might be at risk so just what is radon a
radon is a colorless odorless gas that's
created by the decomposition of radium
radium is a naturally occurring element
found in all rock and soil to one degree
or another so whether or not a home has
a radon problem depends upon how much
radium is present in the soil that the
structure is built upon testing is the
only way you're going to know whether or
not you have a problem where is the
highest concentration of radon likely to
be poems with finished basements are
more susceptible to elevated exposures
so by all means whenever testing you
test the lowest lived-in level of the
home so a family room in the basement
constitutes that there are do it
yourself radon testing kits available
that are easy to use
set the unit in place leave it
undisturbed for the prescribed amount of
time then send the device to a testing
lab for results I've decided to have the
tests professionally done another online
search leads me to home spec a local
home inspection company specializing in
radon the next day Ross private comes by
the house and sets up an electronic
radon detection and measurement monitor
in the finished portion of the basement
two days later he returns and downloads
the test data the results show that the
amount of radon in my basement is 50
percent higher than the Environmental
Protection Agency's action level of 4.0
picoCuries per liter based on this EPA
standard I'm substantially above the
level at which action should be taken to
reduce radon concentrations but just
what kind of a health risk does this
pose based upon extended exposure
there's an increased risk of lung cancer
radon is thought to be the number one
leading cause of lung cancer non-smokers
and the second leading cause of lung
cancer in the general population after
smoking I know I've got elevated radon
levels and I also know that that can be
a serious health hazard so I'm going to
have to do
something about it I'm going to go
online here and look under radon
mitigation a search revealed several
local companies and I decided to contact
this one Connecticut basement systems
radon after an initial consultation I
elected to have them do the work a few
days later Rafael and Javier arrived to
install the system a radon mitigation
system draws air from beneath the
basement slab through a hole board into
the floor a pipe or duct is inserted
into the hole and run outside where an
inline fan expels the air and radon gas
above the roof line but how does radon
get into the home in the first place
radon enters the home via many different
entry points through the porosity of the
concrete itself through openings in the
floor whether it be through for cracks
openings in the perimeter floor drains
and some polls dirt crawl spaces
anywhere where there is any kind of
permeability and there's a source
underneath the home right on we'll find
a way in before the actual installation
begins the technicians board to test
holes on opposite sides of the basement
floor they apply suction to one of the
holes and use a vacuum meter on the
other this test will verify that air
beneath the slab can in fact be
evacuated with the test complete a three
inch hole is bored through the basement
floor
a section of PVC pipe is inserted into
the hole and the gap around the pipe is
sealed 3 inch PVC is now run across the
basement the joints are cemented and the
pipe itself is hung from the joist with
j-hook pipe hangers the pipe run is then
connected to the vertical section coming
up from the floor once it's determined
where the pipe will exit the basement a
smaller locator hole is bored through
the rim joist then a 3 inch hole saw
bores a hole large enough for the pipe a
section of PVC is inserted through the
hole and connected to the pipe run
inside next a radon mitigation fan
engineered to run 24 hours a day seven
days a week is attached to the three
inch PVC and connected to a power supply
although the fan will be running
continuously weather resistance switch
is installed so the system can be shut
off manually if needed the PVC pipe is
run horizontally to a location near the
downspout then upward and around the
eave the final section of pipe extends
the run well above the roof line this
device installed inside continuously
monitors the system and visually
verifies that everything is functioning
properly
so to recap that fan outside is creating
negative pressure or a vacuum in this
pipe which is drawing out air and radon
gas that's trapped beneath the basement
floor right here I know the fan is
working because of this monitor so the
air and radon gas is traveling up here
across the basement and then outside
where it's exhausted above the roof line
if you're buying a home here's one final
bit of advice from the experts
we recommend that every person who is
interested in purchasing a property have
a radon test performed prior to
purchasing at home so they know what
they're getting into some homes will
test out higher in the winter time
versus the summer time and so therefore
a person buying a home in the summertime
who did a test found a low reading they
never test again and think that they're
protected but that same house in the
wintertime can have a much higher radon
concentration