Radon: What is it? How to Get Rid of It

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

Channel: Ron Hazelton

Views: 364,219

Keywords: radon, remove radon, how to get rid of radon, home improvement, home safety, ron hazelton, do it yourself

Id: 96K4Lke0H8Q

Length: 6min 31sec (391 seconds)

Published: Thu May 19 2016