Radon Mitigation


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How to Reduce Radon Levels in Your Home

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When the radon levels in your home exceed Tennessee guidelines, stating 200 becquerels/m3, it’s time to seek professional help in reducing radon levels to an acceptable measure. The higher the radon levels, the more urgent it is to remediate. According to a National Research Council report for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), eliminating radon gas entirely from your indoor living environment is not possible. The report explained that a third of lung cancer cases caused by radon exposure could be prevented if homes met the Canadian guideline. The following are tips to help you reduce radon levels in your home so that they’re at safe and acceptable levels: Increase the ventilation in your home to allow the air to properly circulate. You might want to try increasing mechanical ventilation through a heat recovery system (HRV) to permit air exchange. Seal all cracks, holes, or openings (water, sewer, electricity, etc.) in the foundation walls and floors (basement). Al...
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Should I have a cover put on my Radon pipe?

Homeowners frequently ask us if we put a cover on the top of the radon mitigation piping, and it’s a good question. It does seem like it would be a good idea when you look and see a pipe open to the elements. However, as we will explain in this post, not only is it not necessary for the system to be effective and to protect the fan, pipe covers can actually reduce the effectiveness of the system itself and cause big issues in the winter time. Lets first go over the main questions we hear from homeowners when they see the opening in the top of the pipe. Won't rain get into the piping and negatively affect the system? The radon mitigation fans that we use are designed to handle water coming through the piping, and if water does come down into the pipe when it rains, the water will simply drain back into your drain tile underneath your home to be pumped out again from your sump pump. In our 21 years of business, we have never encountered a water issue from rain trickling...
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How Does Radon Enter a Home or Building?

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Radon forms naturally. Uranium in soil or rock breaks down to form radium, which then turns into radon gas. Once formed, radon enters a home through cracks in walls, basement floors, foundations and other openings. As radon decays, it releases radioactive byproducts that are inhaled and can cause lung cancer. Because radon comes from rock and soil, it can be found anywhere. Exposure to limited concentrations, like those found outdoors, is impossible to avoid. However, when radon gets trapped indoors, it may exist in dangerous concentrations. Less frequently, radon may enter buildings from water used in bathroom showers and faucets. Concerns have also been raised about the radon released indoors from building materials, such as granite countertops or tiles. However, these sources have rarely proven to be a problem by themselves. 2, 3 Concerns have also recently emerged about radon in natural gas extracted by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. 4 Follow-up resear...
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