• Admin
• June 17, 2020
• 20 comments

Radon Testing

Let's talk about airborne radon testing since it is the first step in determining if there is, in fact a radon problem. Lets preface this by stating that radon gas is EVERYWHERE, It is in the air we breathe even in our back yard and it is definitely in every house on the planet, even with a radon system. So anyone making a statement like "there is no radon here" or "this house does not have radon" or "there is no radon in this part of town", is fooling themselves and whoever they are telling that to. The fact is there is radon everywhere and the real question is, how much radon is here? Radon testing is the only way to know what your house has for radon levels. It does not matter what your neighbor has, or anyone else on your street for that matter, every house is different. Unsafe levels of radon can be found in only one house on a given street while all the other homes may test as safe, or they may all test as unsafe except for one house on the street.

Now testing comes in several forms. The EPA recommends what is known as long term testing. Long term testing should be done whenever possible because it will give the most accurate results regarding your average indoor radon levels. Long term testing can last 3 months to a year and it should be done covering two or more seasons. Nothing special needs to be done to the house and normal living conditions should be maintained, no need to close up the house or worry about the weather, it designed to determine levels of radon under normal everyday life. This is the type of test you would want to use in a house that is NOT for sale at the time of testing.

Short term testing is the one REALTORS want to be using or have done. Short term testing was designed for a quick idea on if a home might have an elevated radon level and there is not enough time for long term testing. Short term testing should be conducted for typically 48 to 72 hours. ANY method of testing should always be done for a minimum of 48 hours, and under "normal" weather conditions. Normal conditions are just what you would think it is, 2-3 inches of rain in a 24 hr. period and high wind conditions are NOT normal and this weather will severely impact your short term testing results and not in a good way. Severe weather will raise indoor radon levels substantially during the severe weather event and they will return to their more regular readings as that weather passes. Some home are mistakenly diagnosed as a high radon level home because of testing in the wrong weather conditions. Remember this is a test that averages the readings over a 48 hour period, so if you have a home that is normally say a 3.0 pCi/l and day 2 of the test has a heavy downpour of rain and high winds, the radon on that day may reach 9.0 or higher. That would end up with a test result of 6.0 indicating an elevated radon problem, however that 9.0 was only a temporary reading and quickly dropped to around the 3.0 mark as the weather passes. So weather can play an important part in test results.

Location, Location, Location, applies to radon testing also. In addition to the weather concerns, where the testing is done is also a big issue. Many home inspectors who conduct radon testing are not certified testers and there are not many certified testers around. Certified testers know the when's and where's about testing. Most non certified testers believe that testing in the basement is always the best place to test. In many cases it is the right place, but not always by a long shot.

The EPA states that radon testing should be conducted in the lowest level of a home that is suitable to be used as a living space without major renovations.

That means that most basements that have intact concrete or block walls and a concrete floor and are mostly dry and could be used as an exercise space, family room, workshop etc, would be the right place to test. A basement in an old house with crumbling stone walls or a dirt floor, missing concrete floor sections, or low ceilings and very damp conditions would not be the preferred location for testing because it is not suitable to be used for just about anything because of its condition. In this case the 1st floor living space would be the preferred place to test since nobody will spending any time in this basement without major renovations to make it habitable, like pouring a concrete floor, sealing the floor to the walls etc. I once heard of a home inspector who thought testing in a crawl space would be a good place to test, who lives in a crawl space? I like to think of it as "test where you breath". Now just because the seller does not use his clean, dry, concrete basement does not mean that the buyers won't use it. The reasoning behind this "rule" of testing is because the cost of mitigation for this home with the undesirable basement can be very costly, so now your typical $1300.00 radon system may need several thousand dollars of work before it can be mitigated. It may need the basement dug out, stone installed and a new floor poured, or perhaps it will need a costly HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) system to reduce the levels. Next installment: Testing Radon in the well water.