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Radon Mitigation - How to Get Rid of Radon in Your HouseMost people don't know it, but the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths each year, after smoking, is radon. More than 20,000 people die from radon-related cancer each year. And the EPA estimates that 1 in 15 homes has higher that acceptable levels of radon. Problem is, radon is invisible and the effects can take decades to build up, so most people don't think about it or worry about it. A lot of people learn they have high levels of radon when they sell their home or buy a new home and have to do a radon test. Or perhaps they do a home radon test themselves (see our page on Radon Test Kits) and find out they have a radon reading above the 4 threshold. Whatever the case, you find out you have a have a radon problem and you want to get rid of it. This is called radon mitigation or radon abatement. Generally, this is not something you can do yourself -- you will need to contract a radon mitigation professional contractor and have them come out and take a look at your house and figure out the best system for your situation. But be sure to do a second test to confirm results before hiring a contractor. Take a look below to see how a radon mitigation system works, how much it costs, and where you can get help finding a qualified contractor to do the work. For a general overview of what radon is, why it is dangerous, how it gets into houses, and how to get rid of it, be sure to also visit: radon.com/radon/radon_EPA.html. Another good site with a page on radon FAQs is infiltec.com/inf-faqr.htm -- they have info on sealing cracks, radon mitigation costs, a radon fan guide, do-it-yourself options (though we recommend using a professional for something as important as your families health), and well-water radon issues.
How Much does Radon Mitigation Cost?The average cost for a radon mitigation system is around $1200, but can range from $800-$900 all the way up to $2000+ depending on the situation. A standard ASD (see below) is usually the easiest and cheapest, whereas rock basement walls, exposed earth in crawl spaces, and other factors will lead to higher costs. What is a radon mitigation system? How do you actually get rid of radon? Most radon mitigation systems are based around a suction system that creates negative air pressure below your home and sucks up air and radon and vents it through a series of pipes out above your roof and away from your home. This is called Active Soil Depressurization, or ASD (or sub-slab suction).To do this, all cracks and fissures and holes in your basement and foundation are sealed (to keep radon from seeping in), then one or more holes are drilled through the basement floor to get to the space beneath (to get to the air below your house where the radon exists). The biggest hassle is getting the air from below your basement floor out through the top of your roof -- this means finding a path between the floors of your home where you can invisibly hide a plastic PVC pipe/tube that needs to run from the basement up to the attic and out the roof. You may need to go up through closet spaces or utility rooms, sometimes you need to go out an external wall. On our house in New England, we had to go out the basement wall, up the side of the exterior of the house, then into the attic and out the roof -- we couldn't find a straight path through 2 floors of house to get to the attic. The end result is a 4-6" white plastic PVC pipe that snakes its way up through your house and out to the outside. The fan unit is normally placed in the attic where it runs continuously to pump the air up and out from beneath the basement. The end result is hopefully also a reduction of 85-99% of your radon gas.
For homes built with just a foundation over a crawl space, plastic sheeting (a special white radon vapor barrier, not just regular plastic) can be applied over the bare earth below the house and a similar technique (called sub-membrane depressurization) can be used to create suction under the plastic and discharge the air and gas away from the home, normally using the same pipe venting technique. Like all home improvement projects, you'll want to get bids from several different contractors to make sure you are getting a fair price. Radon Mitigation FansOnce your system is in place, you may have to occasionally replace a fan unit that dies. You can buy radon mitigation fans by themselves for around $120-$300. Fantech.com makes some of the best radon fans -- they come with a 5 year warranty and have an expected lifespan of 8-10 years. All electrical wiring and work should be done by a licensed electrician. Their HP190 fan for 4" ductwork runs about $130, while the HP220 for 6" pipes costs about $180 (we found these on iaqsource.com, which are really good prices). Radon.biz also has a number of radon fans available, from the big Fantech FR-250 8-10" fan for $350 to the $215 Radonaway 3" fan to the $132 Fantech HP2190 (replaces older 190).Finding a Radon Mitigation ContractorWe recommend you start at the EPA website -- they have a section with information state by state on who you can contact to get help or information on radon in your area. Visit here, then just click on your state. There should be a contact person there from Department of Human Services who can assist you with questions or concerns you might have. You'll also find radon maps there for your state, showing which counties have, on average, the lowest and highest radon levels. You can also contact the National Radon Safety Board at NRSB.org. On the left side of their page you'll see a link for Radon Mitigation Professionals -- click thru there and enter your zip code to find a list of accredited radon contractors in your area. Finally, also check out National Environmental Health Assoc. at NEHA-NRPP.org (or RadonGas.org) and click on MITIGATION to get a list of licensed radon mitigators in your state.Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.
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