Radon Busters provides residential radon testing and radon reduction system installation.
To find out more about the services I offer, please browse through the following
most often-asked testing and installation questions.
Short-Term Radon Testing
How long does it take to perform a short-term radon test?Typically, a short-term radon test remains in your home for a duration of 48 hours to 90 days, depending on the type of test device used.
When will my test results become available to me?When a short-term test is conducted for a real estate transaction, an electronic continuous radon monitor or a charcoal canister is typically used to measure radon. When a continuous monitor is used, the test results, with a printed report, are available immediately upon completion of the test. If a charcoal canister is used, the canister must be shipped to a laboratory for analysis, with the test results available on-line or by telephone usually within 24 hours upon receipt by the laboratory.
Will the test be an inconvenience to my family?To ensure a valid short-term radon test for a real estate transaction, all exterior doors and windows must be kept closed during the duration of the test. It is acceptable to open and close doors to enter and exit your home, just as it is acceptable to operate a central air conditioner or furnace as your comfort level dictates. If you’re cooling your home with a window air conditioner, just make sure the air conditioner is circulating indoor air and not venting to the outside. If the test is conducted in the basement, you must keep the door leading to the basement closed.
Long-Term Radon Testing
What is the benefit of a long-term test?A long-term test provides results that are more indicative of the year-round average radon level inside your home.
How long does a long-term test take?A long-term test remains in your home for more than 90 days (ideally during the winter months) and then it’s shipped to a certified laboratory for analysis. For the annual average, a long-term radon test can remain inside your home for up to one year.
Reduction System Installation
How does a radon reduction system work?The typical radon reduction system is referred to as a sub-slab depressurization system. This depressurization process creates a negative pressure under your home’s foundation that, in a sense, sucks your home tight against the ground while pulling the air out of the soil surrounding your home’s foundation. That’s why it’s important to seal the cracks in your basement floor and foundation walls and to seal the sump pit – not so much to prevent the radon from entering your home, as it is to prevent heated or cooled air inside your home from being pulled out of the home and vented to the outside by the reduction system. Sealing the cracks in your basement floor and foundation walls helps reduce heating and cooling costs when operating a radon reduction system.
What are the components of a radon reduction system?A variety of components can be used to reduce radon in your home. Sealing cracks and other openings in the basement floor and foundation is a basic component of a radon reduction system. If your home has a sump pit, that needs to be sealed too. The EPA does not recommend the use of sealing alone to limit radon entry – sealing alone has not been shown to lower radon levels significantly or consistently. The final, and most important component of a radon reduction system is to install a reduction blower and vent pipe leading from the basement floor to the roof of the home. A reduction system is designed to pull radon from the soil surrounding your home's foundation and vent it to the outside before it has a chance to enter your home.
Will the system be noticable on my home?The ideal installation makes use of an attached garage where the vent pipe and reduction blower are hidden from view outside the home. If the home does not have an attached garage, one option is to route the vent pipe from the basement, up through an interior closet, and into the attic where the reduction blower is installed. A last-resort option is to route the vent pipe directly through the basement wall to the outside of the home and up along the exterior of the home – certainly a workable option, but one the neighbors might not appreciate.
How much does it cost to have a radon reduction system installed?In general, the owner of an average-size home can expect to pay between $795 and $1300 to have a radon reduction system installed. Variables influencing price might include the necessity of having to replace a pedestal sump pump with a submersible sump pump in order to form an airtight seal around the sump pit, sealing multiple sump pits, routing the system vent pipe over an extended distance, the number of cracks in the basement floor and foundation requiring caulking, installing multiple sub-slab suctions points, installing a radon barrier in a crawl space with a dirt or gravel floor, and any electrical work that might be necessary to power the reduction blower.
Post System Installation Testing
Do you test my home after installing a reduction system?Always. Re-testing your home after the reduction system has been operating for 24 hours is the only way to know for sure if the system is doing its job. If the radon reduction system was installed as a contingency to a real estate transaction, a post system verification test with supporting documentation is mandatory.
Why is there a 24-hour delay to perform the verification test?EPA/NEHA protocol states that a short-term follow-up test is to begin no sooner than 24 hours after the radon reduction system is initially turned on. This 24-hour delay allows the reduction system to reduce the accumulated radon to the true level one expects with an active reduction system. Starting the verification test as soon as the reduction system is turned on can result in an inaccurate radon level reading.
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