Our house is in an area that is known for having a lot of Radon gas in the soil.
So, I did some research. I read: https://www.aarst.org/proceedings/2009/COLD_CLIMATE_RADON_MITIGATIONS_A_CANADIANS_PERSPECTIVE.pdf
I looked at this information too: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/radon/ This is where we found a list of qualified Radon Mitigation companies.
Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the soil that can/does cause cancer. It leeches up from the soil, through the basement slab and into the house. Any cracks in the slab make it easier for the gas to come through. Opening basement windows makes matters worse because it helps suck Radon up and out of the ground.
What is needed in our neighborhood to prevent Radon levels from reaching an unsafe level to humans, is to have a mitigation system installed in the house. The mitigation system sucks air with Radon gas from the soil under the basement slab and shoots it out of a vent in the roof of the house for our neighbors to enjoy.
This is not an advertising piece for Advanced Radon Services LLC. We chose them out of 3 other Mitigation contractors that came by and gave us bids. Our decision to use this company hinged on Walt who communicated the most thorough explanation of what was needed in this endeavor, and how his company would accomplish the job. As an added bonus he gave us a new toaster and the best guarantee of any of the companies. The estimates from all 3 were very similar. We also called two additional contractors who could not even be bothered to come out and look at our house. They gave us bids over the phone but no toasters were even offered. Useless.
Every house is different and so the solution has to be customized to the situation.
Luckily our house has a new drain tile system we had installed after last years flooding. The drain tile goes to a sump pump bucket that is just waiting for the spring flooding to arrive this year. What Ben and Sam (actual brothers) from Advanced Radon Services LLC did was drill a 4 inch hole in the concrete to tie into the drain tile system. They then put in and sealed a 4 inch PVC pipe in that hole. The PVC pipe then went up through the basement ceiling and then through closet floor and thru the closet ceiling and into the attic. In the attic a Radonaway model RP145 fan was attached to that PVC pipe and then on top of the fan more PVC pipe now in the color black is added that goes through the roof of the house and out goes the evil Radon gas.
Advanced Radon Services LLC use the the uber high quality, sealed Radonaway model RP145 fan that runs 24/7, 365 until it fails. Guaranteed for five years, but are known to go for ten. You should not hear the fan running because it is attic. So how do you know it is still removing the Radon from my basement? In the section of 4 inch vertical PVC that comes out of the basement floor the men install a U Tube Manometer.
This magic device visually indicates air movement. When things are running right, the indicator liquid in the manometer will be higher on one side of the scale. If the liquid on both sides of the manometer is level you are screwed. That means that no air is being pulled up the PVC pipe. Call the men! The fan motor has failed or the power is out. Advanced Radon Services LLC guarantees their systems for five years or 100,000 miles. Your MPG may vary.
Back in the basement the men sealed the sump pump cover added an inspection port and filled any cracks in the floor that might cause the system to draw air out of the basement instead of Radon gas from the soil under the slab.
Alan and Bob (not brothers) from Brothers Electric were sent to install an outlet in the attic to allow us to plug in the Radonaway model RP145 fan. They had the additional task of running a separate circuit to the boiler room in the basement so that we could legally plug in our new sump pump system. Bob had the pleasure of crawling around in the attic amongst the blown-in insulation, while Alan figured out how to pull new wires through the existing conduit. After the attic electrics were added, Bob then helped Alan with the copper tug of war through those crazy conduits, to get power to the sump pump. Their stoic efforts are greatly appreciated.
This Radon Mitigation business on the surface all seems so simple, but attention to detail is key in the effective removal of this dangerous radioactive gas from your home.
The EPA says that 4.0 pCi/L is a safe level.
The World Health Organization standard is 2.7 pCi/L. Who do you believe?
Our basement measured 8.0 pCi/L in the pre-test! I don’t even know what a pCi/L is. Walt promises below 2.7 pCi/L for 5 years. I hope I live to see it.
After the tools have been put away and the dust settles, we will put up 2 Radon Test Kits in the basement for five days and see if we have won the war.
Relax Walt. Actually, there was no dust. Sam and Ben are clean freaks. The only thing they left behind was a piece of PVC tubing running up from the basement through the roof interrupted by the marvelous Radonaway model RP145 fan. These guys did an extremely professional job in both words and action.
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