AE Home Inspectors, LLC
Delivering Peace of Mind... One Home Inspection at a Time!
Quality Visual Observations and Evaluations
(404) 406-9031
Atlanta - North Atlanta - Cobb County
New Homes - Resales - Town Homes - Presales - Condos
Qualified, well trained inspectors
Written Report which fully
informs a buyer what
he/she is buying
Unbiased and objective
reporting
Assistance for those who
have purchased property
with problems
Commitment to ongoing
training and excellence
Checklist for Radon
To check for radon:
Expose detector in lowest level of home.
If level is high, retest in several rooms.
When levels are elevated:
__ Seal all cracks and joints
__ Eliminate negative air pressure
__ Leave windows open, on upwind and downwind side of house, not just
on down wind side.
__ Bring direct air supply from outside using fan
__ Cover and ventilate open areas of earth in basement to outside
__ Recheck levels
If levels are still high,
__ Install forced ventilation fans with heat exchangers
__ Contact a consultant about a suction system.
Radon
Fortunately, since radon was first raised as a major environmental health threat in the mid-1980s, testing has become easy and inexpensive. Radon test kits are readily available at supermarkets and hardware stores in most areas. The two most widely used and least expensive kits are the carbon canister, which costs $10 to $25 and the Alpha-track detector, which costs $20 to $50. The price includes analysis, which is done by mailing the kits to a laboratory. Results are returned by mail.
The Alpha-track detector is a small piece of plastic which collects the tracks of alpha particles, also emitted as a radon decays. This device must be exposed in the home for between two and four weeks. Afterwards it is sent to the lab, which counts the Alpha particle tracks.
EPA recommends a two-step protocol for using
these devices.
Step one, known as the screening measurement, is intended to provide
a quick answer to whether there is a radon problem. It calls for putting
a test kit in the lowest living area of the home, the basement if possible,
after having the windows closed for at least 12 hours. During the test
kit exposure period, keep the windows and doors closed as much as possible.
The screening measurement is unlikely to give an accurate picture of the
average radon level, but it is a good indicator of whether further measurements
are needed.
If necessary, step two of the radon diagnosis process involves exposing several kits and averaging their readings together to get a better idea of the seriousness of any problem.
EPA’s Guidelines for interpreting the
first step screening test results are:
1. If the levels is 200 picocuries per liter or higher, conduct
follow up measurements. Immediately, expose test kits over a one-week period
during which the windows and doors remain closed as much as possible. Also
consider taking action to reduce the radon level.
2. If the level is between 20 and 200 picocuries per liter, follow up measurements
should be conducted, with test kits exposed over a three month period during
which the windows and doors are closed as much as possible.
3. If the level is between four and 20 picocuries per liter, then do further
measurements, including exposing test kits for one year, or exposing detectors
for one week in each of the four seasons.
4. If the level is below four picocuries per liter and the house was closed
as much as possible before and during the test, there is little chance
of a radon problem.
Solving Radon Problems
When follow up measurements show the radon level is 200
picocuries or greater, EPA recommends immediate corrective action. When
it is between 20 and 200 picocuries, action should be taken within months.
Between four and 20 picocuries, actions should be taken within a few years.
Investment-free options for reducing exposure to radon including spending less time in areas with high levels, keeping windows open and window fans on to maximize ventilation, and if there is a crawl space under the house, keeping the vents on all sides of the home open all year long. EPA warns however, that natural ventilation will not effectively reduce radon concentrations above 40 picocuries per liter. Further, keeping windows open will increase heating and cooling costs.
Other options for reducing radon can range from less than $100 to several thousand dollars. Some states have or are considering financial aid programs to help homeowners correct radon problems. Pennsylvania, for example offers low cost loans. The other corrective measures include:
1. Patching cracks and openings through which radon enters the home.
2. Installing ventilation fans which can be coupled with heat exchangers
to capture and reuse heat from inside air before it s ventilated to the
outside.
3. Bringing a direct air supply to appliances that use air, such as wood
stoves, fireplaces, furnaces and clothes dryers, to reduce the degree to
which they depressurize the home.
4. Covering and venting to the outside exposed areas of earth in the basement,
such as sumps
5. Suction systems, consisting of popes that can run under your home or
through the basement walls to collect radon before it has a chance to enter.
If the home has a drain tile system, perforated pipes that run around it to collect and divert water, this can be modified to collect radon as well.
These methods are generally about 90 percent efficient in reducing radon, except for covering cracks and openings, covering and venting exposed earth, and supplying air to appliances, which are site specific in their radon reduction efficiency. Suction methods are generally about 97 percent efficient, but are expensive to install.
When radon enters through water, a problem that occurs with private wells and small community well systems serving subdivisions, it can be eliminated two ways. The water can be aerated outdoors to release radon before it enters the home or can be filtered with granular activated carbon.
