Radon?

[imranm]

Lots about it on the news these days.

Has anyone actually tested? If so please share your results and neighbourhood.

I'm testing right now but it's a long term testing kit (3 months) up in West Springs

[Escape]

Neighbourhood wouldn't tell much

Some times 1 house has high levels, next door it is normal

[The_Penguin]

Got one of those mail-in test kits from Home Depot.
Came back at 108Bq/m3. Under the recommended max. I may do another test in the future.

[yellowsnow]

Ordered a test kit on amazon a few weeks ago... I think another 4/5 months before I send it in. The longer the better the reading apparently

[Darell_n]

New homes should be tested to pass the final building permit inspection.

[powerslave]

Had a 3-month test done as part of the UofC study about a year ago. Results came in at about 175 Bq/m3.

[kenny]

My house was 123 +/- 16 Bq/m3

It's such a cheap fix for radon mitigation I wonder when it will become standard for all new homes in the area. I think it's only $2000 after the fact, and probably $250-300 if done during the build.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by kenny
My house was 123 +/- 16 Bq/m3

It's such a cheap fix for radon mitigation I wonder when it will become standard for all new homes in the area. I think it's only $2000 after the fact, and probably $250-300 if done during the build.

The latest building code requires that the under slab ventilation (basically gravel & capped pipe in basement) is required. So the ‘rough in’ in mandatory but the ventilation to the exterior is not.

[ExtraSlow]

So it's just a vent from below your basement slob to the outside air? Is that right?

Wonder if a house with weeping tile and sump pump is better or worse?

[phreezee]

My last house was as in the 300's and my current house was in the 400-500 range.
I bought this for a detector: https://www.amazon.ca/Safety-Siren-HS71512-Radon-Detector/dp/B000CEAY64/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1491241901&sr=8-6&keywords=radon

I had quotes from Radon West and Radon Controls and went with Radon Controls. I found it was still expensive despite being roughed in since I'm in a new build. I even supplied my own fan that I bought for the old house. Paid $1470 with Radon Controls and Radon West wanted $2k still.

I am currently sitting at 29 Bq/m3.

[mr2mike]

Fear generation is high with this.
"You're breathing Hydrogen into your lungs". That would generate fear in people too.

It's called running a fan, furnace cold air sources help and opening basement windows in the summer.
You'll all live.

http://www.inspection-perfection.com/simple-ways-to-reduce-radon.html#.WOO1_TjnZQs

[imranm]

Originally posted by phreezee
My last house was as in the 300's and my current house was in the 400-500 range.
I bought this for a detector: https://www.amazon.ca/Safety-Siren-HS71512-Radon-Detector/dp/B000CEAY64/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1491241901&sr=8-6&keywords=radon

I had quotes from Radon West and Radon Controls and went with Radon Controls. I found it was still expensive despite being roughed in since I'm in a new build. I even supplied my own fan that I bought for the old house. Paid $1470 with Radon Controls and Radon West wanted $2k still.

I am currently sitting at 29 Bq/m3.

Thanks. Did they vent out the basement all the way up to the roof or just out the side wall?

[phreezee]

Both Radon West and Radon Controls do side wall only. Radon West quoted something like 80% dissipation within 5 feet once vented. Radon Controls looked at the install on my neighbors house and said Radon West's vent was too close to the basement window so they seem to follow stricter guidelines.

[phreezee]

Originally posted by mr2mike
Fear generation is high with this.
"You're breathing Hydrogen into your lungs". That would generate fear in people too.

It's called running a fan, furnace cold air sources help and opening basement windows in the summer.
You'll all live.

http://www.inspection-perfection.com/simple-ways-to-reduce-radon.html#.WOO1_TjnZQs

One of the first things I tried was to run the furnace fan and my levels never got under the acceptable limit on my old house.

I then tried to install a timer on the basement bathroom fan and ran that to exhaust 8hrs a day. This actually made the problem worse by creating a vacuum that sucked more radon in lol.

[Darell_n]

Do homes not have a vapour barrier under the slab like commercial buildings do? I don't see where gas is seeping into the house.

[88CRX]

Originally posted by Darell_n
Do homes not have a vapour barrier under the slab like commercial buildings do? I don't see where gas is seeping into the house.

They do but it'll have a 1000 puncture holes in it and not be sealed at the perimeter or any pipe penetrations.

[NoPulp]

Every time I hear radon I think of this:

Michael: Toby has been leaving radon kits everywhere, like he owns the place. The first time I threw mine away, I thought it was an ant trap. [finds radon kit in between his blinds in his office] But I figured I'd rather live with ants than with his creepy little disc. [throws it away] The second time... I thought it was one of those, you know, those things you turn over and it moos. [finds another radon kit on top of his cabinet] Like a cow thing. But upon closer examination, it was another ant trap, so I threw it away. And the third time... I did it out of spite. [takes radon kit from the top of the blinds of his office window and slams it into the trash can]

[J-hop]

Lots of fear mongering around this lately. Any real truth? The research posted on the EPA site looks pretty misleading in terms of conclusions based on the poorly controlled datasets

[ZenOps]

Meh, its just a little radiation. Gives a nice healthy glow.

[kenny]

Originally posted by J-hop
Lots of fear mongering around this lately. Any real truth? The research posted on the EPA site looks pretty misleading in terms of conclusions based on the poorly controlled datasets

Probably being oversold a bit by companies that are into mitigation.

However, if done early as part of the build process now that rough-in is code there wouldn't be much cost (fan and pipe to exterior). Even after the fact without the rough in is about $2000... some people will probably spend close to that over 20 years on useless filtrete filters.

[phreezee]

I lent the detector to my neighbor and he got a reading in the 300s on his top floor! :nut: Makes sense since his basement was in the 500s. All his quotes were $2400 so he bought all the stuff off Amazon and is installing it himself.

[Zero102]

Wow - I didn't think this was really catching on, it's good to see so many people testing. We're up in Royal Oak and we tested our house last winter. We got a reading of 38 Bq/m3 which seems to be pretty good so we haven't done anything about it.

If we ever sell the place I guess we should advertise it as low radon!

[phreezee]

^ yeah 38 is good. These mitigation companies usually guarantee to get it under 50 only.

[revelations]

We got something like 34, measured on the main floor for 6 months (November to April). It really depends on many factors.

[ShermanEF9]

Originally posted by 88CRX


They do but it'll have a 1000 puncture holes in it and not be sealed at the perimeter or any pipe penetrations.

when we built my parents house in BC we had to put down a special gravel and seal all holes in the vapor barrier before we could pour on top of it, all because of radon.

[nickyh]

I plan to buy the pucks and run them over the next winter when the house is closed up. I missed the window this year.
My husband gets bronchitis quite a lot since we've lived in this house so I wonder if our levels are higher than they should be. I'm not saying the radon is a cause but every year, fall and spring since living here it's been that way.

[revelations]

^ check your humidity levels FIRST. Anything below 30% can cause a HOST of respiratory issues.

After that, check/clean furnace fucts and filters.

After that get something like a Foobot (sp?) air quality sampler (about 200$).

[rx7_turbo2]

Just got the results of our 3 month test. 101 BQ/m3 +\- 16.

I fully expected it to come back MUCH higher. Since it's under 200 I'm inclined to leave it for now. Our house has a few issues I think could be fixed to help get that number even lower but I'll work on it myself little by little as I have the time then re-test.

[ricosuave]

which kits are you guys using?

[Pacman]

I used the pucks for a test last year. The results came back around 70 bq and the company suggested I run long term tests for more accuracy.

Instead, I bought the Airthings electronic tester for $250. I just set it up a few days ago, so I haven't had a chance to really use it yet.

I figure I can move it around the basement and then the main floor and upstairs. Once I'm done with it I can start lending it out to friends/family.

[ExtraSlow]

We just got results of the puck tests. It sat for 99 days and we were 56 bq/m3, which I guess is low. Pacman, want to lend me your detector so I can check a couple of other spots?

[Kijho]

I've got a foot length of pipe sticking out in the furnace room of my basement with a cap on the end, for Radon. Am I gonna die? :rofl:

[Pacman]

We just got results of the puck tests. It sat for 99 days and we were 56 bq/m3, which I guess is low. Pacman, want to lend me your detector so I can check a couple of other spots?

you can take it for 5 days but I'll need it back without any delays as my inlaws are getting a mitigation system installed next week and I want to set it up at their place that day so I can see the difference and monitor it.

Let me know if you want it.

[ExtraSlow]

I'll hit you up later then, don't want to have it stressing you out and I'm away all weekend anyway.

[mikestypes]

Did a puck test in the basement over the winter and it was 595 +/- 72 Bq/m2!! 1985 build in Strathcona Park.

Which companies are people using for mitigation?

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'm many months in now and my long term average has settled to around 100 Bq. I was all worried at the start seeing days spike to 200, but averaged out over time it's a lot less. I also found it spiked on days of big temperature swings over the winter.

I assumed it would go up as things thawed out (ground expanding, releasing more radon? Haha I don't know) but it has done the opposite.

I wouldn't trust a puck ether, my 3 month average was double what it is now. You need way more than 3 months for an accurate long-term reading from what I have seen.

[Dirty_SOHC]

I placed my puck in the basement and after 3 months I got a reading of 111 BQ/m3 +\- 16. House was built in 2006, in the community of Bridlewood.

[craigcd]

Did a 3 month test, returned with courier, lost the test.

Waste of 3 months and 65$. Try again next winter i guess

[Sugarphreak]

...

[killramos]

No way to know since it gets lumped in with all the other causes of lung cancer!

[craigcd]

Roughly how many people a year does Radon kill in Calgary?

There is very pretty credible research around the implications of Radon gas and it dates back to the 1980's. If you (or your family, if you have one) spend any time in your basement its worth looking into. The cost is minimal and mitigation is minimal if you can do it yourself.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[craigcd]

I was trying to find some hard data, and most of the data I saw was saying that if you smoke it increases the risk, but the risk to non-smokers for anything under 800 BQ/m3 is almost non-existent

Lots of info out there and even some being done here in Calgary at the U of C.

U of C: https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue/2017-11-15/ucalgary-researcher-launches-evict-radon-campaign

Health Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/radiation/radon.html

USA EPA: https://www.epa.gov/radon

World Health Organization: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44149/9789241547673_eng.pdf

All seem to have different perspectives on acceptable levels. I plan to be below 100, my house is roughed in so the cost is minimal. 800 is threw the roof, I would be mitigating that for sure.

[Zero102]

There is very pretty credible research around the implications of Radon gas and it dates back to the 1980's. If you (or your family, if you have one) spend any time in your basement its worth looking into. The cost is minimal and mitigation is minimal if you can do it yourself.

Not to be picky but it doesn't matter if you spend time in your basement or not. Get your house tested.

Before any mitigation my current house averaged 458Bq/m^3 one month in the basement, and 410 on the main floor. I live in a split level so those are the only 2 floors and I have 2 meters so I can monitor both at the same time. Basically the upstairs is about 5-10% lower than the basement and when we get the big spikes it seems to take 4-12 hours before upstairs spikes (but also it comes back down later).

If anybody is curious how my mitigation is going, a month ago we cut open the bottom of the basement walls and sealed the slab to the foundation walls, that seems to have brought the average down from ~100-120 to 30. We plan on doing this around the full perimeter of the basement but it takes time to do that scale of work (for each room you have to empty the room, cut open the wall, seal bottom, replace drywall, tape/mud, sand sand sand then paint, and during that time another room or two is a disaster because of all of the extra stuff in it) so it'll probably happen over the next 1-2 years now that it's no longer an urgent matter.

[craigcd]

^^^ Good point!

[98brg2d]

My wife's company moves people all over the world and it is pretty common outside of Canada for radon tests to be done before a house can be sold. The USA is particularly concerned in virtually all of the locations she moves people. They consider it as routine as having a water well tested. Health Canada also has a higher minimum measurement for remediation (200 Bq/m³) whereas the EPA uses 4 pCi/l which is 148 Bq/m³. My test kit is at about the 6 month mark so I should be sending it away soon.

[tenth]

We live in Patterson and just had our built in 1997 house mitigated. Our basement has measured:

Pre-mitigation (no furnace fan) - 1500 bq/m3
Pre-mitigation (furance fan running 24/7) - 600 bq/m3
Post-mitigation - 5 to 20 bq/m3

We're going to be in this house for 20 or 30 years minimum, so mitigation was a no brainer. Mitigation included sealing up the giant pits under each of our furnace that I guess they used to help dry the concrete when the basement was initially poured. It was $2,400 before GST with Radon West. Experience with them was great. We replaced a furnace and added A/C around the same time, and I definitely preferred their service and crew to either of the HVAC companies we used. I would recommend them.

Oh and we bought the $200-250 Airthings measurer. You could probably sell, rent or give it to a friend when you're done with it to reduce the overall cost. Definitely glad we went that route instead of the pucks.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Anyone else get a huge spike with the recent warm weather? I am up to 350-370 one-day readings which is almost double the highest I have ever seen it. Hope that settles down.

[Darell_n]

Anyone else get a huge spike with the recent warm weather? I am up to 350-370 one-day readings which is almost double the highest I have ever seen it. Hope that settles down.

Mine pretty much doubled since the first hot day last week, even with all the windows open. (probably letting it in)

[macman64]

If anybody is curious how my mitigation is going, a month ago we cut open the bottom of the basement walls and sealed the slab to the foundation walls, that seems to have brought the average down from ~100-120 to 30. We plan on doing this around the full perimeter of the basement but it takes time to do that scale of work (for each room you have to empty the room, cut open the wall, seal bottom, replace drywall, tape/mud, sand sand sand then paint, and during that time another room or two is a disaster because of all of the extra stuff in it) so it'll probably happen over the next 1-2 years now that it's no longer an urgent matter.

I am working on developing my basement right now. I realized I could probably seal it very easily today. It is a new build and haven't tested yet but I would rather spend a few bucks to seal it now just in case. I will test later but it takes too longer for testing before drywall will be up.

What product are you using to seal it?

[SJW]

Started monitoring yesterday. 82089

[thinmyster]

Is there a reason you went with that version of airthings?

[SJW]

Is there a reason you went with that version of airthings?

No particular reason other than amazon rating was decent.

[tenth]

No particular reason other than amazon rating was decent.
Same. The "smart" version of it that runs off the app was rated worse, and around $100 more when I bought the digital reader. I'd probably take a closer look at the smart version if I bought today. Having the history logged would be nice.

[Zero102]

I am working on developing my basement right now. I realized I could probably seal it very easily today. It is a new build and haven't tested yet but I would rather spend a few bucks to seal it now just in case. I will test later but it takes too longer for testing before drywall will be up.

What product are you using to seal it?

Before starting any mitigation work I recommend reading some radon mitigation guides - There's a couple available through the Calgary Public Library.

In my case, I've had to pick and choose pieces of what is suggested based on what I am able to accomplish given the current state of my basement (mostly finished). I used polyurethane caulking to seal the seam between the slab and the foundation wall. When doing this it needs to be a flexible sealant, it needs to be polyurethane, and it must be spread 1 inch along the floor and 1 inch up the wall. This means a typical tube only does about 8 feet of wall.

[Zero102]

I have talked a lot on here about my experience so I figure it's worth sharing this: Here's what my radon levels look like since we started monitoring last fall upon moving into the house. Purple is the basement meter, blue is the upstairs meter. As you can see there is very little difference in the readings. When we got the second meter we initially deployed it directly beside the first meter to watch their readings. The new (upstairs) meter read about 2-3% lower than the old meter. We then cleared it's history and deployed it upstairs.

The graph is generated using chronograf and I have written a simple little data processing script that takes the radoneye rd200 data and dumps it into influxdb so I can see pretty charts. I have one meter that is presently being loaned out to various neighbours, but when I get it back I am going to open it up and see if I can modify it to log automatically (by grafting in an esp8266 microcontroller) but for now this requires a couple manual steps so I only update the db every few weeks.

https://i.imgur.com/DCwMcMD.png
Our mitigation actions were as follows:

August through December 2017 - wishful thinking. Mostly we opened the windows, and sometimes we put a fan in the window to bring fresh air into the house. This had basically no effect but made us feel better than doing nothing at all. When radon levels were high we would typically just spend the day out of the house but you can't do that at night so on we go
December 2017 - drilled hole in basement floor and installed a radon fan vented to the outside
Early April 2018 - Found a passage directly into the basement from a large enclosed dirt floor area on the back of the house (a hot tub room) and sealed this entry point. This room was ~250 square feet, and had deep foundation walls around the perimeter but a dirt floor. Basically it was a radon funnel. The room was very poorly ventilated and essentially had a 2 inch x 10 inch passage directly into a basement wall that is open into the basement area in a number of places (no wonder we had so many spiders and other bugs in the basement).
Late April 2018 - Sealed 60 feet of the basement slab to foundation wall seam closest to the radon fan

As you can see, each step has made an improvement but no one thing has solved the problem on it's own. From the sealing of the basement floor until now our average has been 26Bq/m^3 which is a level I am comfortable with, but I still feel like it will come down a bit as we continue sealing the slab to foundation wall seam.

The readings logged by the meter seem to be some kind of short term average, because we would sometimes see numbers well into the thousands (3000+) and yet the logs would cap out at 1500 or some lower number each time. Oh yeah, also that graph is clipped to 1000 so I had more detail at the lower numbers. Many of those spikes extend well above 1000.

[Darell_n]

Same. The "smart" version of it that runs off the app was rated worse, and around $100 more when I bought the digital reader. I'd probably take a closer look at the smart version if I bought today. Having the history logged would be nice.

They updated the firmware in the unit and the app to add the features / improve reliability that I felt were needed. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend one now.

[craigcd]

Well I submitted my long term test and it appeared that it had been lost. A couple extras weeks of waiting and they found my test......my result 237 bq/m3. Mine is reasonably low and I actually still have the floor pounded out after my basement development which is likely contributing to my current level to some extent. I plan to seal that up and mitigate myself over the next couple months. My basement is roughed in so its a pretty easy task.

Will post pics of my mitigation when I get it done.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Mine pretty much doubled since the first hot day last week, even with all the windows open. (probably letting it in)

It has since dropped to the lowest I have ever seen - 48 haha. I guess the moral of the story is to continue to focus on long-term values and try not to freak out about short term spikes.


Is there a reason you went with that version of airthings?

My research suggested it was more accurate than the "smart" one, which sort of makes sense given it's simplicity but similar price. Reviews were also better, but that could be due to it's simplicity (less for people to complain about). I'm sure both are accurate enough to give you a proper indication. It's also smaller and easier to position where ideal Radon measurements are taken.

[revelations]

I have the airthing wave now - the initial few days pretty much match what my 6 month test showed - 26 on the main floor in the winter and its showing 20 in the basement.

We live near an edge of a slope that leads down to Fish Creek - wonder if that makes any difference.

[black_2.5RS]

Bought a kit from amazon with my neighbour. Our house was in the normal range (9 yr old house in Aspen). I understand that radon can seep in if there's cracks in foundation and something I plan to do maybe every 5 or so years. Might be over kill but for some piece of mind, I figure it's worth the $100 or so - esp. since my kids spend a ton of time in the basement now.

[ExtraSlow]

We just got results of the puck tests. It sat for 99 days and we were 56 bq/m3, which I guess is low. Pacman, want to lend me your detector so I can check a couple of other spots?

Hey, thanks Pacman, after using your airthings device to get a second opinion for a couple of days, i'm getting a reading of 61 in my basement near my sump pump. The previous puck measurement was from my main floor. having two similar low readings is good for peace of mine. I'll be returning that airthings device shortly.

[nickyh]

I got my test results back today, 9 yr old home in Aspen, 41 Bq/m3 was our 171 test exposure reading.

[bjstare]

My dad bought a handful of RadonEye detectors/monitors, so I grabbed one and have been moving it around the house. So far, various areas in the basement are getting a daily average of slightly over 200, with lows of 50 and highs of 350. Not great, but not bad.

[Zero102]

My dad bought a handful of RadonEye detectors/monitors, so I grabbed one and have been moving it around the house. So far, various areas in the basement are getting a daily average of slightly over 200, with lows of 50 and highs of 350. Not great, but not bad.

With an average of just over 200 I'd suggest doing a longer term test. Try not to move the meter around and just leave it in one place for 30-90 days and see what the average ends up being. If it's over 200 I'd suggest looking into mitigation. How old is your house?

[bjstare]

With an average of just over 200 I'd suggest doing a longer term test. Try not to move the meter around and just leave it in one place for 30-90 days and see what the average ends up being. If it's over 200 I'd suggest looking into mitigation. How old is your house?

Yeah, I'm doing short term tests around the house just to see if I have any areas with a really high one day avg, then going to do one or two longer term tests.

House is a '76 in SW calgary.

[Zero102]

Damn, 76 predates the building code requirement for gravel under the slab (I believe that was 82 or 84), and it's old enough to have asbestos in the drywall mud as well as potentially in the flooring if you have linoleum/vinyl in the basement and have to drill through it. The lack of gravel usually means you have to use a louder higher power radon fan if you end up doing mitigation.

The short-term average of over 200 is not cause for immediate concern, it could be 200 one month and 50 the next, and average out to something very reasonable through the course of a year. Keep monitoring for a while - hopefully you just started monitoring during a spike and it goes down.

[98brg2d]

We just got our results back and the average over a 4 month period was 157±20. This is below the Canadian threshold were remediation is recommended and at the USA threshold. We spend a lot of time where the test kit was located so I am a bit on the fence about doing anything. Our basement is fully developed.

What did everybody's mitigation look like? I imagine in an unfinished basement they can do a lot of easy sealing work as well as a pump. Did anybody with a finished basement cut out any drywall to seal anything up or just have a pump installed? I think my build year is 1976/1977. Just trying to get a sense of "average" amount of demo and refinishing.

There are three rooms in the basement where I wouldn't mind cutting drywall as there are some odd ceiling light fixtures installed in cut aways under the windows. These rooms are used much at all though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I am still getting significant spikes consistent with the weather - when it warms up the radon goes up significantly to 250-350, and it goes right back down to 50-150 when it cools off. Long term average is still under 200 though. Based on this, I probably wouldn't trust a short-term reading when it's really hot our or right after a cold snap breaks.

[nzwasp]

got the airthings device and had it running a couple of days - its showing me a reading of 49. I honestly thought with the cracks in my concrete floor and unfinished basement that it would be way higher. Early days yet.

[Darell_n]

got the airthings device and had it running a couple of days - its showing me a reading of 49. I honestly thought with the cracks in my concrete floor and unfinished basement that it would be way higher. Early days yet.

Your neighbour with no basement cracks could be at 400. It is very hit and miss.

[nzwasp]

So I’ve got a friend with a walkout basement and he claims that walk outs don’t have or can’t have issues with radon? Seems like bs to me

[bjstare]

So I’ve got a friend with a walkout basement and he claims that walk outs don’t have or can’t have issues with radon? Seems like bs to me

That's definitely BS. What's his logic behind it? If I pretend it's not there, it won't hurt me?

[nzwasp]

This is his logic “with a walkout there is not chance of concentration if the doors and windows are always open” and “the accumulation takes over 3 months to get to a level where it begins to be a concern”

[bjstare]

Well if he lives in Calgary I guarantee his windows aren't open all the time year round.

Also as noted in the graphs people have posted (and the ones I've pulled from my radoneye), it can fluctuate significantly day to day. It's not like it piles up on the floor over the course of months haha.

He and his family are the only ones losing out by not even testing for this. Seems silly not to. Worst case, it shows he actually has a problem and he can handle it - making the whole household better off... best case, there's no radon and he gets to say "I told you so" haha.

[88CRX]

This is his logic “with a walkout there is not chance of concentration if the doors and windows are always open” and “the accumulation takes over 3 months to get to a level where it begins to be a concern”

If your basement (walkout or below grade) is constantly exhausting via open window/doors or through some sort of mechanical/radon venting then yes you don't have a concern. However I doubt the odd window/door being opened would ventilate enough to move the higher radon levels out.

[craigcd]

My brother has a walk out basement. He has a dog so the door opens 5-6 times everyday to let the dog in and out. He is in the process of doing mitigation and had higher levels than me (without a walk out).

I am guessing he would def have higher numbers without a walkout.

[revelations]

Radon is highly dependent on the amount of non-permeable soil (eg. clay) under your house and your area.

I recently was working on a wall adjacent to my basement tub and I found open fucking foundation dirt under my basement bathtub as the previous shit heads didnt bother to seal up the the hole dug out in the concrete for the drain.

I stuck my AirThings in the room next to the wall and the measurements did not change even after I closed off the opening (with some plastic sheets). Lucklily, our area has a high concenrtation of clay-based soil.

[revelations]

.

[Zero102]

This is his logic “with a walkout there is not chance of concentration if the doors and windows are always open” and “the accumulation takes over 3 months to get to a level where it begins to be a concern”

Counterpoint - my house is a walkout. We deliberately had all the windows open for days on end, we have small kids that are in and out all the time and still had crazy high radon.

It doesn't take months at all, look at my chart, sometimes it takes as little as 2-3 hours to go from 50 to 3000.

(Not trying to start an argument with you, just trying to provide some ammunition)

[Mitsu3000gt]

$50 off the better of the two Airthings Radon meters today:

https://www.amazon.ca/Corentium-Airthings-Detector-Canadian-Version/dp/B00H30TLPA/ref=gbps_tit_m-8_7de1_44bf4940?smid=AN7IPYCYI0F10&pf_rd_p=d421e6cb-a6f5-4fb0-ada6-dcd273d17de1&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=14403644011&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_r=2C6056YQ5NPX7WWES7X3

[Mitsu3000gt]

For those of you who actually got mitigation done, what company did you use, and were you happy with them? We have it roughed in but I still need to pay someone to install the fan/pipes.

Looks like the two main companies in Calgary have almost the same name: Radon West and Great West Radon.

Great West Radon has more reviews on Google but both seem OK.

[ExtraSlow]

I don't know much about this, but a buddy of mine did his own install and said it was easy as pie. Bought the stuff at one of the local plumbing parts places I think.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't know much about this, but a buddy of mine did his own install and said it was easy as pie. Bought the stuff at one of the local plumbing parts places I think.

Thanks - I did briefly look into doing it myself, but since the expensive part is already done, I just want to pay someone and have it done quickly and correctly.

[mikestypes]

Radon West did ours and 2 nearby neighbours have used them since. All of us are happy and would recommend them.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Radon West did ours and 2 nearby neighbours have used them since. All of us are happy and would recommend them.

That is just the kind of info I am looking for, thank you.

Do you mind telling me what the cost was like, and did you have an existing rough-in or did you get the full meal deal?

[mikestypes]

That is just the kind of info I am looking for, thank you.

Do you mind telling me what the cost was like, and did you have an existing rough-in or did you get the full meal deal?

1986 house so no rough in. $2700 full meal deal

[Pacman]

I also used Radon West 2 years ago and was very happy with them. However, if my house was all roughed in I would probably do it myself. I purchased a digital Radon Meter (Airthings) for $250 and did before and after tests to see the difference (it was a big drop in my case and went from 150 to between 7 and 20) so it should be fairly easy to see if your install made a difference.

[nzwasp]

I’ve been continuously testing my basement for 2 years now and I have a reading of 130 overall.

[Pacman]

I also used Radon West 2 years ago and was very happy with them. However, if my house was all roughed in I would probably do it myself. I purchased a digital Radon Meter (Airthings) for $250 and did before and after tests to see the difference (it was a big drop in my case and went from 150 to between 7 and 20) so it should be fairly easy to see if your install made a difference.

I made a mistake. We used Radon Controls, not Radon West. Full install price was $2,400.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I also used Radon West 2 years ago and was very happy with them. However, if my house was all roughed in I would probably do it myself. I purchased a digital Radon Meter (Airthings) for $250 and did before and after tests to see the difference (it was a big drop in my case and went from 150 to between 7 and 20) so it should be fairly easy to see if your install made a difference.

Yeah I just don't want to mess around with piping, etc. It's a new house and I don't want to fuck anything up - plus if they damage anything during the install that's on them. I think because it's roughed in already it should cost under $1000 (I imagine boring a hole through the concrete is by far the most expensive part and that's done) but I need to get some quotes. I also just don't have the time to do it anytime soon, so I'm happy to pay for the convenience factor.

I have that same meter and I'm around 300-350 bq/m3 which is too high for my liking. If it was 100 or less I'd probably leave it alone. Canada says 200 or less is OK, most other places say 100 or less.

So far 2 votes for Radon West, that's good.

EDIT: One place got back to me and it looks like it's around $2200 regardless of the rough-in which is unfortunate haha - I thought the concrete hole was most of the cost but nope!

[craigcd]

Mine was roughed in. Cost me less than 100$ with fan to finish the install. Easy. Levels dropped to nothing instantly also.



Yeah I just don't want to mess around with piping, etc. It's a new house and I don't want to fuck anything up - plus if they damage anything during the install that's on them. I think because it's roughed in already it should cost under $1000 (I imagine boring a hole through the concrete is by far the most expensive part and that's done) but I need to get some quotes. I also just don't have the time to do it anytime soon, so I'm happy to pay for the convenience factor.

I have that same meter and I'm around 300-350 bq/m3 which is too high for my liking. If it was 100 or less I'd probably leave it alone. Canada says 200 or less is OK, most other places say 100 or less.

So far 2 votes for Radon West, that's good.

EDIT: One place got back to me and it looks like it's around $2200 regardless of the rough-in which is unfortunate haha - I thought the concrete hole was most of the cost but nope!

[The_Rural_Juror]

I used Radon West. We probably got more value because some parts were pita. They also sell a do it yourself kit.

[Ariakas]

I had radon mitigation done for my house last Oct, I went with Great West Radon, very happy with install. My levels in basement were around 350 bqm range and spikes of ~700 during winter as I tracked it using Airthings. After mitigation I'm averaging around 13-14 currently.

[freshprince1]

I got a quote from Doug Lacey Basement Systems. It seems they're a licensed installer for National Radon Defense & Breathe EZ? On the flip side, I have a friend that owns a foundation crack repair company and they're expanding into installing radon systems. They're going through the training and certification right now. I'll be getting our system installed once they're trained up and ready to go.

It's great to hear homes are coming with the option to have them roughed in now. My wife's grandma passed away due to lung cancer without ever having smoked a cigarette in her life...know there may not be a provable link, but we think radon could have contributed.

Questions for those who have had the mitigation systems installed: Are the systems as quiet as advertised? Can you hear the fans throughout the house? Also, has anyone done a hybrid sump pump and radon mitigation systems? I'm thinking of getting the sump installed at the same time as my research tells me they can share much of the same infrastructure.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Thanks for the extra info guys.


Mine was roughed in. Cost me less than 100$ with fan to finish the install. Easy. Levels dropped to nothing instantly also.

So where do you vent it? Do you need to cut a hole in the side of your mechanical room? I have the rough in pipe that extends about 2 feet out from the floor but it's capped. Great West Radon also told me that about 25% of the time the builders put these rough-ins in the wrong place and they have to re-bore the concrete anyway.



It's great to hear homes are coming with the option to have them roughed in now. My wife's grandma passed away due to lung cancer without ever having smoked a cigarette in her life...know there may not be a provable link, but we think radon could have contributed.


It became code I believe in 2015 for the rough-in. As for your grandma, apparently radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer next to cigarettes which is pretty significant.

[Ariakas]

Questions for those who have had the mitigation systems installed: Are the systems as quiet as advertised? Can you hear the fans throughout the house?

Yes, it's very quiet, I only hear the hum if I'm by the wall of the utility room, my basement is developed. I was surprised how much air was being pumped out by the fan when I checked out the exhaust air coming out through the side of my house.

[ExtraSlow]

those fans run 24/7? Are they basically sucking from the weeping tile under the slab?

[Ariakas]

those fans run 24/7? Are they basically sucking from the weeping tile under the slab?

Yup, it's constantly running, there's a pressure monitor on it to indicate the system is running correctly. They drill into the sub slab.

[FishPoo]

We're in a townhouse - inside unit, basement readings were between 100-200 in fall and in winter up to 200-400. We have two sumps, one for waste which is sealed and one for weeping tile which is completely open.

Had Doug Lacey's come do a quote, they said they couldn't do a sub-slab mitigation without making a mess of the walls and basement ceiling (basement developed) and suggested using an air cleaner. I believe it's one of these. https://breatheezair.com/. It looks like a fancy air filter. From my research, it doesn't appear to be a proven or suggested method for mitigation. Does anyone know if its effective or not? Even the installer said it wouldn't affect the bq reading.

We ended up buying and installing a sump pump cover over the weeping tile sump and it seems to have kept the level under 200 for now, but it hasn't been too cold since we put it on.

Anyone have ideas on effective mitigation for a townhouse unit?

I was wondering if the end units would be easier to install something and if that would affect the radon levels in our unit since we share the same foundation.