Air testing at home

[Rocket1k78]

Has anyone ever had the air quality tested at their home? My girl wants to test ours and I have no idea if these guys are even legit. I called a couple and they varied from $750-$1000 but the crazy thing was they were willing to come out within 2 hours. I don't know if this is the norm but typically if someone can fit you in that fast isnt that a bad sign?

If anyone can recommend someone that would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Joe-G]

Whats the basis on having the air quality tested? have you had problems with mold, etc?

I'll have to look up the company my parents used when we had to have a house inspected. An environmental scientist/engineer came out and did all the testing.

Edit: They used JAD Environmental. http://www.jadenvironmental.ca/about_us.html

I would say the service they provide is legitimate, considering our need for it involved Alberta Health Services and a condemned property scenario.

[Rocket1k78]

Were growing weed in the basement and my wife thinks its hazardous to her health so she just wants to make sure.:poosie: j/k

our kids been getting sick but its since shes been back to school(i think its school related) and my wife just wants to make sure that our house does not have anything to do with it. We bought this house new so no grow ops for sure lol

[englishbob]

Call Ehsp ask for Brad 403-243-0700 and tell him Bob from ERA referred you...he will talk you through some things and then can determine what you need as far as testing goes and give you a price.
I've been in the asbestos/ mould industry for over 20 years and there are many many sharks out there that will test the living shit out of your place for no reason and then charge accordingly.

[Rocket1k78]

Originally posted by englishbob
Call Ehsp ask for Brad 403-243-0700 and tell him Bob from ERA referred you...he will talk you through some things and then can determine what you need as far as testing goes and give you a price.
I've been in the asbestos/ mould industry for over 20 years and there are many many sharks out there that will test the living shit out of your place for no reason and then charge accordingly.

Thanks sooo much!!! gave him a call and he spent the time to tell me everything i needed to know.

[Darell_n]

Originally posted by englishbob
Call Ehsp ask for Brad 403-243-0700 and tell him Bob from ERA referred you...he will talk you through some things and then can determine what you need as far as testing goes and give you a price.
I've been in the asbestos/ mould industry for over 20 years and there are many many sharks out there that will test the living shit out of your place for no reason and then charge accordingly.

Cool. Any reason to be bothered with Radon testing in this area?

[funkytuqe]

Originally posted by Darell_n


Cool. Any reason to be bothered with Radon testing in this area?
I would like to know this as well.

[Khyron]

Originally posted by Darell_n


Cool. Any reason to be bothered with Radon testing in this area?

Anywhere in Calgary should be tested for Radon levels if they spend much time in the basement. You might have a ton while the neighbour has none. Depends on cracks and the luck of the draw.

[Darell_n]

Are the home owner test kits reliable? I do have a finished basement and my newborn will spending lots of time down there when he's older.

[Khyron]

Originally posted by Darell_n
Are the home owner test kits reliable? I do have a finished basement and my newborn will spending lots of time down there when he's older.

It's a puck you leave in the basement for 3 months then send it away to a proper lab. It's a few hundred bucks I believe. There is a plan to try and get it covered but it's not right now.

[Zero102]

Wait, seriously, we have a radon problem here?
I've been throwing away those flyers thinking it couldn't possibly affect us :nut:

[BigDL]

Originally posted by Zero102
Wait, seriously, we have a radon problem here?
I've been throwing away those flyers thinking it couldn't possibly affect us :nut:

There is a sign out on highway 8 saying something about high radon levels I think, I was driving by it too fast to read it.

[DENZILDON]

There's some test kits you can buy from home depot for water, mold and radon. I believe its about $15 bucks each.


edit... now that I read it on the website, you have to send it the lab and pay extra more to have it analyzed.

[nickyh]

I finally saw on posted on 17th and 69th the other day, could finally read it.
I was wondering if this was worth looking into... guess Brad will be getting more calls now.

My neighbor has a crack in their foundation, I should probably let them know.

[Khyron]

18% of lung cancer patients never smoked. Radon exposure is the suspicion. Calgary has been surveyed but it was spotty - some places were bad then right next door is fine. And it was only like 50-60 houses. Radon is heavier than air and disperses quickly so it's really only a problem for people that live or spend a huge amount of time in a basement.

[revelations]

OP in terms of air quality, testing is good idea but you should be aware of the proper humidity levels in the house as well as using proper (not cheap) furnace filters replaced frequently. On that note, I am thinking of going to a full electronic system but the issue with ozone might dissuade me.

[nzwasp]

On the Eyeopener this morning the doctor was saying that the 2nd major cause of lung cancer in alberta was radon. Did any one get their radon tested and found that it was above the acceptable level? I see the fix for it is drilling a pipe to capture radon which then gets expelled out doors.

[ZeroGravity]

Originally posted by Khyron


It's a puck you leave in the basement for 3 months then send it away to a proper lab. It's a few hundred bucks I believe. There is a plan to try and get it covered but it's not right now.

not sure if what I'm using / testing now is similar, but it is like a small puck that I hang somewhere in my basement for about 90 days, then I send it back to a lab. It was around 50 dollars and supposedly includes the lab fees / report. We got ours from here http://www.radonwest.com/index.php

[RealJimmyJames]

Would poor indoor air quality cause chronic illnesses like asthma, sinusitis, nose and lung infections?

[Khyron]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
Would poor indoor air quality cause chronic illnesses like asthma, sinusitis, nose and lung infections?

More likely an allergy to an airborn particle like dust mites or dog or cat dander - especially if it's one person but not another.

I just ordered that Radon test kit as well.

[revelations]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
Would poor indoor air quality cause chronic illnesses like asthma, sinusitis, nose and lung infections?

Yes, combined with very low humidity levels.

Id also check/change out pillows if youre not using a waterproof cover on it (had sinusitis for 3 months once, tried many things).

Also, a neilmed nasal rinse (squeeze bottle) is awful, but works amazing.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by nzwasp
On the Eyeopener this morning the doctor was saying that the 2nd major cause of lung cancer in alberta was radon. Did any one get their radon tested and found that it was above the acceptable level? I see the fix for it is drilling a pipe to capture radon which then gets expelled out doors.

I air out the basement every month just in case. But now I really want to run a test.

[nzwasp]

Air it out by opening the doors to the walk out?. Well I guess thats an option for people with walkouts but a gas heavier than air isnt just going to waft out up the stairs. I wonder if using a whole house fan would make a difference.

[revelations]

Originally posted by nzwasp
Air it out by opening the doors to the walk out?. Well I guess thats an option for people with walkouts but a gas heavier than air isnt just going to waft out up the stairs. I wonder if using a whole house fan would make a difference.

In the winter, colder/fresh air will settle to the bottom and most other gases (air) will be vented out of the top areas.

[yellowsnow]

I have been thinking of grabbing a radon test kit for awhile now. Thanks to this thread, I just ordered one from amazon. Long term kits are more accurate, so if you're not in a rush, then that's the way to go.

[powerslave]

Little late to the discussion, but wanted to mention: University of Calgary is currently doing a study on radon levels inside Calgary homes. For $45 you get the device, postage and lab costs.
More info here:
http://dnascience.ca/radon/

[nzwasp]

too bad I didn't see this, already received my kit from another place and started the testing last night.

[Khyron]

Originally posted by powerslave
Little late to the discussion, but wanted to mention: University of Calgary is currently doing a study on radon levels inside Calgary homes. For $45 you get the device, postage and lab costs.
More info here:
http://dnascience.ca/radon/

This research project is the same one that links to :

http://www.radonwest.com/index.php

That's their supplier with the video etc. Either link will work for signing up. Recommended for any home owner that's never had it done.

[RealJimmyJames]

Is there any actual science that's being done here? Or is this just a great way to advertise the testing services for radon west?

[Khyron]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
Is there any actual science that's being done here? Or is this just a great way to advertise the testing services for radon west?

Well one of the next biggest causes of lung cancer after smoking is radon exposure and Calgary is all over the place for radon. So by mapping the city vs lung cancer cases they can draw conclusions rather than just speculating. They have done trivial maps in the past but it was dozens of houses.

Also, if you are in a high exposure area you can get a removal system and maybe not die in 10 years.

[Darell_n]

Bumping this thread. Anybody completed a radon test in their home? The local news has been pushing this again so I purchased the Airthings Wave electronic monitor and starting testing tonight in my basement. I will update in a week or so but a long term of 3 months is what’s needed.

[Zero102]

I completed a test at my home in Royal Oak and had an average of 48Bq/m^3 which is in the very low category so I was happy.

Since then we've moved to Vernon and my new home averaged 450 last month and now I have to core holes in my basement to install mitigation equipment!

[tirebob]

I don't know if I buy into the radon hype... I have been trying to read up more and more on it and so far I am feeling it is quite possibly one of those irrational fears that allow for a lot of money to be made by an industry built around it. I am not 100% committed to this idea yet though. Anyone else skeptical?

[phreezee]

I went from 560 to 15 after mitigation. My house is new enough to have it roughed in as part of code.

I recommend Pat at Radon Controls if you decide to have it done. I think the going rate is $2300 now.

[Zero102]

I went from 560 to 15 after mitigation. My house is new enough to have it roughed in as part of code.

I recommend Pat at Radon Controls if you decide to have it done. I think the going rate is $2300 now.

Lucky. My house is old enough there's no gravel under the slab, there is asbestos flooring in most of the basement and all the upstairs walls are asbestos containing as well so I have VERY few options on how to even try to mitigate this.

Whether it's all hype or not is hard to say, but there are safe limits set by many governments around the world and it has made it's way into building code so it seems irresponsible to ignore.

[Darell_n]

80629So far after a few days..... 200 is the limit in Canada.

[sabad66]

Ordered a kit last week from Radon West after the whole media blitz... still haven't received it yet. Anyone else order one recently and received it?

[Seth1968]

our kids been getting sick but its since shes been back to school(i think its school related) l

Ya, no shit. It's called biology.

Pray, prey, for your sins.

[Mitsu3000gt]

80629So far after a few days..... 200 is the limit in Canada.

Where did you get something that can test it without having to send a puck in? And are they as accurate?

I have been wanting to test our place.

I found this one slightly on sale:

https://www.amazon.ca/Corentium-223-Digital-Electronic-Detector/dp/B00H2VOSP8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511479135&sr=8-2&keywords=corentium

EDIT: I think I found yours too:

https://www.amazon.ca/Airthings-AS-2900-Smart-Detector/dp/B01MSEQYY9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511479229&sr=8-1&keywords=airthings

[blainer]

Electronic equipment and the indicated measurements are only as good as the calibration of the device.

I like sampling media that goes through analysis. Sure there's several good options, here's three reputable labs. If you want to get fancy get two and do a field blank!

AGAT - https://www.agatlabs.com/radon-kit/

ALS - https://www.alsglobal.com/ca/services-and-products/environmental/air-quality/radon-gas-testing

Maxxam - http://maxxam.ca/services/radioactivity-testing-trace-element-analysis/test-packages/radon

[Darell_n]

The problem with the lab tests is the sample size is way too small for a house. A reading can change by 100x moving the sensor a foot so I will be testing all the basement rooms at different locations to help pinpoint where my infiltration is coming from. I won’t use an exhaust fan if I can simply seal off the leaks.

[blainer]

In a conditioned space with air movement?

I'll defer to an authority on the matter which will hopefully be a resource for others (apologies if it's been posted already) - https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-risks-safety/guide-radon-measurements-residential-dwellings.html#a5

[Darell_n]

In a conditioned space with air movement?

I'll defer to an authority on the matter which will hopefully be a resource for others (apologies if it's been posted already) - https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-risks-safety/guide-radon-measurements-residential-dwellings.html#a5

The test is away from air movement and the house will never reach equilibrium for any measurement involving air. If there is a problem I will certainly double check my readings with a lab test.

[jaeden]

Ordered a kit last week from Radon West after the whole media blitz... still haven't received it yet. Anyone else order one recently and received it?

Got a shipping notice for mine today, ordered last week also.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I ordered one of these last night thanks to this thread:

https://www.amazon.ca/Corentium-Airthings-Detector-Canadian-Version/dp/B00H30TLPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511538540&sr=8-1&keywords=radon+detector

[Darell_n]

I turned my furnace blower on full time yesterday and woke up to a reading of 680 this morning. I have a similar problem mentioned in the recent U of C news article whereas the Home builder did not finish the concrete slab under my furnace and is likely a major source of air infiltration from under the slab.

[Zero102]

I have 2 continuous reading monitors in my house, both are RadonEye RD200 devices. When I bought them I placed them both side by side and the readings differed by about 3%, well within the quoted 6-10%.

I also agree that for truly accurate testing you need to have good equipment and proper training, but like I feel that the sample size is just too small when you do one of those puck tests. When we first moved in I selected multiple locations that would be acceptable by the testing guidelines published by Health Canada and between those locations I could often see a 30-40% difference in my readings (as I could place devices in 2 locations simultaneously). The pucks are great for screening, but in my opinion if you test above 50Bq/m^3 you should do more testing.

Those pucks are great for screening, the cost is low and as little to no training is required to use them they are a very simple way to get a hint at what the radon levels are in your home but like the continuous reading devices, they also do not paint a complete picture of radon exposure within your house. Nothing's perfect.

For those of us who are experiencing above average radon levels in their homes, the continuous reading monitors are nice because you can act on the information provided. When levels are high you can increase the flow of fresh air into your house (note, do not try and suck the air out of your house as this can increase radon levels) or simply maximize your time outside to decrease your exposure.

Darell, if you are a DIY kinda guy I have accumulated a couple of guides for radon mitigation and understanding radon ingress that you might find interesting. Since your house is pretty modern you should have gravel under your slab but likely don't have a mitigation system roughed in.

Also, earlier you mentioned that your kid will be spending lots of time downstairs, and it sounds like you have focused your testing there, but I encourage you to also check the radon levels on the other floor(s) of your house. We have found that when the levels in our basement are high so are the levels on the main floor. For example, if the basement is 1200 we will find our upstairs is typically 600-900. When the basement is 400 we usually see about 180-300 on the main floor. For the first month I was convinced that when the levels in the basement were high we just had to stay upstairs.... turns out it really wasn't much better.

[Pacman]

I ran the Airthings digital Radon tester and got 190 bq/3. Had a mitigation unit installed and now getting readings between 1 bq/3 and 8 bq/3 on all levels of the house.

My brother in law borrowed my tester and got 245 bq/3. Instead of paying $2,200 for a pro to come in, we are going to try and do it ourselves first. Doesn't seem that hard really and there are a few companies that sell the entire mitigation kit for around $500.

[Mitsu3000gt]

My prelim reading was 77 bq/3. Would you guys still get that mitigated? I know it isn't at the maximum allowable but seems high if post-mitigation people are seeing almost zero.

[Darell_n]

My reading has peaked around 600 after 2 days of continuous furnace blower use. It has since dropped to 200s with warm weather and minimal furnace use. I confirmed I have a 2ft x 4ft opening into the gravel under my furnace and return air ducting so my plan this weekend is to cut and knock out a 4” strip beside it to finish underneath with concrete properly.

[Darell_n]

80661

[phreezee]

My prelim reading was 77 bq/3. Would you guys still get that mitigated? I know it isn't at the maximum allowable but seems high if post-mitigation people are seeing almost zero.

No, mitigation companies usually only promise under 50 bq/3.

[Zero102]

My reading has peaked around 600 after 2 days of continuous furnace blower use. It has since dropped to 200s with warm weather and minimal furnace use. I confirmed I have a 2ft x 4ft opening into the gravel under my furnace and return air ducting so my plan this weekend is to cut and knock out a 4” strip beside it to finish underneath with concrete properly.


Woah - yeah definitely take care of that right away. Even if it's not the only source of radon it's probably letting bugs into your basement too and soil gas. I'd be curious how that affects the readings once it's closed up.

[revelations]

I don't know if I buy into the radon hype... I have been trying to read up more and more on it and so far I am feeling it is quite possibly one of those irrational fears that allow for a lot of money to be made by an industry built around it. I am not 100% committed to this idea yet though. Anyone else skeptical?

I wouldn't be sceptical about the science, but I would be sceptical about the new "best" deal, fly by night operations that prey on this market.

Its a lot more insidious that people might think - radon is used in health spas but in a short-term basis. Living with low levels of radiation is generally not a good idea in a long term basis.

[Darell_n]

I think the Calgary study compared the upper limit of 200 to one dental X-ray per day, every day.

[Mitsu3000gt]

No, mitigation companies usually only promise under 50 bq/3.

Interesting, thanks. I saw it as high as 97 but my "long term" average is starting to calculate and so far it's 76. I'm guessing it spikes when the furnace runs but I can't confirm.

[Zero102]

Here's the latest chart from my basement :(
https://i.imgur.com/sV49R3f.png

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'm now seeing 170-205 Bq/M3 "spot" readings (used to be around 70), and my average is creeping up to 140. I wonder why it fluctuates so much.

[Zero102]

I'm now seeing 170-205 Bq/M3 "spot" readings (used to be around 70), and my average is creeping up to 140. I wonder why it fluctuates so much.

Swings like that are normal. This is why the general advice is against continuous reading monitors - they tend to motivate people to do unnecessary mitigation. Honestly you need at minimum a 30, preferably 90 day average to get a real indication.
Look at my readings, one day it's 20, the next it can be 1500+. Radon doesn't seep into the home at a constant rate, it sorta bubbles up through the ground in spurts and the times it comes in and the times it doesn't can be controlled by temperature, humidity, water patterns in the ground, wind, etc. The only pattern we have noticed with our radon is that the radon levels spike when there is a temperature change, then dip for a short while after, and if the temperature stays constant it will then return to ~100-200Bq/m^3, and even then this pattern only holds about 75-80% of the time.


Basically, don't worry if you see a few readings in the 200s or even in the 1000s, it's about cumulative exposure, long-term readings. If you want to feel better about it, just reduce the time you spend inside the house on days where the readings are high until you've got a long enough time frame to see your true average. Do not, however, turn on exhaust fans thinking you are solving the problem, anything that reduces the air pressure in your house may draw additional radon into the house from below.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Swings like that are normal. This is why the general advice is against continuous reading monitors - they tend to motivate people to do unnecessary mitigation. Honestly you need at minimum a 30, preferably 90 day average to get a real indication.
Look at my readings, one day it's 20, the next it can be 1500+. Radon doesn't seep into the home at a constant rate, it sorta bubbles up through the ground in spurts and the times it comes in and the times it doesn't can be controlled by temperature, humidity, water patterns in the ground, wind, etc. The only pattern we have noticed with our radon is that the radon levels spike when there is a temperature change, then dip for a short while after, and if the temperature stays constant it will then return to ~100-200Bq/m^3, and even then this pattern only holds about 75-80% of the time.


Basically, don't worry if you see a few readings in the 200s or even in the 1000s, it's about cumulative exposure, long-term readings. If you want to feel better about it, just reduce the time you spend inside the house on days where the readings are high until you've got a long enough time frame to see your true average. Do not, however, turn on exhaust fans thinking you are solving the problem, anything that reduces the air pressure in your house may draw additional radon into the house from below.

Thanks for all the info, it's helpful. I'll maybe just try to ignore it for at least a month or two, and see where my long term average starts to settle at. I'm sure I'm over reacting, but I sit at my computer in the basement watching it go up and I start to worry haha.

By exhaust fans do you man the bathroom fans? I assume if the furnace is on, it pressurizes the house and if anything helps clear out the radon, but if the radon is coming from under the furnace floor, maybe it just helps to spread it - I am not sure.

To be fair, the manufacturer says the same thing in the manual, that the 1-day readings are for indication only, and the longer the reading, the more accurate - I'm the one that is probably more concerned than I should be.

[Zero102]

No problem at all - I want to caution I'm far from being an expert I'm just another concerned homeowner who is trying to solve a radon problem.

What I mean by exhaust fans are fans that only remove air from the house, lowering the air pressure inside the house.

I don't know your setup for sure but turning the furnace on may or may not pressurize the house. For example, my house has no fresh air inlet on the cold air return of the furnace (only a combustion air inlet for the burner and it doesn't leak any substantial amount of air into the house), so running the furnace just moves air around, and heating the air inside the house increases the stack effect which seems to cause the radon levels to rise. If you have an outside air inlet it may help, or if you have some kind of fan system actively bringing air into the house that could be even better.

Last weekend I installed a somewhat ghetto mitigation system in my house so I'm hoping I am near the end of my radon adventure. I went around and closed all the windows in the house for the first time in the 4 months since we moved in (literally, they've all been open at least 1" since the day before we moved in) and we are monitoring the radon levels. Hopefully I'll have some results after a couple weeks, though if I see another 2000+ spike before then I'll probably open the windows again and invalidate the test.

We have talked to many radon mitigation professionals over the past 4 months, and even with our spikes into the 2000-4000Bq/m^3 range they all said the same thing, don't panic, keep taking the readings, get an accurate average. They all wanted a minimum of 30 days average as an indicator of whether to do a 90 day test and only then would make a decision on a mitigation system. When our levels got over 1000 we would generally just leave the house if possible, I mean this doesn't work at night, but we'd just spend more time with the kids at the playground or whatever if it was during the day. Outside air has a radon level of about 0-6Bq/m^3 where I live so I figure a couple hours at those levels brings the average exposure down significantly.

For our house, the professionals wanted us to keep the windows closed to get accurate numbers but since we committed early that we were doing mitigation regardless we didn't follow that recommendation.

[Mitsu3000gt]

What I am noticing now is that every time I check the meter, it's usually around 100-175 "spot" 1-day reading, but my long term average keeps going up and up - now at 192. The 1-day average reading doesn't change fast at all, so I think it's very unlikely that it spikes every time I'm not looking at it. I am puzzled by the LT average climbing with my 1-day readings always being below the LT average.

[phreezee]

It's simple, if you remove air using exhaust (bathroom) fans, you must replace it via the cold air return+furnace otherwise this creates a negative pressure in your house.
You want positive pressure if you want to keep radon out.
What mitigation does is make sure that the pressure under your house is always less than the pressure in your house.

[TimG]

got my kit thru the University of Calgary link posted earlier in this thread.

Started monitoring yesterday. Will be sending the puck back to the lab in march to see what the results are.

[Zero102]

What I am noticing now is that every time I check the meter, it's usually around 100-175 "spot" 1-day reading, but my long term average keeps going up and up - now at 192. The 1-day average reading doesn't change fast at all, so I think it's very unlikely that it spikes every time I'm not looking at it. I am puzzled by the LT average climbing with my 1-day readings always being below the LT average.

I don't really know that exact meter but the brand you picked is known to be pretty accurate. Can you use the micro-usb port to download the readings and chart them yourself to see what's going on?

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't really know that exact meter but the brand you picked is known to be pretty accurate. Can you use the micro-usb port to download the readings and chart them yourself to see what's going on?

I did not know I could do what with the port - thanks. I assumed it was just for firmware updates. Maybe worth a look.

At least I'm still under 200 (barely) for the LT reading, which is probably not too bad but I still have some time before it's considered accurate.

[Zero102]

This is my ghetto-ish mitigation system from last weekend:
https://i.imgur.com/qzj2huc.jpg

There are lots of wrong things here:
- The pipe doesn't go very far into the floor, only 2", this might not be excellent but it is deep enough to get a good seal and my hands were tired, my arms hurt and my chisels had gotten dull so I stopped there
- The pipe is sewer rated not schedule 40 as recommended. So it's not as impact resistant but it should live through the pressures it will see
- The pipe runs out through what used to be a sliding window. This window was only 10"x14" and is over 5 feet off the ground. It was never escapable in the first place, though it does affect the ability to ventilate what is arguably the smelliest room in the house (the used-to-be-a-super-shitty-dangerous-kitchen-but-now-holds-cat-litterboxes room)
- The fan is mounted quite low to the floor. This is because I only had 45 degree angle pieces. I should have done 45 + 22.5 and raised the fan up but I was working with what I had on hand. This makes it harder to fit the static pressure gauge but not impossible
- The power cord for the fan is just a pc power cable with the end cut off through a 4004 bushing, probably should have a proper gland fitting, though it is sufficiently sized for the load and protected enough for the application (I wouldn't recommend putting it outside wired like this)

Then some less-than-ideal things:
- We were not able to access the seam between the slab and the foundation walls around the perimeter of the slab, there is definitely some suction loss and potential radon ingress there
- We could not reach the floor drain to seal around it. The asbestos-laden flooring overlaps the area we would like to reach
- The cracks in the floor, although very small, are not sealed
- The fan is located inside a living space and makes a noticeable noise. It's audible on the next floor up when the house is very quiet
- The fan is actually over-sized. We didn't have a good understanding of how well air would flow through the sand under the slab so we erred on the side of over-sizing the fan. I would like to downsize a little since this one is kind of loud and draws 80W of power continuously.


The reason these corners were cut is because it is ONLY TEMPORARY. As I'm sure we've all said about many projects, but seriously it is. We are unable to drill the suction point in my intended location due to asbestos containing flooring that requires expensive professional removal. We are unable to run the duct vertically through the main floor and place the fan in the attic because the drywall on the main floor also contains asbestos in the mud as we should not disturb it. I did not want to cut a hole through the wall (and consequently, through the stucco) for a system that is going to be removed later.
The plan is to gut the entire house, remove all of the asbestos and make some structural changes. At that time proper ducting will be run through to the attic, the fan will be moved out of the living space, and everything will be done properly. In fact, the plan was not to mitigate the radon at all until we were ready for the big renovations, but that plan was made when we thought the 90-day average would be 200, unfortunately it's closer to 500 and so I agreed to come up with a band-aid solution that is, like many things, a combination of compromises. The intent was to minimize the changes to the house that would be hard or expensive to reverse later, but to try to get the radon levels more livable.... it's just not a good feeling putting the kids to bed and seeing 1500Bq/m^3 on the radon meter right beside where they sleep.

When I started the installation radon levels in my house had just fallen down to a very low level so I have no indication whether it is working well or not. I'll try to report back in a few weeks once I've had time to gather some data.

[craigcd]

Zero102 where did you buy the supplies? My basement has a "randon vent pipe" installed so I assume I can hook up a fan and pipe it out of my house?

[phreezee]

Zero102 where did you buy the supplies? My basement has a "randon vent pipe" installed so I assume I can hook up a fan and pipe it out of my house?

Amazon.ca has all your radon needs! Zero102, I know it's temporary but you should have a manometer.

[craigcd]

Amazon.ca has all your radon needs! Zero102, I know it's temporary but you should have a manometer.


Thanks. I need to re-read this thread. I am currently developing my basement and I have the "radon pipe vent" sitting there. Wonder if its worth testing or just set up the mitigation and be done with it.....?

I guess having a baseline wouldn't hurt.

[Zero102]

Amazon.ca has all your radon needs! Zero102, I know it's temporary but you should have a manometer.

That's exactly where I bought mine! I bought the RadonAway GP-301 on Amazon. There's a few places you can buy radon fans from, don't shop just on price, find the right fan (right suction, right cfm, noise level, power consumption, size, etc.) then find the cheapest place to get it. You will also find that radon mitigation equipment is FAR more common in the US than here so very often shipping something up either to Montana and picking it up, or shipping it right here, is often much cheaper than buying within Canada.

Talking about where to buy fans reminds me, if anyone is curious the total cost of my mitigation attempt was about $425 including tax. The fan was $283 (at the time, now $293) on amazon.ca, the rubber couplings were about $8/each, pipe was $15, fittings were $25, the sealant was $8, manometer was about $20, and the rest was made from scraps and supplies I already had around (plywood, window glazing tape, pvc cement). I phoned a few professionals for quotes and was given numbers between $2200 and $3500 for a mitigation system installed. I know they were offering to provide a better quality installation but they recommended the suction point I had already selected and would have used the same fan so I am hoping to get a similar end result. I suspect my installation will not be as long lasting (probably a pipe will get banged into and break at some point) and I know I will eventually need to spend about $300 more to relocate the fan into the attic and upgrade the piping to schedule 40 (and potentially add a second suction point) after the main floor renovations.

The radon levels have been no higher than 75 since we installed the fan about 42 hours ago and based on my chart that is highly unusual (it has only happened 3 times in the past 100 days). If this trend holds past midnight it'll be the longest such streak since I started measuring and at that time I can start to feel like we have actually made a difference and it's not just luck that the numbers are low right now.
phreezee Yes I totally agree. I checked suction with a hand-held digital manometer to verify I'm not maxing out the fan and that it's moving air (also checked air velocity at exhaust to determine CFM) and I own a U-tube manometer that was going to be installed but I made the vertical tube under the fan about 1" too short to mount it on the pipe itself. I am going to buy a longer length of vinyl hose and mount it on the wall beside the fan as soon as I find a store that carries the right size.

For my longer-term mitigation system I was planning on deploying a couple ESP8266 microcontrollers and narrow-range digital pressure sensors to actually monitor the suction level under the slab.... I'm a bit of a data geek so it sounded fun, but it lets me do things like turn the fan off for 30 seconds every week or so to make sure it's still actually sucking from all corners of my basement (and to re-zero the sensors).

- - - Updated - - -


Thanks. I need to re-read this thread. I am currently developing my basement and I have the "radon pipe vent" sitting there. Wonder if its worth testing or just set up the mitigation and be done with it.....?

I guess having a baseline wouldn't hurt.

I like that houses are now coming with that pipe roughed in, but do go downstairs and check that it is properly capped off and sealed. I've heard of a handful of cases where people had the pipes provided by the builder and they weren't properly capped so it was basically a shortcut for radon to get into the house.

[craigcd]

I ordered a kit from Radon West this morning. Not sure if it will make any difference but I plan to be developing my basement at the same time as the sample is collecting so hopefully that isn't a issue. We will see, if I have to test twice I will. As I have a rough in I am pretty sure I could do a setup for less than 500$ so not to concerned just want to get it underway if so.

[Zero102]

You already have the pipe installed in the floor, do you also have one going up to your roof? Might be worth planning the route that you will need to take just in case you need to install a mitigation system in the future.

Also, since your basement is undeveloped right now, I highly recommend you read at least one or two radon mitigation guides for things you can do now to make your life substantially easier. Things such as polyurethane caulking the joint between the slab and the cement walls and sealing any penetrations through the slab. These things will make any mitigation you may have to attempt later much more successful and may be impossible to do once the basement has been developed.

Personally I wouldn't install a mitigation system unless it your test high for radon levels. The expense of installing the system, the noise / maintenance of it, plus the potential for concern when selling the house (I feel like most people are totally ignorant of radon and would likely see a mitigation system as a negative thing) would discourage me unless radon levels were high enough that they were of concern.

[craigcd]

You already have the pipe installed in the floor, do you also have one going up to your roof? Might be worth planning the route that you will need to take just in case you need to install a mitigation system in the future.

Also, since your basement is undeveloped right now, I highly recommend you read at least one or two radon mitigation guides for things you can do now to make your life substantially easier. Things such as polyurethane caulking the joint between the slab and the cement walls and sealing any penetrations through the slab. These things will make any mitigation you may have to attempt later much more successful and may be impossible to do once the basement has been developed.

Personally I wouldn't install a mitigation system unless it your test high for radon levels. The expense of installing the system, the noise / maintenance of it, plus the potential for concern when selling the house (I feel like most people are totally ignorant of radon and would likely see a mitigation system as a negative thing) would discourage me unless radon levels were high enough that they were of concern.

I need to look into what I can do now while the basement is undeveloped for sure.

The rough in is simply the plumbing into the slab(sealed with a cap for now) so I would connect the fan to that and then vent outside. I would vent directly to the side of the house, from what I have read so far it dissipates quickly anyway and contact with anyone would be minimal regardless.

I agree I wont be installing a system unless absolutely needed.

[mikestypes]

80661
Do you ever have trouble with your Wave losing bluetooth sync and having to reset and lose chunks of data? Mine does it once or twice a week now.

[Darell_n]

Do you ever have trouble with your Wave losing bluetooth sync and having to reset and lose chunks of data? Mine does it once or twice a week now.

Mine never had any bluetooth problems, but just before Christmas the reading jumped to around 14000 and stayed there. They are sending me a new unit and pre-paid postage to return the old one. Their customer service is excellent to deal with.