Radon?

[craigcd]

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Thanks for the extra info guys.



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.

My brother had a quote from Radon West and I have had friends use them. I think they are very reputable company but I feel like they over complicate the procedure to make sure they secure your business. I have had another friend randomly fire a hole where it was convenient and have the same result as me and read other forum posts with a very similar result. All have been checked and rechecked to ensure levels.


For me yes, I piped up and exited my utility room. I was a bit intimidated at first but in the end it was easy and looks great. I can send you pics if you want. Let me know.

[ExtraSlow]

I'm not an expert, but I'd guess if you are roughed in, you could do it yourself for $100 in parts and get 90% of whatever the pros get. Hell, buy that monitor with the savings and prove it to yourself.

[Rarasaurus]

Cost me about 400 for parts to do mine including tool rental for drilling 4 inch hole. About 4 hours to install. Readings before around 200. Readings after around 10. Easy peasy.

[Rarasaurus]

Cost me about 400 for parts to do mine including tool rental for drilling 4 inch hole. About 4 hours to install. Readings before around 200. Readings after around 10. Easy peasy.

[Darell_n]

For the people mitigating themselves, did you seal the slab, walls or anything else other than installing the fan?

[Rarasaurus]

I did not other than seal around the 4 inch pipe. Seems to create enough suction to fix the issue without additional work.

[Darell_n]

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I did not other than seal around the 4 inch pipe. Seems to create enough suction to fix the issue without additional work.

That's what I'm hoping for as my basement is completely finished. I want to try repurposing my central vac exhaust pipe for a radon fan in my centralized mechanical room.

[craigcd]

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I did not other than seal around the 4 inch pipe. Seems to create enough suction to fix the issue without additional work.

I didn’t either and my basement is also finished. That’s why I don’t 100% believe all the complexities Radon West quotes. Really don’t think it is complicated to get good results.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Where do you actually vent it though, that is what I am confused about regarding the DIY process. If I have to drill a big hole in the side of my house for a pipe to exit, there is no way I'm doing that myself haha.

[88CRX]

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Where do you actually vent it though, that is what I am confused about regarding the DIY process. If I have to drill a big hole in the side of my house for a pipe to exit, there is no way I'm doing that myself haha.

Correct.

It is a glorified exhaust fan for the 'airspace' under your basement slab. And if your slab isn't sealed your basically just sucking air out of your basement (and from under the slab) and dumping it outside, you could achieve similar results by running your basement bathroom exhaust fan or opening a basement window (not possible in winter obviously).

[Rarasaurus]

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Correct.

It is a glorified exhaust fan for the 'airspace' under your basement slab. And if your slab isn't sealed your basically just sucking air out of your basement (and from under the slab) and dumping it outside, you could achieve similar results by running your basement bathroom exhaust fan or opening a basement window (not possible in winter obviously).

Interestingly running the bathroom fan did not show improvement on readings. Assume because all it did was creat negative air pressure and more radon came up. Open windows did work but that wasn't a viable solution for winter. I did try various easier things prior to the radon fan.

If u can drill lug nuts on a car u can drill a whole in the side of a house. Also no risk of a wheel falling off.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Correct.

It is a glorified exhaust fan for the 'airspace' under your basement slab. And if your slab isn't sealed your basically just sucking air out of your basement (and from under the slab) and dumping it outside, you could achieve similar results by running your basement bathroom exhaust fan or opening a basement window (not possible in winter obviously).

Running our exhaust fans does not help unfortunately - I assumed all that would do is draw more Radon from the ground into the house being a sealed home. Doesn't seem to make it better or worse though.

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, I think all the "in-house" exhaust fans will either not help or help very little because they are not doing anything to prevent the radon from coming in from below. Maybe if you had a large enough air exchange it could help, but nobody wants that much cold air flowing into their home.

The "real" mitigation fans draw air from under the slab to outside the home before it ever enters the living space. That's a better plan.

[88CRX]

I would have thought running a basement fan would have helped more. How much air are these radon fans sucking?

Bathroom fan + HRV/ERV should do the trick maybe? Or just randon fan and be done.

[JRSC00LUDE]

If anyone is doing new construction, have this added to your concrete when they pour the slab and problem solved:

https://www.spggogreen.com/wp-conten...er-Revised.pdf

[ExtraSlow]

Not a question of airflow CFM.

[firebane]

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Not a question of airflow CFM.

Yeah a lot of bathroom fans barely have enough CFM to clear out bathrooms during a shower. Had to get ours upgrades to help with moisture/steam in the bathroom.

[Rarasaurus]

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If anyone is doing new construction, have this added to your concrete when they pour the slab and problem solved:

https://www.spggogreen.com/wp-conten...er-Revised.pdf

I agree that sealing is the best solution. With a finished basement it's near impossible. Concrete will also always crack. That's why I think sealing is a losing battle and in the end the fan is always needed. Might as well skip to the fan haha.

[sabad66]

What's the best tester these days? I see this one for $229:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00H30TLPA/..._ef5eEb2DVCVF9

or this one for either $165 for gen1 or $249 for gen2:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MSEQYY9/..._Lm5eEbBGC7Z06

i kinda like the smartphone app integration of the second one, but reviews seem worse.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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What's the best tester these days? I see this one for $229:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00H30TLPA/..._ef5eEb2DVCVF9

or this one for either $165 for gen1 or $249 for gen2:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MSEQYY9/..._Lm5eEbBGC7Z06

i kinda like the smartphone app integration of the second one, but reviews seem worse.

I have this one, and it's still the one every radon company I have contacted so far has said is the best:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00H30TLPA/..._ef5eEb2DVCVF9

Has fewer bells and whistles but is the most accurate and the battery lasts for years.