What should you do if you've discovered that you have radon gas in your home. As a licensed radon mitigation technician I can tell you the first thing not to do is panic. There's no need to be alarmed because this problem can be corrected quick and easy for minimal dollars, considering what an average radon installation would cost from a radon company. There are a few things that you can do immediately to help instantly lower your radon levels.
Before you hire a radon mitigation company to take action with their radon remediation process, consider the things you can do yourself first. You're guaranteed to save hundreds of dollars if you can lower the levels below 4pCi/L yourself. Below 4pCi/L is considered safe by the EPA. Many times you can get the levels lower that 4pCi/L. This is possible to achieve without installing an active radon mitigation system, depending on how high the levels are, and a few other variables as well.
Let's take a look at some things that can be done immediately:
Seal your crawl space with 6mil plastic - This is usually a huge source for radon entry into your home, and by putting a barrier down to seal the ground you'll suppress the gas and achieve lower radon levels.
Seal your sump pit - This is another area of massive radon entry due to the simple fact that it a direct hole into the ground and has perimeter drain tile looping around your entire basement ending inside your sump pit. This allows radon to freely float through the drain tile and into your basement through your sump pit.
Seal all floor cracks - When you have cracks in your concrete floor slab, it allows a path of least resistance to occur. Radon gas can and will easily flow through these cracks. You should seal your expansion joints as well. These are the cuts in the floor that came from the builder. These can also be a source over time.
Seal the floor to wall seam - Some homes will have a gap between the floor to wall seam. This can be another source of radon entry. Even if it appears that there's no gap, it's still a good idea to seal it anyway because radon can and will still come through.
Seal any plumbing rough in - Many times a plumbing rough in is cut into the floor for the homeowner to utilize when they install a bathroom or shower etc... The cut is usually all the way through the slab and filled in with pea gravel. This will also nee a temporary seal on it until you use it.
Seal Penetrating floor Pipes - Seal around all penetrating floor pipes. many time they have open nooks and cranny that easily allow radon gas to penetrate.
There are more things that can be done yourself, but if you start with these things you'll have a huge jump-start on reducing the radon levels. You'll need to perform a post radon test in your home after you perform these passive radon reduction techniques. Believe me, you'll save hundreds and hundreds of dollars if you can get the levels down yourself, without hiring a radon mitigation company.
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