Protecting your home from high radon levels helps to keep you and your family safe from serious illness. If you are buying a new home, having a licensed radon specialist test the home  is an important step to take before making an offer. For sellers, ensuring that radon levels are safe helps the sale of your property. Here are the basics of radon mitigation.

Radon Mitigation Process

The process depends on your home’s design. Radon contractors will first perform a site study of your home. They will design a radon system that treats the different foundation types found in your home: basement, a slab, a crawlspace, or a combination of those three. 

The most common mitigation process is called a sub-slab suction system. This entails creating suction points in concrete floors. Vent pipes are connected to the suction points, and an exhaust fan,  sucks air from under the floor. Sucking air from under the slab inhibits radon from entering the home and removes  radon from under the concrete slab or foundation. Vent pipe and fan suction systems are also effective in a crawlspaces.  Crawl space floors are sealed with plastic membranes and air is sucked from under the membranes.

Most radon system vent fans are placed on the exterior of the home. Radon vent pipes must vent above roof eaves. When possible, radon systems can be run up through  attics and vent through the attic roof. 

Large cracks or openings in the foundation also need to be sealed to improve system suction. Sump pits need to be covered and sealed. Floor cracks in unfinished basement need to be sealed.

To ensure mitigation worked, the radon levels are re-tested after 24 hours have passed, but before 30 days after the installation. Periodic testing by certified radon contractors every two years will also keep your property and your family safe.

For professional home and radon inspections, call Jeff at Archway Home Inspections. Serving the Cincinnati area, he brings more than a decade of experience to every job, ensuring that the home you are purchasing is safe. For more on his mitigation and testing services, call this radon contractor at (513) 871-1473 or visit the website for more information.