What You Need To Know About Radon Inspection: Does It Pay Off?

You can find out if the radon levels in your house are risky by having a radon test or inspection done. Is it really worth it, though? You are in the proper location!

The most valuable state of being is excellent health, to put things into perspective. It’s crucial to practice preventive care. A radon inspection could also end up saving you money on medical expenses and preserving your life.

To discover more about radon gas, continue reading. We’ll discuss how to have a property checked for it, why radon gas in homes is a problem, and what you can do to lessen or get rid of radon gas.

Radon: What Is It?

Radon is tasteless, odorless, and invisible. It might still be a problem in your home, though. Breathing radon-contaminated air increases your risk of acquiring lung cancer.

When present in the air, the gas radon decomposes into other compounds. The decaying radon particles may stay in the lungs even if we breathe radon gas in and out. Cells harmed by these particles may mutate and turn into lung cancer over time.

As radon exposure affects 1 in every 15 homes in the United States, it is currently the second most common cause of lung cancer. Smoking and excessive radon levels in your home both increase your risk of lung cancer.

Radioactive gas could enter the home through the unprotected sump pump, minute foundation cracks, and gaps in the foundation walls. Electrical and plumbing wire penetrations might also allow it in.

Additionally, some regions—such as the Northeast and Midwest of the United States—are more susceptible to elevated radon gas levels. In reality, each individual house must be considered. Your house might have far higher radon levels than your neighbor’s, even if theirs are quite low.

Why Should I Do A Radon Test?

The fact that radon gas is harmful to your health is the main justification for why radon testing is required. Radon, a radioactive gas, is present in all American homes.

It gets into the air you breathe as a result of uranium’s natural breakdown into radium in water, soil, and rocks.

Radon frequently seeps into your house through faulty construction, rising through the ground to the atmosphere above. Simply put, your home might have radon. You can only find out if you and your family are at risk from radon through testing.

When Ought Radon Testing To Be Performed?

Radon testing should be done by every homeowner. Without doing a test, it is hard to tell whether a home is secure due to the fact that radon has been identified in all 50 states and in all types of dwellings.

Homeowners should test their home as they get ready to sell it. This helps home sellers avoid radon exposure and unforeseen delays and repairs later on in the house-selling process.

Include professional radon testing in home inspections for prospective homeowners. Take action to negotiate radon mitigation or to raise the sales price to cover repairs if the results show high radon levels before finalizing the deal.

What Places Should Be Tested for Radon?

The majority of the radon that is present indoors comes from radon that naturally occurs in the soil, hence the EPA advises conducting the testing at the lowest living level of the home. This frequently indicates a location that could have significant radon levels.

Ideally, the test should be conducted in a room on that level that is regularly used, such as a living room, den, bedroom, or playroom. A corridor, kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom are not appropriate testing locations.

When utilized in damp or draughty conditions, some test instruments may yield biased results. While the devices are sampling, keep them undisturbed. Additionally, keep them out of the way to avoid affecting the results.

If the lowest inhabited level is not frequently used, think about testing a high-use area as well. Your ability to estimate your long-term exposure may be helped by this.

How Can Your Home Be Radon Tested?

For the most accurate results, have a professional radon test your home. A knowledgeable inspector knows precisely where to place the radon device to get the best results. They may assess the remainder of your house for potential radon leakage problems.

Short-Term Radon Test

You can get a short-term DIY radon test kit in hardware, home improvement, or online. It will just take you a few days to finish. Although these at-home radon test kits seem like a practical option, they are not as accurate as radon testing performed by professionals.

As crucial as having specialized testing equipment is where tests are conducted in the home. The advantages of a professional’s skill and understanding are lost when you self-install the equipment, which lowers accuracy.

Regular Radon Tests

Run continuous radon tests for a period of time, often 48 hours, with devices that measure the radon levels as they change (about 2 days). Professional inspectors will thoughtfully place the gadget or devices in the home based on the home’s layout.

The device will monitor radon levels for 48 hours while reducing or eliminating interference or “measurement noise” that could result in incorrect findings.

The inspector picks up the device after 48 hours and presents a report based on the measurements taken by this cutting-edge, sophisticated device.

Long-Term Radon Test

Long-term tests are usually more precise than short-term ones because radon levels are measured using alpha particle tracking. These tests gather radon gas for 3–12 months. The majority of the homes that need to undergo this test are those in high-risk zones.

How Do I Proceed If Radon Levels Are High?

The average lowest amount indoors is 1.3 picocuries per litre (pCi/L), whereas the average lowest level outdoors is 0.4 pCi/L, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But there is no radon concentration that is “safe.” Any exposure could be dangerous to some extent. In general, the danger rises as the radon level and exposure time do.

The EPA recommends that you take action to reduce indoor radon levels if they are 4 pCi/L or higher in your home. You will have more time to fix a radon problem if you take care of it before putting your house on the market.

If elevated levels of radon are found during the real estate transaction, the buyer and seller should discuss the timing and costs of radon mitigation. The cost of radon mitigation treatment varies depending on your home’s construction style and other elements.

Repairs to most homes can be made for about the same cost as other standard home repairs. Consult one or more skilled mitigators and get a quote from them.

How Can Radon Levels Be Reduced?

Reduce the amount of radon in homes using a variety of techniques. The majority of radon mitigation strategies include sealing cracks and other openings in the foundation as a crucial component.

However, the EPA does not advise sealing as the only method of lowering radon infiltration. There is no proof that sealing by alone reliably lowers radon levels.

An arrangement with fans and a vent pipe is the most typical technique for radon reduction. These “sub-slab depressurization” methods don’t require substantial housing modifications. Homes with crawl areas can also have similar systems installed.

These developments stop radon gas from penetrating the home through the concrete floor and foundation. Experts in radon mitigation may also use additional, potentially effective techniques.

The design of your home and other factors affect the best system.

How Much Does A Radon Test Cost?

Radon testing is one of the most frequently performed extra services during a home inspection. Prices for radon testing range from $145 to $700, with an average cost of $412 per test. To measure the gas level, radon test equipment is left in the home for 2-4 days.

However, the most accurate test approach is to hire a qualified mitigation specialist. The testing is not included in the $1,000 average cost of mitigation.

Select a professional who has National Radon Safety Board certification (NRSB). If you require assistance testing your home or a property you are considering purchasing.

Long-term DIY radon test kits normally cost between $10 and $200, although short-term kits typically cost between $10 and $30 if you plan to do it yourself. Included in this are the price of the test device, the postage to return it to the lab, and the lab’s charges for the device’s analysis.

Radon Testing: Amateur vs. Expert

A DIY kit could be inexpensive, but there are many ways to mess with the results or utilize them improperly. A skilled inspector is knowledgeable about the best procedures, laws, and equipment to obtain precise results.

Request that the expert you employ search everywhere. Do not let fresh air in during testing by opening the windows and doors. The accuracy of the outcomes may be impacted by this.

Conclusion

Natural gas radon is present practically everywhere, although it becomes dangerous at larger concentrations. Fortunately, radon mitigation makes it quite easy to move the gas away from a home’s foundation.

The cost of radon mitigation varies between $1000 and $1500 depending on the size of the house and the cost of labor in the area. However, the cost of radiation diagnosis and treatment is still less than the typical medical costs associated with lung cancer.