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hambone42
Peace, through superior firepower
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join:2002-02-02
Manassas, VA

hambone42 to Exodus

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Re: Educate me on Radon

For those of you who have had a mitigation system installed -- what is the configuration of the outside vent?

We're buying a house and had the seller install a system as the Radon level was above the EPA standard. The vent pipe exits the basement just above ground level, and the fan unit is on the outside of the house. The vent pipe runs up the side of the house and terminates in a 90* elbow below the roofline. I can see why they chose to run the vent outside as they would have had to punch through two floors to get to the roof, but I'm a little surprised they put the fan unit outside.

My main question is about that elbow -- I think it should have some kind of screen or cap on it; our agent says that's fairly typical for this area. Thoughts?

Exodus
Your Daddy
Premium Member
join:2001-11-26
Earth

Exodus

Premium Member

You can get a Radon inspection done. It's about $100 in our area. They'll check the system and its effectiveness.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
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join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski to hambone42

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That's a typical setup. Mine exits the house, and there is an elbow with the fan unit right above the elbow. Then it vents above the roof straight up, no cap or screen. My parents in KY is the same way. The fan died once so I called the company that installed it. (word to the wise the stuck their business card next the the flow meter on the pipe in the basement). They said the chances of debris getting in there is slim.

OldCableGuy
@planetcr.net

OldCableGuy

Anon

I had a (no joke) squirrel drop an acorn down mine. I watched the little f--ker do it too from my deck. By the time I got to the basement to turn off the breaker for the fan it had started to smoke and was toast. However they replaced the fan for free at that point.

PSWired
join:2006-03-26
Annapolis, MD

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to hambone42
said by hambone42:

For those of you who have had a mitigation system installed -- what is the configuration of the outside vent?

We're buying a house and had the seller install a system as the Radon level was above the EPA standard. The vent pipe exits the basement just above ground level, and the fan unit is on the outside of the house. The vent pipe runs up the side of the house and terminates in a 90* elbow below the roofline. I can see why they chose to run the vent outside as they would have had to punch through two floors to get to the roof, but I'm a little surprised they put the fan unit outside.

My main question is about that elbow -- I think it should have some kind of screen or cap on it; our agent says that's fairly typical for this area. Thoughts?

They put the fan outside because the inside piping is supposed to be under suction in occupied areas of the house. That way a leak doesn't dump stinky, humid, radon-filled sub-slab air into the house.

Wouldn't worry about the lack of a screen. No birds or insects are going to mess with a pipe that has all that air coming out 24/7.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

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said by OldCableGuy :

I had a (no joke) squirrel drop an acorn down mine. I watched the little f--ker do it too from my deck. By the time I got to the basement to turn off the breaker for the fan it had started to smoke and was toast. However they replaced the fan for free at that point.

They are pretty adamant that any vent cap that would restrict or redirect the air laterally at the roof exit is bad for a variety of reasons based on my google readings. However, I think you can put a few (two or so) feet more on the height to make it less friendly for a squirrel to do that. I did see one site where they put a wire mesh screen (approx 0.5" squares) over the exit. Not sure if that passes muster or not, but I saw an image of it.

garys_2k
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI

garys_2k

Premium Member

Yeah, I'd think that a single layer of galvanized hardware cloth wouldn't be any more restrictive than a couple of extra feet of pipe.

PSWired
join:2006-03-26
Annapolis, MD

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Look at the manometer that measures the subslab pressure before and after adding the screen. There should be a limit on it, make sure the screen doesn't make the pressure rise above the limit.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

sempergoofy

Premium Member

This is the website where I saw the weather resistant screen installed yesterday.
»wpb-radon.com/Radon_inst ··· tos.html
I note, however, that this installer seems to have also put a tee type rain deflector at the top of the exhaust. That's the part that seems to most controversial based on other readings as it has the potential to redirect the air for possible reintroduction instead of maximizing the dispersal with a straight shot. I dunno.

hambone42
Peace, through superior firepower
Premium Member
join:2002-02-02
Manassas, VA

hambone42

Premium Member

Thanks to all who replied and to sempergoofy See Profile for that installation link.

The "condensation bypass" seems a little odd. I understand the explanation, but I would think that the drain holes in the cap below the tee would slightly compromise the fan's ability to keep a vacuum under the slab. Most of the systems I've seen don't have that feature; perhaps it's only required in colder climates?

Nate425
Premium Member
join:2005-02-03
Charlottesville, VA

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to hambone42
said by hambone42:

For those of you who have had a mitigation system installed -- what is the configuration of the outside vent?

We're buying a house and had the seller install a system as the Radon level was above the EPA standard. The vent pipe exits the basement just above ground level, and the fan unit is on the outside of the house. The vent pipe runs up the side of the house and terminates in a 90* elbow below the roofline. I can see why they chose to run the vent outside as they would have had to punch through two floors to get to the roof, but I'm a little surprised they put the fan unit outside.

My main question is about that elbow -- I think it should have some kind of screen or cap on it; our agent says that's fairly typical for this area. Thoughts?

That's pretty much how mine is and others I've seen. Seems pretty typical. It's been running for 8 years now with no issues.