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cableties
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join:2005-01-27

cableties

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[Environmental] radon test...

Sigh.
So in selling my home, the home inspection "radon" test found "elevated levels.
In 2000 it was 1.3 (limit is 4.0). This week, they found over 5.0.

Likely cost $2K to remediate (a blower, a hole, some PVC, a static pressure tube).

Sigh.

StillLearn
Premium Member
join:2002-03-21
Streamwood, IL

1 recommendation

StillLearn

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[Environmental] Re: radon test...

I would consider offering the buyer a concession rather than having the work done. It is faster, and having the system installed already might put off some buyers during the early shopping phase.

fluffybunny
@69.172.160.x

fluffybunny to cableties

Anon

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retest for $15 using a home depot lab test kit for a week. it will be more accurate than spot checks are.
chances are the home testing guy is useless and using faulty equipment.

cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

cableties

Premium Member

It was an electronic device, and I looked at it, inspection/calibration decal good till 2015. I wondered if the first owner's inspection prior to me wasn't some "$15 test kit" with a cellar window open...

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

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MVM

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Not that it matters to the OP, but those $15 home depot test kits now require an extra $30 to get the results in 2 weeks, or $60 for 3 days. On top of the $15 to get the kit itself.

tschmidt
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join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Consolidated Com..
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I've had several radon tests done over the years and they vary pretty widely. All of mine have been over an extended period to average the result.

Probably worth having a second test done by a pro. The easiest route is to disclose the variation in test results and shave the $2k off the selling price.

/tom

SuperNet
Go Ninja,Go Ninja Go..
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join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

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Does radon really matter? How does a house get radon anyway?
dmagerl
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join:2007-08-06
Woodstock, IL

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Here in Illinois you just have to disclose whether you do or do not know of a radon problem. You do not have to get it tested. Of course a buyer would have to be brain dead not to demand a test be done.

And it is recommended that a "licensed radon measurement professional" be used if a test is done. That rules out the $15 Home Depot test.

SuperNet
Go Ninja,Go Ninja Go..
Premium Member
join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

SuperNet

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said by dmagerl:

Here in Illinois you just have to disclose whether you do or do not know of a radon problem. You do not have to get it tested. Of course a buyer would have to be brain dead not to demand a test be done.

And it is recommended that a "licensed radon measurement professional" be used if a test is done. That rules out the $15 Home Depot test.

Thanks,

when did radon become such a big deal?

tschmidt
MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
·Consolidated Com..
·Republic Wireless
·Hollis Hosting

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said by SuperNet:

Does radon really matter? How does a house get radon anyway?

Radon is carcinogenic. Radon out gasses from rock, so depending on area it may or may not be a significant problem.

Here in NH it is a common problem.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
»des.nh.gov/organization/ ··· town.pdf

/tom

SparkChaser
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join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

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Common here in Eastern PA. I have a mitigation system that I had put in after I lived here about 15+ years. We don't want to think about what it was like then.

I measured it after listening to people at work. First got the HD type test. Then I bought an electronic monitor. Then hired a mitigation service to test. All results were in the "holy crap" zone and I had the system installed and the levels dropped like a rock.

I have 3 inputs and a roof output. I think it's getting close to replacing the fan.

mityfowl
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join:2000-11-06
Dallas, TX

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I would think it would be hard getting a lender if high levels were known to exist.

SparkChaser
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join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

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SparkChaser

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said by mityfowl:

I would think it would be hard getting a lender if high levels were known to exist.

I think around here it's accepted, if it is taken care of. Most houses here have basements which I think is different that TX. The basements don't help the radon problem.
wth
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join:2002-02-20
Iowa City,IA

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.

dark_star
join:2003-11-14
Louisville

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Member

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said by cableties:

So in selling my home, the home inspection "radon" test found "elevated levels.
In 2000 it was 1.3 (limit is 4.0). This week, they found over 5.0.

Likely cost $2K to remediate (a blower, a hole, some PVC, a static pressure tube).

It didn't cost nearly that much for me. $780 (job done in 2012) for professional installation on my 1100 SF house with full basement. Sub-slab de-pressurization was very effective, dropping the Radon from 20 pCi/l to less than 2 pCi/l.

fluffybunny
@69.172.160.x

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Anon

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keep the windows open, blow the house out with a fan for a few days and then get it retested.
graniterock
Premium Member
join:2003-03-14
London, ON

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said by mityfowl:

I would think it would be hard getting a lender if high levels were known to exist.

It's not so much a danger to the house as it is a danger to the people in the house. (25 years later when they get cancer and the house is already paid for).
XXXXXXXXXXX1
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join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

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Re: [Environmental] radon test...

I run a charcoal radon test every once in a while, which has come back fine each time. But for long term testing, I'm purchasing one of these: »www.amazon.com/Safety-Si ··· 00CEAY64

I'm not sure where to locate it though. I know you have to keep it at least 3' from windows and doors, and at least 20" off the floor. But I have two sections in my basement: I have a fully finished basement area with HVAC vents and returns, and an unfinished section that is used as a utility room, but is unconditioned (and much, much smaller than the finished portion).

Should that testing device be mounted in the finished or unfinished section? I would think the living area would be the most important, but the unfinished utility room probably would allow in more radon, and so that would be the place to test?!? All my charcoal radon testing has been done thus far in the conditioned basement space.

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

Camelot One

MVM

From what I've read, you likely have the same amount of radon coming in to both sections, but you would get a higher reading in the areas without circulated air. In the conditioned areas, the HVAC would help circulate it through the house, all be it at lower levels. So I would test the utility room, and use that reading to decide if you need to do something.

mityfowl
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join:2000-11-06
Dallas, TX

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I don't know anything about this but I would locate the sensor in the room that is most used.

SparkChaser
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join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

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said by XXXXXXXXXXX1:

I run a charcoal radon test every once in a while, which has come back fine each time. But for long term testing, I'm purchasing one of these: »www.amazon.com/Safety-Si ··· 00CEAY64

I have the previous version of that. This thread made me get it out and see what's going on. Nothing yet, it takes days.

It should be placed in the lowest living area. So, if you have a finished basement, it should be there.

The instructions that come with it are pretty complete.

Edit: The average for my zip code is:

BASEMENT 7.2 FIRST FLOOR 3.7
SparkChaser

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Now, that you all know about radon in the air. How about the radon in the water. Another hazard.
ImpetusEra
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join:2004-05-19
00000

ImpetusEra

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said by SparkChaser:

Now, that you all know about radon in the air. How about the radon in the water. Another hazard.

That is mostly an issue with well water. Water pulled from an open source like a lake allows for most radon to dissipate into the air.
»www.cdc.gov/healthywater ··· don.html
XXXXXXXXXXX1
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join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

XXXXXXXXXXX1

Premium Member

said by ImpetusEra:

said by SparkChaser:

Now, that you all know about radon in the air. How about the radon in the water. Another hazard.

That is mostly an issue with well water. Water pulled from an open source like a lake allows for most radon to dissipate into the air.
»www.cdc.gov/healthywater ··· don.html

My understanding is to test well water only if the indoor radon levels are elevated. Otherwise, monitor indoor air levels for any seasonal changes. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I have a private well that is a few hundred feet deep.

As far as device placement, I do know my charcoal testers said to test in the lowest living space, meaning a finished basement, but made no mention of a home with a mixed basement (part finished, part utility). My utility room does have a "return" built into the furnace, but no HVAC delivery ducts. Air moves in there just as in the rest of the house, but just isn't directly delivered to the utility space.

Ideally, I'd like to find an appropriate spot, mount it, and leave it alone for permanent monitoring. If anything pops, I'll look into remediation. Thus far, the charcoal testers have consistently shown levels in the low 2 pCi/L range.
ImpetusEra
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join:2004-05-19
00000

ImpetusEra

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If the indoor levels aren't elevated than there would be less of a chance that the well water is an issue. I suppose though there could be a small vein of uranium nearer to the well that wouldn't necessarily affect the basement. Testing is done at lowest level since radon is heavier than air. It doesn't much matter where the monitoring is done on the lower level since the gas will diffuse throughout. The only difference would be if the detector were placed near a source of radon such as a sump pit.

SparkChaser
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join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

SparkChaser

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said by ImpetusEra:

If the indoor levels aren't elevated than there would be less of a chance that the well water is an issue.

Sorry, I just threw that out there. From my understanding, if you have radon in the water the main transmittance to your lungs is when taking a shower.

In our area west of Philly there are a lot of wells. We are on a public well system where the water is chlorinated before it gets to us. I would think somewhere in that system it looses some of the radon. I've never had it tested.
XXXXXXXXXXX1
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join:2006-01-11
Beverly Hills, CA

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Interesting.. My finished basement has a full bathroom with shower and full kitchen with sink (both used daily for multiple people). I would think any radon from the water (or at least some) would be included in the air measurements when I took samples using the charcoal testers.

Should I see what the electronic radon tester says and take it from there? If it gives a high reading, I would think then it's time to get really specific with testing and remediation?!?

runnoft
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join:2003-10-14
Nags Head, NC

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said by cableties:

Sigh.
So in selling my home, the home inspection "radon" test found "elevated levels.
In 2000 it was 1.3 (limit is 4.0). This week, they found over 5.0.

Likely cost $2K to remediate (a blower, a hole, some PVC, a static pressure tube).

Sigh.

You have my sympathy. We got nailed last November for the same thing selling our home in a northern suburb of Chicago. Last fall, some 45% of the home sales in our town, which is not a common radon problem town, were failing radon tests. There is some seasonal and annual variation, and places that haven't generally had problems can when you're trying to sell.

We had tested our home when we bought it 25 years earlier, and passed. But a few years ago, we were having sump pump problems and uncovered our sump pit to give easy access to cleaning out the pit. This may have been the difference for us. (Besides buying the remediation equipment, we had to pay to have the sump pit covered and sealed with caulk. I knew that would cause a likely sump pump problem for our buyer, but nothing I could do about that one.)

For those of you questioning the validity of these tests, BZZZT. No. The testing firms (in Illinois, anyway) can only test--they can't sell or recommend remediation, so they have no incentive to flag a problem that doesn't exist. Their equipment is far more sophisticated than the $15 HD test and must be carefully calibrated. They seal the windows with tamper-proof stickers that they check when they come back to pick up the test gear and have equipment that can sense if you're trying to lower your radon score by airing the place out or messing with the test gear.

When your home fails the test, your choice is to either pony up for remediation, credit the buyer for remediation, or hope the buyer wants the place badly enough to pay for it. If they don't and walk away (I would, as a buyer, feeling the seller was irresponsible), you would have to disclose the radon test failure to any other potential buyer = lots of luck selling it without remediation. Long-term exposure to radon is clearly linked to increased cancer incidence. So you fix it, sell the house, and move on. But it is an unexpected expense.