Radon is a gas that is often found in certain areas of water, soil, and rock. Unfortunately, radon is impossible to detect normally as it is odorless, tasteless, and impossible to see with the naked eye. In addition, exposure to too much radon can be extremely hazardous to your health. It’s important to contact a radon testing and inspection company to ensure any devices are working properly. The United States Environmental Protection Agency in addition to the Surgeon General’s Office estimates that nearly 20,000 annual deaths from lung cancer are due to radon exposure. Considering that, here are four ways to reduce the presence of radon in your home.
- Ensuring Openings are Properly Sealed
An important part of the radon and testing inspection process is ensuring that all methods of removal are utilized as needed. It’s rare that sealing cracks within a foundation is an adequate method for reducing large amounts of radon. However, it’s vital that cracks are sealed in order to prevent potential radon sources from leaking into the home. In addition, sealing problem areas will help make other radon reducing systems much more effective. Sealing openings as the sole method for radon removal will rarely take care of the entire problem and is often seen as more of a preventative measure. - Soil Suction
The process of soil suction works by pulling radon from beneath the home and sending it above the residence. In many cases, a series of pipes are used in the soil suction process to safely reduce the presence of radon within a home. Since radon is hard to detect, it’s wise to contact a radon testing and inspection company. Radon testing and inspection services can help ensure that a system is working properly. The type of soil suction system that will be used for your home depends upon how it is built. For instance, homes with basements or crawlspaces often use a different soil suction system than homes built on a slab of concrete. - Pressurizing the Home
How to get of radon doesn’t always involve soil suction. In some cases, increasing airflow throughout a home can vastly reduce radon levels. Pressurizing a home involves sending air to the lowest level of a home, creating pressure to stop dangerous levels of radon from remaining within a home. However, this method can only be used successfully with certain types of homes. In addition, it is advised that homes utilizing a pressurization method for removing radon try and keep windows and doors closed when possible. Statistics show that passive radon mitigation systems are able to reduce radon levels by over 50%. - Installing a Heat Recovery Ventilator
In certain instances, a heat recovery ventilator can work well to reduce radon from a home. These devices work to increase how air is ventilated throughout a home. It’s common for a heat recovery ventilator to be utilized for reducing the specific presence of radon within a basement. One drawback with using these types of ventilators is that they are known to increase heating and cooling bills. With that in mind, the Surgeon General has listed radon exposure to be the second leading cause of lung cancer which makes the benefits of having a ventilator outweigh the additional costs.
To summarize, there are several ways to reduce the presence of radon within the home. It’s vital to ensure that any major cracks within the home are properly sealed. It’s rare that sealing cracks alone will take care of a radon problem but it does make other methods more effective. Soil suction is often used as a primary method for removing radon from a home by sending the gas to the air above a residence. Pressuring a home can sometimes work well to reduce the presence of radon by bringing more air into the home. In some cases, a heat recovery ventilator can work well with certain homes to reduce radon by moving it to lower levels of the property. No matter which method you utilize, it’s wise to enlist the help of a radon testing and inspection service to ensure a system works properly.