Planning For Radon Mitigation in Your New Home

The prevalence of Radon Gas in the soils in areas around the United States is an issue of growing concern. Radon has been deemed the number 1 cause of lung cancer in non-smokers in a study done at the University of Iowa.

If your planned home is in an area of higher risk, you should plan early on to install a Radon Mitigation System. In many areas now, a test is required with each real-estate transaction regarding residential properties and this will probably expand to include most of the higher risk areas. In any event, your health is well worth the small investment to install such a system.

Installing the basics of the system in a Basement or Slab-On-Grade Foundation consists of inserting a perforated pipe below the slab in crushed rock and stubbing up a connector into the basement. Venting this pipe to the exterior (away from any windows in your house or your neighbors, preferably up through the roof), constitutes what is known as a Passive Radon Mitigation System. If , after your house is complete, a test determines that levels are still too high, you may have to convert to an Active Radon Mitigation System by installing a fan than runs continuously which creates low pressure under the slab and increases the rate of gas evacuation. So you will want to have the slab penetration in an area that is readily accessible and has electric available to power the fan.

Radon gas is found in varying levels in almost all regions of the country. Visit the EPA's Radon Map Zone at the following link.

Radon Map Zone Areas in Pink pose the highest risk followed by Orange and Yellow. Click here to check the specific risk level in your county.

Many times the fan is located in the attic, particularly if your foundation is slab-on-grade or crawl space. Also remember that you will want to make sure that the vent through the roof does not allow water to fall down the pipe to the slab below, this would not be a good thing for several reasons.

Designing and installing the infrastructure for a passive system can be accomplished for about $150 to $300. this will save you 150-300% of the cost of retrofitting. An Active systems will add $ 250-$550 depending on the size of your home. Download Build Radon Out. Your radon system is a simple task but it does require planning to complete the installation in your new home without incurring significantly higher costs.

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Radon & Lung Cancer

Radiation is called the "complete carcinogen" because, unlike chemical carcinogens, it alone can initiate, promote and propagate cancer. The primary site of radioactive exposure to most people is their home. The average person receives a higher radiation dose from radon at home than from all other natural or man-made sources combined.

Radon is a proven and very potent "Class A" carcinogen. Safety limits on toxins or carcinogens in food or water are set at levels thousand times less lethal than what is the risk from radon in an average American home. "Radon in residential homes causes more deaths than fires, drowning and airplane crashes combined." (EPA)
The lung cancer crisis

After smoking, "radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer." (Surgeon General) Among non-smokers, radon is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer deaths beating out second hand smoking.
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of all Americans, both men and women, claiming 160,000 lives every year - more than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer combined. Over 171,000 cases of new lung cancers are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

The leading three causes of cancer deaths Men & Women:

Lung cancer 33% Lung cancer 24%
Prostate cancer 12% Breast cancer 18%
Colorectal cancer 10% Colorectal cancer 11%

Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers – its 5-year survival rate is only 10 to 14 percent. By the time people develop symptoms (shortness of breath, coughing, bloody sputum), the cancer has grown to the size of an orange or has spread to other organs. While the death rates for many types of cancer have been declining during the last 60 years, the age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates for lung cancer have been rising.

There is a lung cancer crisis, particularly among women. Lung cancer deaths have increased by 20% among men during the past two decades but by 150% among women, and in the 1990's alone, lung cancer deaths of white females have increased 60%.

Denver Radon Test

Radon can be very devastating. In fact, living without being sure of radon levels in your house is quite risky. Therefore, to get clear analysis on the levels of this gas, you'll definitely need a radon test kit. This kits are available from National safety council, and they come in low prices that even cover lab analysis and postage costs.

A radon test kit will normally be accompanied by instructions on how to go about while measuring. Afterwords, the kit is sent to the laboratory for analysis and depending on the complexity of the test, the period within which you'll get the results may vary. Where exactly will you place your kit? Well, even though it may be provided for in the instructions, it's better if you placed on the lowest part of the house e.g the basement. Such places as the bathroom, kitchen, hallway or the laundry room have high moisture levels and will tamper with the accuracy of the results.

If your living room, bedroom or the study are located in the ground floor, then this are the areas that should be tested first. However, make sure that you or anyone else does not move the kit when in sampling process. Generally the kits are found in variety of types and thus you should specify the type you're interested in while making the order. You can either buy online or order one trough the phone.

Normally, the gas levels will vary from time to time and thus you should use the radon test kit as often. However, in case you change the ventilation systems, you renovate the house or there are earthquakes and so on, then you should test for radon levels again.

A2ZRadon Mitigation is Denver radon removal company. They help home owners lower the radon levels below 4.0. For More Information on Radon test kit, Visit His Site at RADON TEST KIT. You Can Also Add Your Views About Radon test kit At My Blog here RADON TEST KIT

Radon Mitigation - Fixing a Radon Problem the Right Way

What needs to be done?

If a home's radon level is 4 picocuries per liter or more, the EPA recommends a radon mitigation system (sometimes called radon remediation) to be installed.

A common method utilized to reduce the radon level is "sub slab depressurization". In this case, a suction point or points are determined and a pipe is inserted through the concrete slab floor. This pipe is connected to other PVC piping and a fan is positioned on the pipe outside the living area. The fan then draws the radon gas from beneath the home and vents it to the outside. A radon mitigation system can cost between $900-$2500.

Choosing a Radon Mitigation Company

A qualified radon mitigation company is your best choice for installation of a radon mitigation system.

In many states, these companies or individuals are certified by a state regulatory agency such as the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection). If this is not true in your state, then you should look for a qualified mitigator who is NEHA (National Environmental Health Association) certified. When choosing a radon mitigation company, you should ask for their state or NEHA certification number, if they offer free estimates, and a warranty on the system.

Typically, the mitigation company will visit the home to determine the best configuration of the system and the size of the fan for the type of foundation the house is built on. An estimate of cost for a system can then be determined. After choosing the contractor, plan on 1-2 days for installation.

As always, beware of the lowest bidder. Check for references, job examples, and the amount of time the contractor has been in business.

Life After Radon Mitigation

It is recommended that a radon mitigation system be tested after installation. A test may be performed after the system has been operational for 24 hours or more. A short-term test is usually used for the initial test. In some cases, the estimate given by the contractor may include the retest by a professional company or radon test kits.

A follow-up test is suggested every year to monitor the system's continued effectiveness.

Arick Amspacker is a certified radon technician and home inspector. Over the years he has taught continuing education courses for Realtors and many first time home buyers seminars, as well as a Community College course on inspections and radon. His website http://www.homeradontest.com sells various types of inexpensive, easy to use radon testing devices, and http://www.radonreporter.com offers a resource for radon information.

Denver Radon Mitigation System

If you've done a radon test and the results came back showing that the level is higher than 4 PCi/L, then you definitely need to install a radon mitigation system. Usually this system keeps the gas concentration to lower levels that cannot be harmful. In fact, it lowers the levels up to 2 PCi/L. Interestingly, If you later decide to sell the house installed with this system, the price will be definitely tangible.

Basically, it would be best to inquire from an expert opinion before installing any radon mitigation system. However, if you choose not to, then you ought to consider certain criteria. For instance, the type of foundation and the design of the house. Here you'll find that there are houses that have a simple space under the first floor, some with concrete-poured on the ground level, some that combine these two foundation designs, others with a crawl space and half a slab-on-grade etc.

Whichever the design of your house, there are several procedures that may be required to achieve radon mitigation. Generally, you can opt for prevention by using special devices that may prevent radon from entering the house or you can choose to lower the gas concentration. Installing underground fans, radon contractors, sealing cracks and openings in the walls etc, are some of the measures you can undertake to control of the radon.

Such things as the soil type beneath the house, foundation design and so on, are some of the special diagnostic tests that should be done before you start on the radon process. Nevertheless, it would be better and wise to talk to the team in charge of the whole procedure and analyze every detail together.
If you need a radon test in Denver or you are interested in hearing more about Denver radon mitigation, give A2Z Radon Mitigation a call: (303) 832-9218 or check out their website http://www.a2zradon.com/ . A2Z Radon Mitigation specialize in installing radon mitigation systems and radon removal.

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