How do radon reduction systems work

Radon can also be found in well water and can release when you use that same water for household uses, but this is a very rare occurrence. Typically, most radon enters your house because of the gas in soil that then seeps up into your home, through the foundation. If you worry about how radon is entering your home, a professional radon company can test and diagnose this for you, while providing a solution to getting rid of the radon and keeping it out!

In order to rid your home of radon, the first step is to have your home tested for the toxic chemical. During the testing process, a radon testing company will analyze how the radon is entering your home and where the buildup is occurring. Once your radon test is complete, radon system professionals will determine what type of radon mitigation system you will need to install, in order to emit the gasses from your home. To reduce the radon levels within your home, the EPA suggests working with a radon contractor for proper radon mitigation.

Radon contractors will install equipment within your home that help to release the poisonous gases from the interior of your home outward. Radon systems use the following techniques to release radon from your home:. This method requires installing a pipe into a portion of the slab of your home that goes up to your roofline.

A fan is then used to extract radon from the soil and push it out through the pipe, above your roofline. This type of system lowers the air pressure that is present in the crawlspace of your home. The air pressure is lowered until it matches the indoor pressure of your home and then a fan is used to draw air out of the crawlspace, rather than it entering your living space.

This effectively collects the radon and exhausts it to a safe location outside. At least one four to six inch hole is cored drilled through the slab.

A small pit is hollowed out beneath the hole, and a PVC pipe is inserted. This pipe is routed to a fan that creates a vacuum beneath the slab.

The number of suction points depends on the permeability of the soil beneath the slab and the number of footings within the building.

Homes that have sumps or French drains for control of rainwater may be effectively mitigated utilizing the sump to collect radon from the underlying soil, or a separate hole may be used.

In some homes, return-air ductwork for the forced-air conditioning system is located beneath a slab floor. Although this can increase usable interior space and reduce the noise of recirculating air inside the home, the sub-floor ductwork, if unsealed, can add to radon problems. When the air conditioner fan is on, a fairly large vacuum effect created in the buried ductwork can draw radon-laden soil gas through the ducts and into the living space.

Even with this type of construction, there are effective ways to reduce radon. For example, if a house has a sump, a four-inch pipe connected to a sealed lid on the sump can route incoming soil gases to the radon fan.

If the house has a perimeter foundation drain French Drain , the vent pipe can be connected to the drain, taking care not to interfere with water drainage or sump pump function. For those houses, radon drawn inside through sub-floor ducts may require extra attention. To learn more, click on the following link:. Soil air drawn from beneath a basement floor is commonly high in moisture vapor. If your radon mitigation system is not installed properly, this moisture vapor will condense and pool inside the ventilation pipe.

Moisture vapor that pools in an unheated area may freeze at low temperatures. A properly designed and constructed radon mitigation system will prevent radon gas and may reduce soil moisture vapor from intruding into your home. A fringe benefit of a radon system may be a drier basement space. Since it is the decay products of radon that actually present the risk from elevated radon levels, some homeowners have installed high efficiency air filters HEPA in their homes to not only reduce radon decay products, but also to reduce other airborne particulates that can complicate allergies.

These systems will not affect radon levels. Some homebuilders add construction elements to new homes that help make the homes radon-resistant. Some go so far as to install a full system with fan. In other states, some homebuilders include radon-resistant construction elements as a value-added feature, or when requested by homebuyers. During the construction of a home, it is possible to treat several foundations by connecting each area to a single vent, which can be concealed in walls.

Plus, the system may be effective without the need to install and operate a fan. Contractors can route the vent pipe in a way that allows easy installation of a fan later if the levels are not acceptable after the home is built.

There may be building code requirements in your city or jurisdiction where regulations govern installation of vent pipes. Check with your builder and local building department. The International Code Council has published the International Residential Code which has Appendix F as the section which addresses radon resistant new construction techniques. Jump to navigation. National Radon Program Services.

You are here Home. Radon mitigation systems use a fan to continuously pull air from the soil and exhaust it outdoors through a pipe. The pipe can either run inside or outside the home and discharges outside, away from the windows and openings.

In addition, cracks and openings in the foundation are sealed. Sealing limits the flow of radon and makes the radon mitigation system more efficient. The episode covers how radon systems are properly designed and installed. This video gives the viewer a good sense of what to expect from a radon mitigation professional and radon mitigation system.

Radon fan is located in an unconditioned space, like an attic or outside, to prevent radon leaking back into the home. The fan cannot be in or below a livable space. The fan is plugged into an electrical junction box or hard wired. Radon system tag is placed on the system by a licensed radon professional once the system is complete. Two Fan monitors an active notification monitor and a U-tube monitor are devices installed to indicate the fan is working.

Radon pipe vent discharge must be at least 10 feet above ground, 10 feet away from windows, openings, doors, openings to adjacent buildings if the exhaust pipe s does not vent at least 2 feet above these openings , and above the edge of the roof. The cost can depend on many factors including the type of radon system to be installed and how your home was built.

Financial assistance may be available to help pay for a radon mitigation system and depends on household income, geographic location, and funding availability. Minnesota requires radon mitigation professionals to be licensed.