Radon

Our new house is in an area where Radon levels tend to be high.  (EPA has maps of the country, state, and county that are color-coded if you are interested...  also the main concern would be in a basement)  At our inspection, waaaaay back in November, we learned that our level was 5. And that meant nothin to me...  so I had to ask questions and research...  and we learned that the acceptable EPA level for radon is 4.  So we decided that we would install a radon mitigation system if we moved in.

The very day after our closing we had an estimate, $850 for everything (parts, labor, radon test kit).  Then yesterday we had it installed.  This gets us 1 step closer to moving in!!!!!

You migh be wondering what radon does... well it is the #2 leading cause of lung cancer.  It seeps into the basement through cracks in the foundation or through sump pumps (which is how it gets in our house).  You cannot see or smell it or detect it by normal means - as in you need a professional or a fancy kit that they provide for you.  It also takes three days to take a reading.

Now you might be wondering what they do for radon mitigation and if it is really effective.  Since we have an unfinished laundry room in the basement, that was the place where they installed the system.  They drilled into the floor to put piping and a fan to blow air from the gravel under the house up along the side of the house (looks like another gutter downspout) and out above the roof.  The company we used guarantees that the level will remain under 2 for the life ofthe house (provided that the fan is on).

I like DIY - but you can clearly see how it was necessary in this case for professionals to do it :-)

Today we will do the radon test and in a few days we'll know if the level has dropped down under 2.  

Cost of the system = $850 + ~$4/month to run the fan*
Installation took 1 full workday
Benefit = no increased risk of lung cancer when we move in!

Um...  do I even need to tell you if I think it was a worthwhile investment?  When you talk about indoor air quality, radon is at the top of the list.

A few additional benefits of the system:

1)  The level of water under the house is now being monitored through the fan system which has a little meter that very easy to read.   We will be able to tell if we are having a moisture problem before it actually gets into the basement.

2) The fan works as a dehumidifier (which we would have needed to buy)

*turning off the fan for extended periods of time will cause it to clog with moisture and break