Everyone's house is at risk.
And, in turn, everyone's health is at risk.
It's a radioactive gas that can't be seen or smelled.
It's not quite as deadly as carbon monoxide, but the health risks are still severe.
Outside of smoking, it's the leading cause of lung cancer.
I'm talking about radon.
If you've already tested and found high levels of radon in your home, it's not too late to fix it.
You'll need to act fast, however, because the longer the radon is in your home, the higher your risk of developing lung cancer.
The EPA says, "you can reduce the levels of radon in your home by 99% if you use a radon reduction system."
There are also steps you can take right now that can help prevent and minimize radon levels from getting too high in your home.
Have you finally found your dream home and it has high levels of radon? Read our blog post: “Buying a Home with Radon Gas, Here’s What You Need to Know.”
Table of Contents
- Hire a Specialist
- Radon Reduction System
- Fill in the Cracks
- Ventilation
- Prevent Depressurization
- Test
- Schedule a Discounted Radon Test
We'll discuss all of your options below.
Hire A Specialist
The first thing you need to do if you discover that your home has high levels of radon is to call a licensed specialist.
You'll want a professional to handle your situation immediately because of the health of you and your family is at stake.
Your state radon office should have a list of the certified radon specialists who can help you get to the bottom of your radon problem.
Please keep in mind that lowering high radon levels requires technical knowledge and special skills.
You need to use a contractor who is trained to fix radon problems.
Don't rely on your knowledge or the knowledge of someone with specialty training.
A licensed contractor will study the radon problem in your home and help you pick the right treatment method.
Radon Reduction System
The next thing you need to do is get your radon reduction system in place.
Study the various systems so you can make an educated decision about what's best for you and your family.
Radon gets into your home by surging through the ground and entering through gaps, cracks, and cavities in your floors, walls, and pipes.
If you have a private well, it can also seep in through your water.
Once radon gets into your home, it stays there until you act to remove it.
One of the more effective radon reduction systems is known as an active soil depressurization system.
It pulls the radon out of the soil before it ever has a chance to enter your home.
A professional can install this system inside of your home and vent the air through the roof if you don't want to affix it to the exterior of your home.
Your radon specialist will inspect your home and recommend the system he or she feels is best for your home specifically.
Fill In The Cracks
Remember, radon enters your home through cracks in your foundation, basement, flooring, and gaps in your windows.
The best thing you can do is find all of the gaps that you can, and fill them in with caulk or an epoxy sealant.
It'll be hard to find and seal every little crack in your home, but fixing enough of them, and the big ones, will have a significant impact on radon levels.
Ventilation
If you have high levels of radon in your home, and you haven't yet hired a specialist, vent your home using the windows.
Keep the windows on the lowest level of your home wide open. This will at least get the air moving out of your house, hopefully decreasing the radon levels.
If you're ventilating your basement, it might prove to be more comfortable and cost effective to close it off and limit its use.
Open as many windows as you can to create a cross breeze.
When radon comes out of the ground, it dissipates when it hits the air.
The same thing happens when you open your windows.
The trapped radon will dissipate when they hit the fresh air.
Weather permitting, open your windows as much as you possibly can.
If you've had bad weather for several days, and your windows have been locked tight, it's safe to assume your radon levels have risen.
Open the windows as soon as you can to let your home ventilate.
This is, however, not a permanent fix.
It would help if you still had a certified specialist come out and inspect your home.
Prevent Depressurization
Things like exhaust fans and combustion units like a wood stove or fireplace can lower the air pressure inside your home.
The lower the indoor air pressure compared to the soil beneath, the more radon gas will enter the house.
If you use a wood stove or the like on a regular basis, open your windows located near them, or install a permanent system to supply outdoor air to the units.
If you have an HVAC system with cold-air return registers in the basement, be sure to seal them off to reduce leakage of basement air into your ducts.
Test
The most important thing you need to do is a test for radon.
Test now and test often.
You don't want to be sitting in a home that's giving you lung cancer.
If you haven't tested yet, you need to do so ASAP.
If you have tested and found high levels of radon in your home, follow the steps above, and get a specialist to your house ASAP.
