Radon venting system

Mark_7

Been thinking the same thing John,have already started to get info from my state on testing. And something that I always wondered is the inline fan is always exhausting so there is that added load on the comfort system.

John R. Hall

Part of the product mix?

Radon Mitigation and HVAC Contractors – Is There a Connection?

I just read this about radon from the EPA:

· Breathing home indoor radon causes nearly one hundred times more deaths each year than carbon monoxide poisoning.
· Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.
· Some 20,000 people will die this year due to breathing too much radon without even knowing it.

The EPA recommends testing and remediation including the addition of a radon venting system. Since so many HVAC contractors are into IAQ testing and selling/installing add-on products to ensure healthier IAQ, are there any contractors who have become certified and licensed radon remediation specialists? Is this an area that could become a new profit center for HVAC contractors or something best left alone?

It seems to me that a radon venting system is very much like similar venting systems that HVAC contractors install in new and existing homes, so why not offer this service, too? Pros? Cons?

Wayne_16

Related question

Are the radon testing kits sold at the box stores worth the money? Is there a better or more reliable source for the initial testing of radon>

Thanks for the replys.
Wayne

scrook_2

Ra testing

Get a couple day to week screening kit first, (as used fo rhome inspections upon pending sale) if anything excessive registers, do a 3-6 month (differant technology) test -- this will be more accurate, and remediate accordingly. The lab that does the quick screen analysis should have long term test kits too.

See http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html for more info.

Note too, you may have no Ra in your cellar air, but may have it in your water, if you're on well vs. municipal water, it tends to come out on heating e.g. showers, as do all disolved gasses in water, as wallies know well. If muni water just call the water dep't for a report.

Some areas of the country tend to have more Radon than others in general, but it can vary house to house too, depending on the geology below.

David Nadle

Resale

I've heard stories about people with Radon ventilation in the basement having trouble selling their homes. Maybe a lot of people get talked out of or scared away from mitigation for that reason?