Radon Guide

How Radon Enters Your Home

Radon is a dangerous gas that can cause a host of lung and respiratory problems over the long-term. Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium and is found in soil, air, and water. It is a noble gas, which means it is colorless, odorless, chemically inert, and undetectable to human senses. The fact that it does not react with other elements, is undetectable, and that it takes a long time for radon exposure symptoms to appear makes it all the more dangerous. There’s no way to know if radon is in your home without testing for it. But how does radon enter the home in the first place?


There are two reasons why radon enters a home. They have to do with the facts that:

1.  radon is a gas, and

2.  the air pressure is lower inside your home that out.


As uranium breaks down in the soil, it forms radium, which decays to form radioactive radon gas. Since radon is a gas, it rises up through the soil and floats around in the air. This wouldn’t be such a problem as it is easily dispersed in the open air. The problem comes as it rises through the soil near homes; it is drawn to areas of lower pressure (following the path of least resistance), which just so happens to be the inside of your home! Once inside, radon gets trapped and can build up to dangerous levels. It’s common for radon levels to be higher in winter and lower in summer. This is attributed to the fact that people are more likely to have windows and doors open in the summer, providing greater ventilation and movement of air through the house.


Since radon is a gas it is very easy for it to enter homes through even the smallest of cracks. Homes of all ages can be affected, though older homes are at higher risk. This is due to the fact that older homes have shifted and settled, cracks may have formed in the foundation, and radon mitigation methods may not have been used when the home was built. But this does not mean that new homes don’t have a risk of radon. All homes are at risk.

Common Entry Points For Radon Gas

Some of the most common ways radon enters a home include:


  • Cracks in basement floors and foundations
  • Pores and cracks in concrete blocks
  • Drains and drain tiles
  • Sump pumps
  • Exposed soil
  • Construction joints (mortar, floor-wall)
  • Loose fitting pipes
  • Well water


Since radon enters from the ground, the lowest levels of the home, like basements and crawlspaces, often have the highest concentrations of the gas.

What You Can Do To Mitigate Radon Gas

Before you panic, there are steps you can take to reduce the level of radon in your home. The first thing to do is get your home tested for radon. Testing kits are available at hardware stores and cost anywhere from $10 to $50. There are two types of kits available: short-term and long-term. Alternatively, you can buy radon test kits or continuous radon monitors online. Either way, you’ll need to follow the test instructions and send the kit off to a lab to be analyzed. This is the only way to find out if and how much radon is in your home.


Radon levels vary from state to state, from county to county, and even from home to home. Just because your neighbor’s house has an elevated level of radon doesn’t mean yours does and vice versa.


If your test results come back showing high levels of radon, you can hire a radon mitigation company to help reduce those levels. Licensed contractors offer solutions that help prevent radon from entering a home and removing radon that is already present.


Radon exposure is a health hazard that gets more serious over time. Our best advice is to get your home tested and if levels are too high, contact a radon mitigation contractor to help fix the problem.

Family

How Important Is Radon Mitigation

Radon mitigation is the only way to reduce levels of radon in the home. Radon reduction is particularly important if there are smokers in the home and if test results indicate levels of 4.0 pCi/L or more. All of the major health organizations (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Lung Association, the American Medical Association, and the EPA and WHO) agree that long-term exposure to radon is a public health hazard and a leading cause of lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers alike. The good news is that health benefits occur as soon as radon gas levels are reduced. That means it is never too late to make an effort to remove radon gas from your Colorado home.


Radon mitigation starts with radon testing in your home. You can purchase a radon test kit from local retailers, get one from your county health department, or hire a home inspector to perform the test for you. Colorado residents can even order a radon test kit online through the state Department of Public Health and Environment. Tests are simple and easy to use and provide you with vital information that you can then use to make a decision about managing radon in your home.


If radon levels are high, it’s time to explore mitigation options. When installed and maintained properly, these passive techniques are very effective at reducing radon levels in the home. Radon mitigation systems can be installed at the time of construction or many years after construction.


Radon resistant features post-construction will vary depending on the home’s design and radon test levels, but they all involve:


  • Preventing the gas from entering the home as much as possible, and
  • Removing radon gas from the home through ventilation.


This is accomplished through the use of vent pipes and fans. “Sub-slab depressurization” systems are the most common radon reduction measures and some of the most effective. In these systems the vent pipe starts in the soil under the slab of the home’s foundation where it collects radon gas before it has a chance to enter the home and then vents the gas outside and far away from the home’s exterior so it can’t re-enter the home. Despite starting underneath the foundation, this type of radon mitigation system does not require significant changes to the home.


Sealing cracks and openings in the foundation is usually part of radon mitigation, but it does not have any significant impact on radon levels on its own. It should only be used as part of a complete radon mitigation system installation for best results.

*The Radon Guide by 5280 Radon Mitigation is for informational purposes only.

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Denver Metropolitan Radon Mitigation Service Area

  • Arvada – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Broomfield – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Castle Rock – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Centennial – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Commerce City – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Denver – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Englewood – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Golden – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Highlands Ranch – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Lakewood – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Littleton – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Lone Tree – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Thornton – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Westminster – Radon mitigation system installation service
  • Wheat Ridge – Radon mitigation system installation service