Radon mitigation?

HardDrive · 06-01-2013, 02:14 PM

Just had the house we are buying in OH inspected. Radon test came up at 5.7 pCi/l. EPA recommends mitigation if its above 4.0 pCi/l. My research seems to indicate that this is pretty easily solved for $800-$1200.

Questions.

A) Are the prices I'm seeing online accurate? If I ask the seller for $1500, will that my cover my costs?

B) Do you think installing Radon mitigation equipement is a big negative when we go to sell the house? Would I be better off installing my own ventilation system that is not a 'Radon' system, just to avoid scaring off future buyers?

C) Is the EPA full of schit, and should I just ignore it. (Of course, after getting my $1500 off the price of the house

)

Thank you.

plumb4u2 · plumb4u2's Garage

when I sold my first home I had to pay for the equipment to be installed

I paid $700 back in 2004

when I bought my new/current home I opted to not have the test done

I personnaly think Radon is nothing but BS, and it was just a way to spawn another type of business....but hell what do I know, water is my business

John Rogers · 06-01-2013, 02:28 PM

Before I did anything or paid anything, I would want to know where it comes from. Since it naturally comes from decaying uranium I would like to know if there is any old government facilities nearby that made those things that went booooom. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it, but then I was a nuclear machinist for over 20 years and it was one of the least of our worries.

Hugh R · 06-01-2013, 03:21 PM

Do you have a crawl space under the house? If so, install a few powered exhaust fans in the vents.

MBAtarga · 06-01-2013, 05:57 PM

From what I understand, some regions in North America have naturally occurring sources that create the radon gas - it has nothing to do with environmental waste, etc.

Our house has a system installed. Original owners didn't even have radon level tested but opted to have a system installed just in case. The exhaust blower motor runs continuously. The pipe intake is below the basement floor and also through the foundation wall that is adjacent to the three car garage above.

DanielDudley · 06-01-2013, 06:43 PM

Recognized Concrete Sealer | Radon Mitigation | Basement Waterproofing

Worth a look.

john70t · 06-01-2013, 07:25 PM

I'd consider it a selling point. All the latest ammenities.

I have one as well. It's basically a pipe to a sump with an inline fan venting outside. It sucks up all the air underneath the slab. Not sure about the incoming air concept though. They put a pipe around the perimeter as well.
Walls are painted and the floor will be refinished as well (someday). Have to grind it all to flow to the sump pump, and it will be a messy job.

Radon is common in Mich basements. I've seen it up to 7 or 8 in another house with the system turned off, but unless you're spending time down there it's not the greatest worry. Mold or chemical offgassing from new materials is probably more of a concern.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

All it is, is ventilation.....

aigel · aigel's Garage

Radon comes out of the ground naturally, nothing to do with man-made stuff. IMHO any radiation you can avoid, GO FOR IT. There are limits set by government entities, but everyone's body reacts different. Your trigger point to setting off something bad may be a lot lower than the average guy, so don't roll the dice. IMHO there is no "safe" level of radiation and every time you can reduce your "background radiation" exposure, you should go do it.

HTH,

G

onewhippedpuppy · 06-02-2013, 02:43 AM

Common around here as well. I would just hire it done and have the seller pay for it. That way you have someone else responsible for solving the problem.

Jim Richards · 06-02-2013, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

B) Do you think installing Radon mitigation equipement is a big negative when we go to sell the house? Would I be better off installing my own ventilation system that is not a 'Radon' system, just to avoid scaring off future buyers?

I don't think it will scare off future buyers. IMO, what would be worse is if a future buyer had the radon testing done and saw that there was radon and no mitigation in place.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Radon was a huge issue with this house (>22.0, it's very common in this part of the world). I installed a couple of active monitors (about $150 each) and resealed the basement slab & bought/installed an active mitigation system myself (under slab fan w/ direct exhaust to outside). There are a number of ways to reduce the levels but simply keeping the basement well-ventilated when possible and running the under slab fan/suction system I built when I'm not able to keeps my numbers below 0.5 typically.

Yes I believe radon is an overstated problem by the EPA but there is some validity to it as well and it's worth being concerned about to some extent. I really don't want to have any additional risk of lung cancer and additionally it'd be nice to have the issue resolved so it doesn't kebash the sale of the house when I go to sell it or tank my sale price.

In my experience the price quotes I got from "radon contractors" were ridiculous for the amount of work/effort required. I bought a couple of good books, did a bunch of research online, bought two active monitoring stations for about $150 each and ultimately bought fans, piping, wire and a few tools for under $1,000. I took me maybe 30-40 man-hours to hook everything up. IIRC the cheapest quote I got was more than $4k - forget that. The system works fine when I can't ventilate the basement (winter months) and keeps the levels below 0.5 most days.

mepstein · 06-02-2013, 01:30 PM

Former realtor here. My opinion - Radon at that level is a non issue. But have the seller pay for it if it's part of the sales contract and use it or don't while you live in the house. If and when you sell, you will already have a proven system which eliminates radon that you can show to the buyer. A lot of new construction in our area is built around a mitigation sytem. If radon is present, the builder wires in a fan. Simillar to having a sump pump in a dry basement. Plug it in or not. Your choice.

BTW - Most radon tests are only for a couple days and don't really show the whole picture. A low pressure front can pull radon out of the ground many times over what may be tested on a calm sunny day. - Still, I belive the low levels are a non issue.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Keep in mind that if tested it's a mandatory disclosure - maybe it varies by state but since I'm aware of it I have to disclose it as a condition of any future sale which is one big reason to get it mitigated.