What do you know about Radon??

[somethingshiny]

Well, our *new* house just got better!

We''ve just completed a follow-up Radon test. Our number is over 15. Anything over 4 is bad, and anything over 10 requires immediate action.

So, from what I''ve found, we will need to have some sort of a ventilation system installed in our basement. We will need to drill through the cement floor and install a pipe and a vent up through to the attic where it will vent out of the house.

Is there more? Is this a DIY or does it have to be done professionally? Is there any way we can see if the seller was aware of this and failed to disclose the issue??

Also, if radon comes from the ground, would our neighbors most likely have elevated levels too??

 

[Elmorton]

I think I can answer the last question - which is no. One house in a neighborhood can have radon and the next might not. I don''t think it exists in huge areas, but I do know it can exist in the soil everywhere, but common in the midwest and affects us because we tend to have basements. It wouldn''t probably be nice for you to remind your neighbors to check, though.

Seriously SS, you just can''t catch a break with this house! Bigtime bummer. At least you checked though - so many people don''t (myself included, which I know is really, really stupid since we live in the midwest). I didn''t even know what radon was until I was in grad school and saw the science dept doing a presentation on it.

I don''t think radon is commonly tested before a sale of a house - I know I inquired about radon testing with both the seller and our house inspector and both inquiries were returned with a shrug and a "well, you can do that on your own if you want..." I doubt you''d get anywhere with the seller, esp, if you couldn''t go anywhere with the basement issue.

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 12/5/2008 10:00:50 PM
Author: Elmorton

Seriously SS, you just can''t catch a break with this house! Bigtime bummer.

Tell me about it!!

Thanks for the info!

 

[Elmorton]

Oh shoot - I meant it probably wouldn''t be a bad idea to tell the neighbors OR it would probably be nice to tell the neighbors...that sentence is all sorts of messed up

 

[Skippy123]

Oh no, Somethingshiny I am so so sorry; I will pray that there is a quick and easy fix for you.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks, Skippy.

El~ I was picking up what you were laying down!

And, I was thinking if we told our neighbors and helped them out, maybe they would be a bit more forthcoming about the plumbing issues.

 

[starryeyed]

Hi there somethingshiny.

So sorry to hear about the radon, but is great that you found it and can DO something about it. Here is an excerpt about Radon for some background.

Around here, a radon test is a pretty standard contingency in an offer to purchase real estate (along with mortgage, pest, lead paint, etc.). We bought a house as a rehab project that had a bunch of coal in the basement and the property tested 3.8. Once we removed the coal, the radon level dropped. I guess coal can emit trace amounts of radon gas.

I grew up on a street where there was a very high rate of cancer - like every household on the street seemed to have a cancer patient. When my parents went to sell the house, a radon test was done and a ventilation system had to be installed. If I recall it was a fairly new test at the time. The explanation for the high radon levels was that the bedrock was close to the surface and there was a band of material nearby in the bedrock that emitted radon. Who knows, but it explained all the cancer on the block.

If I were you, I''d have the system professionally installed, especially since cancer can be the endgame. I''m really glad you can protect yourself.

 

[somethingshiny]

starryeyed~ Thanks for the info. Can you tell me about the installation, what it entails and cost??

 

[orbaya]

This is appropriately timed for me!

We built a home 4 years ago but never thought to test for radon. We sold it and the buyers had a test done. It came back as a 5 I think so a system had to be installed. A professional came and did it and was about $1000.

We are buying a new home right now and had the inspection company do a radon test, and that came back at 5-6, so we are going to have a system put in our new place also. We are definitely having a pro do it. I don''t even know if anyone but a professional could do the installation.

I highly recommend that EVERYONE have a radon test done in any home the buy, build, currently live in if there''s no documented negative report on radon.

Hubby and I joke that radon just seems to follow us around. LOL!

 

[somethingshiny]

orbaya~ Do you know if different system "capacities" are required for various existing levels? Our level is 15.7 which is fairly high, so do we need more vents, bigger vents, etc??

Also, if it was vented straight into your attic (which seems the way to do it), did you check your floor level radon levels?

 

[orbaya]

Date: 12/6/2008 8:33:06 PM
Author: somethingshiny
starryeyed~ Thanks for the info. Can you tell me about the installation, what it entails and cost??

The cost for our system was $1000, and a guy installed it in a few hours. It was put in the corner of the basement, and is a white pipe with a gauge on it that went from floor to ceiling. I don''t know where it vented to or anything, though.

 

[orbaya]

Date: 12/6/2008 10:35:41 PM
Author: somethingshiny
orbaya~ Do you know if different system ''capacities'' are required for various existing levels? Our level is 15.7 which is fairly high, so do we need more vents, bigger vents, etc??

Also, if it was vented straight into your attic (which seems the way to do it), did you check your floor level radon levels?

I don''t know if there are different capacities. I really don''t know a whole lot about the system. We had one put in our previous home, but now we get to put one in our new home. Maybe I''ll learn more when I talk to the installer, which I didn''t get to do the first time.

For our test, they used 3 canisters...two in the basement and one in the living room. They all came back at 5 or above.

Your level is pretty high! It''s a good thing you tested for it!

 

[somethingshiny]

more questions, please....

Is there a fan somewhere? Is it noisy?

Is it something that needs upkeep or maintenance?

What documentation was needed for selling the house?

 

[orbaya]

Date: 12/6/2008 10:42:04 PM
Author: somethingshiny
more questions, please....

Is there a fan somewhere? Is it noisy?

Is it something that needs upkeep or maintenance?

What documentation was needed for selling the house?

I only walked through the basement quickly and it wasn''t making any noise, but I don''t know if it turns on and off at certain intervals or what. Since we aren''t living in the new house yet (closing on the 19th) and it hasn''t been installed yet, I haven''t been told of maintenance or anything yet.

As far as documentation goes, if the house has known radon, it has to be disclosed during the selling process. Since we had never had the old house tested, we didn''t know it had radon. Even if the buyers decided not to go through with the sale, we would have had to disclose the radon results from then on. The buyers seemed fine with the system. I''m not sure, but I think there was a followup test to make sure the system works, but I don''t know what happened with that.

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for all the info. If you have the time, I'd appreciate any more info you gather while getting your system installed.


eta~ CONGRATS on the new house!

 

[orbaya]

Date: 12/6/2008 10:55:03 PM
Author: somethingshiny
Thanks for all the info. If you have the time, I''d appreciate any more info you gather while getting your system installed.


eta~ CONGRATS on the new house!

I will come back here and share everything I know about the system...it will be a few weeks though. Maybe if you do a search on radon systems it will give you some answers?

Do you know when you''ll be having yours installed?

 

[somethingshiny]

We just bought our house in the middle of Oct and have already had HUGE sewer problems and expensive repairs, so we probably won''t be able to install until tax return time. (which really puts a kink in my remodeling the kitchen idea...)

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 12/6/2008 8:33:06 PM
Author: somethingshiny
starryeyed~ Thanks for the info. Can you tell me about the installation, what it entails and cost??

Sorry to say that I don''t know anything about installation, cost, etc. I would get the work done right away since your levels are so high. Until that time, limit your time in the basement? Were your readings high on the first floor too?

 

[somethingshiny]

We haven''t completed tests for the first floor yet. To be honest I was taken completely by surprise that our levels in the basement were high! The laundry is down there so I have to go down for that. We also have a play area set up for our little guy with all of his outdoor riding toys. I''ve started keeping him upstairs but he just doesn''t understand.

And, I''m not sure if the ground freezes under the basement or if it''s soft enough to drill through. (we live in IL) Either way, we''ll have to wait a couple months before we can start the repair.

 

[starryeyed]

I''m not an expert by any means, but I would definitely try to limit your little guy''s exposure. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask the testing company what the risks are, just to understand how critical the situation is. I''m sure they get the question all the time and can direct you. Good luck!

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks. Little guy has actually not been downstairs since we got our test results. I realize that radon is mostly a "long term" danger, but I don''t want him around it at all. So, for now, I''m going with "it''s too cold to go to the basement." I''m pretty sure he knows I''m bluffing, but then again, he''s not quite 3.