Radon Testing???

[jttheclockman]

Anyone have radon testing done in their house??? If so what is involved??? Selling a house and one of the new requirements is to have a Radon Test. I am sure the pro will do a better test but Has anyone used those test kits from Home Depot or lowes??? How accurate are they and what is involved in that??? Thanks

 

[Dalecamino]

The house I was born in was built in 1903. Had a partial dug out basement with the rest crawl space. I got one of those kits in the early 90's it was a matter of opening the package and leaving it in the basement for a week (?) or so. Then fold and seal it and send it to the lab. Results came back negative for Radon. Seems like it took several weeks for the results. Not what you wanted to hear I sure but, maybe they're quicker now. :wink:

 

[mark james]

Anyone have radon testing done in their house??? If so what is involved??? Selling a house and one of the new requirements is to have a Radon Test. I am sure the pro will do a better test but Has anyone used those test kits from Home Depot or lowes??? How accurate are they and what is involved in that??? Thanks

Wife and I lived in Somerset, NJ from 1987-1990. We had a radon system installed in a "floating slab" basement in a brand new house, and had to have a certified radon test to sell the house 2 years later... Not one from Home Depot, etc...

From what I have read about you selling your Mom's house - I suspect it is an older home, and I suspect that if there was no radon system present, you may light up the test. Hopefully I'm wrong, but be prepared to have to install a radon system as a condition to sell... Older basements, crawl spaces, etc are particularly prone.

NOTE: Just read Chuck's response, and that is what we did also. It's not like you can do the test yourself - we had to send the canisters to a lab.

 

[1080Wayne]

Seems to me my son-in-law had to have the test units hanging in his basement for several weeks . If adjacent houses were built at the same time by the same contractor and test okay , yours probably will also .

I think he gravel source is the key to whether or not there is a problem . Just blame the glaciers for spreading all those good Canadian uranium deposits down your way .

 

[epigolucky]

We had Radon testing done when we bought our house in Indy. It was built in the 1950's. Since it had a basement, our realtor recommended to have it done, so we added it as part of the inspection - we paid for it (rules might be different in your state but we footed the bill). They placed a device the size of a small microwave for ~48 hours prior to our inspection and it gave the readouts which was written into the inspection as a finding. Ended up finding crazy high levels and had the seller pay for a radon reduction system. They ended up attaching a cover to the sump pump that constantly runs and exhausts it outside the house. No issues since and I think they recommend rechecking every 5 years?

I don't know about the home tests

 

[mark james]

They ended up attaching a cover to the sump pump that constantly runs and exhausts it outside the house.

Ah, memories...

We had that also in our house in NJ! Went away for the weekend, and came home to a busted faucet in the basement. Since the subpump was sealed, there was 18" of water in the basement. I had to wade to the subpump, slam a shovel to crack the plexiglass seal so the basement could be drained.

There was almost nothing in the basement, so not really a huge clean-up.

So, the radon reduction system rendered the sump pump essentially useless. A GREAT system.

 

[epigolucky]

My concerns too.

 

[tjseagrove]

Anyone have radon testing done in their house??? If so what is involved??? Selling a house and one of the new requirements is to have a Radon Test. I am sure the pro will do a better test but Has anyone used those test kits from Home Depot or lowes??? How accurate are they and what is involved in that??? Thanks

Find a local testing lab and see what they recommend. You have to have it done so get it done right.

We are purchasing the house we live in and a PFOA test was required on the well and a filter put in place before we could close. We are ground zero for PFOA contamination that seems to be spreading to other communities around us. Well was negative just glad the test and filter was paid for by the local company the chemicals came from. Everyone around is getting a free test and water filter for the asking.
252

 

[plantman]

John; Radon is an odorless radioactive gas that is the 2ed leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking. According to the EPA, anything over 4pCi/L (picdcuries per liter ) is harmful. Radon is usually found in ground water, and can be released through the soil or water supply. Proper moisture barriers, sealing, and venting will reduce the gas. You can buy a test kit from the hardware store, Home Depot, etc. for around $20 including testing. In Wisconsin 5-10% of homes have Radon. Good luck with your testing. Jim S