January and other cooler weather months are the best time to test your home for radon.
The “chimney effect” generally make the readings and exposure higher during this time of year.
Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Its
presence in your home can pose a danger to your family's health. Radon is the leading cause
of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America
and claims more than 20,000 lives annually. The is encouraging people to test and fix their
homes for radon. This is a good time to focus on testing and on fixing homes with a
radon level of 4 pCi/L or more. Heed the Surgeon General's warning. Take action now to
reduce your family's risk of lung cancer from radon!
How to Lower the Radon Levels in Your Home
Since there is no known safe level of radon, there can always be some risk. But the risk can
be reduced by lowering the radon level in your home.
There are several proven methods to reduce radon in your home, but the one primarily used is a
vent pipe system and fan(Sub Slab Depressurization), which pulls radon from beneath the house and
vents it to the outside. This system does not require major changes to your home. Sealing foundation
cracks and other openings makes this kind of system more effective and cost-efficient. Similar systems
can also be installed in houses with crawl spaces. There are other methods that may also work in your
home. The right system depends on the design of your home and other factors. If you are building a
new home or performing a major renovation, some preventative techniques can be employed cost effectively
to protect your family for years to come.
US Water Consultants is a NEHA certified measurement testing provider with many man years of
experience relating to the treatment of radon in air and water. Contact us today for more information.
A “Consumers guide to radon reduction” is available through the EPA and the state Radon office.
Introduction - In some cases, elevated radon gas concentrations exist in both air and water.
Normally there is a two pronged approach to radon reduction by both reducing radon originating from
the foundation pathway and then by reducing radon in water.
Aeration Treatment - Radon gas can be easily removed from drinking water by the process known as
aeration. Aeration can achieve up to 99 percent removal of radon gas from water. The process consists
of mixing large volumes of clean air with the well water. The moist radon laden air is discharged
outside the home. The treated water is re-pressurized(pump) so as to flow through your plumbing.
Water Quality - Aeration will intensify the staining affect of untreated iron and manganese. If
iron/manganese/sediment are meaningfully present, pretreatment for their removal is recommended. If
iron and manganese remain untreated, iron bacteria or a film of inorganic precipitates would be
expected to form on the inside of the aerator. This condition can loosen in large clumps and may
clog pumps or reduce the pump service life. Sediment can have the same effect. Where high carbon
dioxide (CO2) is present in the well water, release of the CO2, may raise the pH of the water. In
New England, high CO2 in the water is often present and identified by a pH test. This effect is
considered a side benefit of aeration as higher pH water is generally less corrosive.
US Water often utilizes the Bubble Up™ system
manufactured by the R.E.Prescott Corporation. It has been effective, reliable and repeatable to
date(in our opinion). A brochure is attached for reference.
For Builders & Remodelers
Radon gas mitigation is not regulated currently and various industry groups suggest different
and often conflicting approaches. We agree with most in principle, but is not possible to follow
all without conflict. If there are questions relative to your installation, we would be pleased
to discuss them.
Additionally, builders and remodelers often do portions of the radon mitigation systems before
US Water does their work. There are some groundrules that are part of our system assumptions and
necessary for optimal system performance.
Assumptions/contingencies:
- Builder supply of suction plumbing: For prefabricated structures: It is assumed that any
builder(or other existing set up) supplied plumbing is ended far enough into the slab to have
access to the crushed stone sub slab area. The plumbing is typically expected to end 1.5”-3.5”
above the crushed stone sub slab.. This allows the free space for suction.
- Builder supply of exhaust plumbing: If the builder supplies the exhaust plumbing, builder’s
scope would include pushing the plumbing through the roof or the side of the house for outside
access. It would also include properly setting the glue for connection pieces. We can inspect
the work if required.
- Electrical connections are supplied within 15’ of the proposed sub slab suction access.
- Performance assumes that there are no open areas within the house interior that are dirt
covered or have easy access to the sub slab and can therefore bypass our mitigation system.
We can inspect the area and make recommendations if required(we recommend this).
- 6-12” of Washed, crushed stone is for the system to work optimally. If this
is not the case, please consult US Water and we will review the situation and
size up the proper system.