How to Test For Radon Gas
Do you know your radon levels? You can check them yourself.
You can find out by testing for radon gas yourself using a radon gas test kit. These kits are simple to use and accurate.
You simply purchase a radon test kit, place it in the lowest livable area of your home, let it sit for a few days, send it to the lab and get your results.
Follow these steps:
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- Buy a radon test kit
- Receive your radon kit in the mail
- Keep your home under closed house conditions for 24 hours prior to testing.
- Open the package; fill out your name, address and email.
- Very important: Remember to write the time and date you open the radon kit.
- Place the kit in the lowest livable area of the home. Follow the package instructions as to where exactly to place the radon test.
- Homes with footprints larger than 2500 should consider more than one test.
- If your home has multiple levels that are in contact with the ground or over a crawlspace, you should test each of those areas.
- Leave the radon test exposed to the air inside your home for 3-7 days.
- Very important: Remember to write the time and date you seal the test kit up.
- Send the test back to the laboratory for analysis.
- Expedited shipping is recommended over standard shipping when sending back to lab.
- The lab will analyze the sample as soon as they receive it.
- The lab will email you a full radon measurement report.
- Receive your radon results and choose next step.
- The United States EPA recommends correction if radon levels are greater than 4 pCi/L.
- The World Health Organization recommends correction if radon levels are greater than 2.7 pCi/L
- Many people who have radon results that are close to the action level choose to perform a follow-up radon test.
Why test for radon gas?
- Radon is the number one cause for Lung Cancer for people who don't smoke!
- According to the United States EPA, Radon kills 21,000 people per year.
- According to the CDC, carbon monoxide kills 500 per year; significantly less than radon gas. Thanks to the common practice of having carbon monoxide detectors.
- According to the CDC, mesothelioma causes ~2,500 deaths per year.
- Radon testing is inexpensive
- Most short-term radon test kits are less than $20 including lab analysis.
- Don't fear the results!
- If your radon levels are low then you can BREATHE a sigh of relief
- If your radon levels are elevated, a certified radon mitigation contractor can fix it.
- Radon mitigation systems range from $1200-$1500 in most homes.
- Radon systems are capable of keeping the radon levels near zero picocuries per liter.
- The systems pull air from the soil under your home's foundation to extract the radon gas and vent it out above the roofline.