Identifying Radon Mitigation Challenges

Effective radon mitigation requires navigating some potential challenges to achieve optimal reduction in indoor radon levels.

The house we are going to look at is a split-entry home built in 1975. The pre-mitigation radon levels are between 3.0 and 4.0 pCi/L.

Potential Challenges Outside:

Attached Garage

This home has an attached garage. There is a chance the garage could contribute radon to the house; however, from what we have found, it is not very likely.

Front Step

The front step area could also contribute to radon entering the home. Again, it is not very likely, but we have mitigated four front steps in the last nine years.

Potential Challenges in the Basement:

Finished Basement

The first challenge in this home is that the basement is finished, which makes it challenging to get piping from one side of the basement to the other.

No Drain Tile

The home also does not have drain tile, so we can’t install a radon system that relies on a single suction point to reach everywhere under the home by utilizing drain tile.

Crawl Space

The home also has a crawl space under the front entryway and bedroom. Luckily, this crawl space has a concrete floor.

Since the crawl space has a block wall, a footing will likely run through it, separating it from the rest of the basement.

Ideally, our radon system will be routed to the attached garage, and we would put a primary suction point in the crawl space. With a footing, however, doing so will cut off any suction from the rest of the basement.

Center Footing

In the center of the basement is a load-bearing wall with a center footing. The wall does not run the full length of the basement, but we don’t know if the footing runs all the way through and will block our pressure field extension from one side of the basement to the other or if it stops at the wall.

Plumbing Block Out

On the far side of the house, we have a shower stall that potentially has a plumbing block out under it. A plumbing block out is a 1-foot by 1-foot hole under the stall for plumbing. We can’t easily seal it without some demo in this home.

Sub-Slab Plumbing

We also have all of the sub-slab plumbing on the far end of the house, furthest from where we ideally would like the radon system to go. Most likely, we will need to find a way to tap into the sub-slab plumbing, which involves getting a pipe or suction over to the far side of the house.

Sandy Soil

A final challenge to consider in this house is the sandy soil. It is better than clay; however, if it is fine sand, it will be hard to get pressure field extension. If the sand is coarse, it will be a lot better.

Radon mitigation challenges? Don’t sweat it! We’ve got the expertise to overcome them and create a safer, healthier home for you and your family. Contact us today!