Ways to Mitigate Radon

Radon in your home can be a danger to your health. It is a radioactive gas that has no scent and cannot be seen, which means it’s impossible to detect without proper testing. This is why it’s a good idea to start the mitigation process with radon testing. This allows you to find out if new mitigation systems are needed in your home and what level of protection is needed. There are multiple different types of radon mitigation, and the kind you use will depend on your home.

1. Sub-Membrane

Homes with crawlspaces or basements that have loose gravel or dirt in them are a good candidate for this type of mitigation. It involves covering the ground with a plastic sheet and using fans and a pipe to create a channel to flush out the radon. The radon is flushed beneath the sheet through the pipe that leads outside.

2. Active Suction

For homes with concrete slab basements, this is a good option. Radon gas can build up under that concrete and then enter the home through cracks that form in the concrete. Active suction uses electric fans and a monitoring system to pull gas out from under the concrete and dispose of it through a vent pipe.

3. Passive Suction

Passive suction is something to consider when building a home. It’s a natural way of doing away with radon in your home that utilizes the way the house is built. Natural pressure can be utilized to move radon out of your home or keep it limited, but this only works in areas with low radon levels. It’s a nice option because it doesn’t involve any electricity use, but it isn’t always enough.

4. Natural Pressure Systems

This is similar to passive suction, although it has more to do with the conscious choices you make on a daily basis. These can be utilized even in a home that does not have passive suction techniques built in. This form of radon abatement involves keeping windows and doors closed in the lower levels of your home to create pressure that helps to mitigate radon. Once again this will only work on low levels of radon and is not the best course of action for a home that has a major radon issue, although it can help.