Here are 3 Ways to Reduce Radon Gas in Your Home

Homeowners everywhere in the United States need to be aware of the risks of radon gas. What is radon gas? Well, radon in your home can come from the breakdown of naturally occurring uranium underneath your home. Radon gas is colorless, and undetectable unless testing for radon is conducted to specifically look for it, but it can have dire consequences. If exposed for long enough, exposure to radon gas can cause cancer, or at the very least raise the risk of developing cancer. For this reason alone, it’s vitally important to reduce radon gas in your home and this article will take a look at several ways you can do that.

• Place Gravel Under the Home: One way to reduce radon gas in your home if testing for radon reveals its presence, is to place a layer of gravel underneath the foundation. There are two ways to do this. The first way is to have the gravel layer placed as the home is being built. The presence of gravel underneath the foundation slab will help to mitigate any radon that comes up from underneath the house by giving it a place to flow underneath the house instead of continuing on into the building. The other way is to have a hole opened in the foundation slab and have gravel added after a hollow space is created underneath. It’s a little harder to do it this way, but it can still help to mitigate the presence of any radon gas in the home.
• Seal the Sump Pump: Another way to reduce radon gas in your home is to seal the sump pump in your basement. During sump pump installation, pipes for the sump pump are sunk down into the earth under the home. The opening for this pipe to the sump pump provides a place for radon gas to enter the home. If testing for radon reveals the presence of radon gas, then it is important to seal the area around the sump pump to prevent radon gas from getting in this way.
• Place a Vapor Barrier in the Crawlspace: A third way to reduce radon gas in your home is to have a vapor barrier installed in your home’s basement crawlspace. Many times, a crawlspace in a basement is a place exposed to bare earth. Since this could provide the perfect place of entry for radon gas, it’s important to install a vapor barrier in any crawlspace area. This can take the form of special plastic sheeting that seals the area and prevents radon gas from getting in.

In conclusion, there are several ways to prevent radon gas from entering your home and endangering your health. These ways include placing gravel under the home, sealing the area around the sump pump, and placing a vapor barrier in the crawlspace area. These are just a few of the important ways you can protect your home from the dangers of radon gas.