What is Radon?

We’ve just recently discovered that we have elevated levels of radon in our house, and will need to have it “mitigated.”  I was pretty unfamiliar with radon until recently (I knew it was a gas and we didn’t want it, but that was about it), so I thought maybe some of you might be, too.

Radon is a (tasteless, odorless) radioactive gas that’s created as a breakdown product of uranium.  If it is being produced below your home, and the conditions of your lower levels are right, this gas can get into your house and you can inhale it.  Long-term exposure to inhaled radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.   (The first, of course, is smoking.)

Testing for Radon

Testing for radon is pretty inexpensive.  The test we used was about $15-$16, including the cost of the stamps we used to mail it to the lab.  (It now requires 5 stamps, though, rather than the four stated in the instructions.)  The test takes about 2 days, and it isn’t very difficult; just follow the instructions carefully.  Then seal it back up and mail it to the lab, and you’ll have your results in a couple of weeks.

Because our first test came back with high results, the first recommendation is to test again (to be sure there wasn’t a lab error, a fluke, etc.).  Michael wanted me to test our laundry room and the rest of the basement independent of each other, so we did two.  Both came back high.

Mitigating Radon

So now we need to have the radon “mitigated.  The testing service says this is “not expensive,” but I think that depends on one’s idea of “expensive.” 😉  There are ongoing costs that I don’t find insignificant (‘though of course they are better than lung cancer!)  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

I don’t know yet how much it costs to install a system, but what is most commonly done is a pipe is installed that goes from under the house (where the radon is coming from) to above the roof (so it’s high enough not to just get sucked back in through the doors and windows).  Ordinarily a vent fan is added to this, and runs all the time to keep the radon being sucked away from the living space.  I seem to remember seeing someplace that this averages $1000, but I have no idea where I saw that, so I don’t know if that’s high, low, or what.

But once it’s installed, the vent fan has ongoing maintenance costs.  According to what I’ve read, a filter needs to be changed twice a year, for an annual cost of $20-$50.  (I assume it depends on your fan model and, possibly, on the size of the system?  I don’t know if that varies.)  The fan runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so there is, of course, the cost of electricity to run it.  It decreases the energy efficiency of your heating/cooling system, so that cost goes up.  And it needs to be inspected regularly, so most people will be paying an HVAC specialist to inspect it yearly.  Warranties expire on most of them at around 5 years, so the fan will eventually need to be replaced, at about $350+.

So, realistically, a radon mitigation system does add to the maintenance costs of a home.  Given the low cost of the test and the ongoing expenses of mitigation, it is probably wise to insist on having tested any home you are looking to purchase.