[Never2L8]

Although I'm starting my "area search" in Hartford County which has low radon levels as per the EPA maps, I'm also thinking of branching out my research to southeastern CT which is in the red zone.

I've never lived in an area that had any sort of radon problem and so this is new to me. As a former cancer patient I would absolutely have a radon mitigation system installed in any house I buy (if it doesn't already have one) because I'd rather have it in place in case conditions change over time. I understand that many systems include a monitor/test function as well.

Does the cost of a radon mitigation system depend on the size (sq footage) or style (one story vs two) of the house in question? Or is it basically a question of how many bells and whistles a given system has? Do they typically have battery backups in case of power outages?

Someone mentioned radon mitigation in the well-water thread. This won't be a problem for me because I would never buy a house that wasn't on public water, but can I safely assume that any of the public water supplies are radon-free once it leaves the supplier?

Thanks for any insights into function and costs. :-)

[AmyBergquist]

Radon air mitigation systems typically cost around $1,100 to install. Unless you're buying a 5,000+ square foot house, I would think one system would do the job. I have not seen people install battery backups on a radon mitigation system. I have not seen anyone test for radon in water on a public water system, nor install a radon in water mitigation system on a public water system. However, that does not mean there is no radon in the water. If you're concerned about it, do a water test. Radon water mitigation systems usually cost between $1,000-$5,000. The higher the level of radon, the higher the mitigation cost to mitigate it in water.

[Never2L8]

Thanks Amy; do people commonly test for radon in Hartford County even though it's considered a low-radon zone?

LI is an extremely low radon zone (supposedly up to 1.6 in Nassau and maybe up to 2 in parts of Suffolk) and honestly I've never heard of anyone ever testing for it, let alone thinking of installing a system. Most people here don't even know what radon is, LOL. We just don't have the uranium in our substrate to create it, apparantly.

[AmyBergquist]

I advise all of my clients to test for it, even if it's recently been tested by the seller and/or there is a mitigation system in place. I also prefer the continuous read testing devices over the carbon type. You can tell if they've been tampered with and I believe they are more accurate.

I should update this to say that on my listings, they are typically tested for radon during the home inspection process. I believe it's fairly common for most buyers to test for radon these days.

[NewJeffCT]

you'll find a low level of radon just about anywhere. It's only dangerous when it gets above a certain level.

Our current home has a mitigation system in place - it's a pretty good sized home and it was barely over the acceptable level. We installed the mitigation system and our home is closer to the average outdoors level now, well below 1.0.

"Action" level is if your radon level is 4 picocuries per liter, or pCi/L, or higher.
The "average" level of radon in the air outdoors is 0.4 pCi/L, but it can get up to 0.75 in places.
If you're above 2.0, but below 4.0, you might consider a mitigation system, but you don't "need" one.

A Citizen's Guide to Radon | Radon | US Environmental Protection Agency

Radon can be found in well water. The CDC website only mentions radon in well water, so I'd think radon in public water would be very rare, at best. The EPA guide above, though, does mention it can happen.