Home Failed Radon Test (Denver: real estate, work, health)

[socalover]

In the middle of a home purchase, just found out the home failed the Radon test.

Would you still buy the home? Do mitigation techniques work?

Would a mitigation system affect the resale value of the home?

[Charles]

We had the same experience. The seller, as customary, installed a mitgation system (some sort of blower fan which sucked air or something from under the house??? I didn't look it up...). Initially it measured 9 or something like that. I think it has to be under 4. The fan thing got it to something like 1.

Yes, it worked. (I hope. If only this weird itching would go away....)

[Bob from down south]

Mitigation systems do work if properly installed. They're a lot harder to retrofit than installing at the time of build. A mitigation solution may require multiple suction points in the slab, depending on how potent the source is, and how tightly packed the fill under the slab is. Make sure the guy putting in the mitigation is NEHA/NRPP certified.

The only way to know for sure that the radon vent system works is to have the test repeated once the mitigation system is installed.

[steveindenver]

The other problem you face is that a real test requires months to perform and those results can vary year to year and month to month. Our neighbors testedat a 14, we tested (twice) at < 1.

Most newer homes will have a passive system already installed which generally means installing a 150 dollar fan and you are good (although you can as some folks I know still pay 2 grand to a company that fails to mention this to you and installs the same fan with a 1850 dollar markup....).

Older homes as mentioned above are trickier and vary with the type of foundation.

[MJinAustin]

Is radon a problem in Denver? What causes it?

[tfox]

Originally Posted by socalover

In the middle of a home purchase, just found out the home failed the Radon test.

Would you still buy the home? Do mitigation techniques work?

Would a mitigation system affect the resale value of the home?

This is normal, pretty much every home in Denver needs radon mitigation. Just make the seller do mitigation and get it retested. If it passes comfortably the second time around, then don't worry about it.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by MJinAustin

Is radon a problem in Denver? What causes it?

Uranium in the soil decays and into radon gas which finds its way to the surface. Its heavier than air so it accumulates in crawlspaces and basements. Its not unique to Denver but the Front Range is one part of the country where its something to be aware of.

[steveindenver]

Just make the seller do mitigation and get it retested.

It's not that simple, a complete test takes a minimum of three months and even a (fairly worthless) quick test takes a couple of weeks.

[Barking Spider]

That's not exactly accurate.

The EPA protcol for real estate transactions is the "short term" test - 48 - 96 hours.

A "long term" test is usually considered anything over 90 days, and can run as long as a year. We use an electronic continuous monitor for short term tests, but use a different method for long term testing.

The electronic continuous monitor is a pretty expensive tool to have sitting around someones house for 3 - 6 months. What is usually used for long term looks like a little paper bag and is sent off to a lab for the results. With the electronic unit, we just plug the monitor into a laptop or a small printer and get the results right then.

Like I said in another post, there is a lot more to it than just plugging in a fan.

[nele]

Radon is common here in Denver because of all the rock close to the foundations of a house.

I was under contract to buy a house that had a radon mitigation system already installed, but we tested anyway. No only the air radon test failed, marginally, but the water radon failed completely (water radon is less of a health concern than air, believe it or not). But the real kicker came when we had the water tested for uranium. The tester (Geowater) said he'd never seen a higher reading. This place was sitting on a radon mine!!

Anyway we cancelled the contract. I would never buy a house now without testing for radon in both air and water (the latter is needed only if the house is not on public water).

That said...radon mitigation systems DO work, if they are installed and maintained correctly (just like any other system that's part of a house).