Radon (houses, crawl space, gated)

[OneKC]

Our radon tester has been consistently reading at 5.5 - 6.0. The level recommended by the EPA I believe is 4.0 or lower. We have a full finished basement. The walls don't appear to be leaking - humidity levels are okay. We also have two addition rooms built on crawlspaces. Its an older home - 50 years old. We're all non-smokers (I've heard that can be a big factor in the dangers with radon)

Our realtor (a guy we have trusted for years now) thinks radon dangers are bunk, but he gave us a few contacts that could offer mitigation services. They all gave estimates in the thousands of dollars. I am also worried the system could be an eyesore, or noisy with a fan constantly running.

Is radon that big of a deal? The last family that lived here didn't seem to think so as they never installed a mitigation system. Thoughts?

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by OneKC

Our radon tester has been consistently reading at 5.5 - 6.0. The level recommended by the EPA I believe is 4.0 or lower. We have a full finished basement. The walls don't appear to be leaking - humidity levels are okay. We also have two addition rooms built on crawlspaces. Its an older home - 50 years old. We're all non-smokers (I've heard that can be a big factor in the dangers with radon)

Our realtor (a guy we have trusted for years now) thinks radon dangers are bunk, but he gave us a few contacts that could offer mitigation services. They all gave estimates in the thousands of dollars. I am also worried the system could be an eyesore, or noisy with a fan constantly running.

Is radon that big of a deal? The last family that lived here didn't seem to think so as they never installed a mitigation system. Thoughts?

I've seen houses with mitigation systems, they aren't that bad. Hardly noticeable.

Do you have a sump pump in your basement? There are inexpensive ways to seal those and they are notorious culprits for allowing radon to seep in.

As for whether or not it's a big deal, do you have kids? I wouldn't want my kids in a house with unsafe radon levels. I don't want to have to wonder some day if they get sick, if there was something I could have done to prevent it and just didn't want to bother.

If you don't have kids, then it's just personal risk and resale factors. <shrug>

[FlyersFan]

My name is Mike and I am a New Jersey DEP radon specialist with 20+ years of experience in testing and mitigation......I personally mitigate well over 100 homes every year.

Originally Posted by OneKC

Our radon tester has been consistently reading at 5.5 - 6.0. The level recommended by the EPA I believe is 4.0 or lower. We have a full finished basement. The walls don't appear to be leaking - humidity levels are okay. We also have two addition rooms built on crawlspaces. Its an older home - 50 years old. We're all non-smokers (I've heard that can be a big factor in the dangers with radon)
In the scheme of things 6 is on the low side as I have mitigated houses as high as 80 but then it is over the guildeline of 4. With a level of 4 you probably won't have to address the crawl spaces.....only the basement....as long as you can eliminate air flow from the crawl spaces into the basement. At a minimum you should keep your crawl space vents open which will reduce the radon levels with natural air circulation.
Our realtor (a guy we have trusted for years now) thinks radon dangers are bunk, but he gave us a few contacts that could offer mitigation services. Your "friend" is doing you a disservice by commenting on the validity of the radon concern, especially when he has absolutley no credentials or training to do so with any degree of accuracy. They all gave estimates in the thousands of dollars. Thousands of dollars seems VERY high unless there are some type of VERY unusual circumstances.....here in New Jersey even with VERY stringent regulations the typical system costs about $1300 plus township permits. I am also worried the system could be an eyesore, or noisy with a fan constantly running. Typically, you do you best to locate the system at a rear corner of the house so it isn't so visible and the fans are sealed units to they are very quite.......its not at all like running a furnace or AC unit if thats what your thinking.

Is radon that big of a deal? The last family that lived here didn't seem to think so as they never installed a mitigation system. Thoughts?

The EPA and most of the civilized nations all have a radon program as statistics indicate radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking and is responsible for up to 20,000 deaths a year....additionally, while its definitely more of a concern for smokers its also more of a concern for children over adults as their breathing zone is closer to the floor where radon concentrates and they have a much higher rate of cell growth.
If I can answer any further questions please don't hesitate to ask or DM me.

Mike

[OneKC]

Many thanks Mike!

[RjRobb2]

Radon is the number 1 cause of lung cancer outside of smoking. K-State actually has the top Radon research department in the country. They sell Radon detectors for $15 you can order through the mail.

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by Clear Conscience Radon KC

Hello OneKC,

My name is Jason with Clear Conscience Radon here in the KC area. I think I can help you out with your radon problem and I highly doubt it will cost you thousands of dollars. All of my radon mitigations have been very successful with all my clients extremely satisfied. You can check out my website at www.clearconscienceradon.com if you are interested.

Thanks,
Jason

TOS violation reported!