Re: Kicking Radon out of your house

[Guest guest]

Thing I'm disappointed about in article is 'problem w easy solution' description

but in solution I only saw, buy a rado resistent home. I didn't read it from

beginning to end though yet.

>

> How to test for Radon in home:

>

> http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=90076641625 & h=GFOqa & u=agouO

>

[Guest guest]

At 06:13 AM 5/23/2009, you wrote:

>How to test for Radon in home:

Testing is only needed if one does not have a subbasement that is " aired " ,

or well vented. If you live on a concrete slab that is against the earth,

then testing is needed. Ask at the local hardware store, as they know

these things, and carry the test kits for sale. Those areas with known

radon problems will have local store knowledge of it.

A slab of granite is safe for radon. Why? There is not much radon

present, and what is outgassed, will never be re-supplied, unlike

radon coming out of the ground. That said, certain granite I heard

was not suitable for home use, or indoor use, and was used outdoors.

However, with impact to the economy there is no law against selling

any granite for any use. So, there might granite on the market

not suitable for indoor use, in low vented rooms.

Granite is the preferred 'safe' kitchen and bathroom counter tops.

Why? The alternatives from man made particle board and plastic

are unsafe and age, and last only 20 years. Granite should last

50-100 years before it needs resurfacing.

[Guest guest]

I have a basement, but it isn't aired in any way, but I'm looking into that.

> >How to test for Radon in home:

>

>

> Testing is only needed if one does not have a subbasement that is " aired " ,

> or well vented. If you live on a concrete slab that is against the earth,

> then testing is needed. Ask at the local hardware store, as they know

> these things, and carry the test kits for sale. Those areas with known

> radon problems will have local store knowledge of it.

[Guest guest]

---

Barb: I remediated my folks home in NH. There is alot of radon in NH because of

the ledge (granite) in the ground. If you find you have radon in high levels,

you can have it remediated effectively for about $3,0000. It involves digging a

small hole in the basement floor and venting it to the outside with tubing and

fans. In less than 72 hours the level was normal and it was EXTREMELY high when

initially tested. Trouble is I grew up in that house and breathed all that gas

for 18 years and never knew. I found out about the level when I put it on the

market to sell and had the inspection done for the sale. There are so many

things we arent aware of that could be harming us. D

In , " barb1283 " <barb1283@...> wrote:

>

> Thing I'm disappointed about in article is 'problem w easy solution'

description but in solution I only saw, buy a rado resistent home. I didn't

read it from beginning to end though yet.

>

>

> >

> > How to test for Radon in home:

> >

> > http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=90076641625 & h=GFOqa & u=agouO

> >

>

[Guest guest]

---

I tend to disagree with you here . My parents house had a large, full

basement with eight windows. The radon level was higher than the man had ever

seen working for the company. But with the unit installed we got it down to

normal amounts. As far as using granite inside, they are now discouraging that

as it takes many years for the granite to off-gas. There was a show on tv

recently (maybe 60 mintues) where a pregnant woman had her home tested and the

level was extremely high and found out it was coming from her kitchen counters

so she immediately had them removed. D

In , <pete-@...> wrote:

>

> At 06:13 AM 5/23/2009, you wrote:

> >How to test for Radon in home:

>

>

> Testing is only needed if one does not have a subbasement that is " aired " ,

> or well vented. If you live on a concrete slab that is against the earth,

> then testing is needed. Ask at the local hardware store, as they know

> these things, and carry the test kits for sale. Those areas with known

> radon problems will have local store knowledge of it.

>

> A slab of granite is safe for radon. Why? There is not much radon

> present, and what is outgassed, will never be re-supplied, unlike

> radon coming out of the ground. That said, certain granite I heard

> was not suitable for home use, or indoor use, and was used outdoors.

> However, with impact to the economy there is no law against selling

> any granite for any use. So, there might granite on the market

> not suitable for indoor use, in low vented rooms.

>

> Granite is the preferred 'safe' kitchen and bathroom counter tops.

> Why? The alternatives from man made particle board and plastic

> are unsafe and age, and last only 20 years. Granite should last

> 50-100 years before it needs resurfacing.

>

[Guest guest]

At 07:46 PM 5/23/2009, you wrote:

>I have a basement, but it isn't aired in any way, but I'm looking into that.

Oh. Well, the first thing is to ask at your local hardware store if Radon

is a problem in your geographical area. Ask at more than one store.

Call them on the phone is easy. Also, call city hall. They know.

Regarding airing it:

Positive air pressure is not recommended as that will force the radon

upward into your home.

That is using a fan to force fresh air down into the basement. (see

comment further down)

Negative air pressure will draw air out and release it to the outside

(exhaust fan with ducting). However, there is a downside in that

negative pressure means the air has to come from " somewhere " , meaning

drawn from the outside, through your walls, floors and cracks. This

means the air will pick up air from the interior of your floors and

walls. This pick up air can be " bad. "

So, the best solution I have heard for this situation is one of these two:

1) vents without forced air (fans). You need a lot of vents though.

Do check your local building code (call city hall and ask for the

Department of Building and Safety, then ask about local code for

venting basements and if they have a handout they could mail to you.)

It might be on their web site as well. How many vents? At least

2 per wall (8 minimum), about 1 foot in cross section, if not larger.

The building code will state how many feet between vents in one wall.

Some counties have no code, of any sort. Anything goes.

2) Use matching positive and negative air pressure. This means just

two ducts, one for fresh air, and the other is exhaust. Buy two identical

fans. Going through the section of wall above the door is going to be

cheapest. It's ugly. It's only needed if the radon test is positive.

Testing for radon every year, if not every 6 months is good. And

test after a heavy rain, I think. You need to check how many days

after a heavy rain to check. Why? The extra ground water forces

the gas in the soil upward and out. It can take a day or 3 days or more.

It depends on the soil content and source(s) of radon, which are rarely

known, but in some areas the source is well known.

Good luck. Let us know what you find out, and what you eventually do.

Let's hope the radon test is zero. And the local experts say " Radon?

What's that? " , which when you have heard that from city hall, the

local college Geology department teachers, and the hardware store

clerks, you are typically safe. But " spot " sources of radon do occur

and can be of any size. So, testing once is a good idea. Do not

air out the basement before testing.

[Guest guest]

At 10:47 AM 5/24/2009, you wrote:

>I tend to disagree with you here . My parents house had a

>large, full basement with eight windows.

It's good to have exceptions pointed out. Exceptions can sometimes

prove the rule.

If the windows are kept closed, then there is no fresh air coming

in. Even if one window is open, no incoming fresh air is true. The

reason building codes call for ventilation openings on all walls is

it is the " cross breeze " that changes the relative air pressure,

upwind and downwind of the building. It is this air pressure change

that draws air in one side, and draws air out the opposite

side. Now, even if you have that going for you, then it does not

mean you have " adequate " air circulation, for many reasons, too many

for me to list, unless this list was chartered for building

construction techniques to ensure healthy living. Well, it sort of

is, but we have very few professional builders on the list, I

assume. A bad thing. We ought to recruit some??

For technical information look up the academic mathematical subject

area called Fluid Dynamics. Air flow is just a less dense liquid,

and most of the mathematic models for one apply to the other. There

are several good books on building engineering air flow. Most deal

with forced air, fans, but with the greening of buildings, more

energy efficient, the newer books and trade magazines and web sites

are dealing with turning off the fans when the intake design can take

advantage of nature's wind.

My studies about air flow come from fluid dynamics and soundproofing

where air flow is critical for both deflecting sound to keep sound

from propagating, and to ensure air flow so people can survive in the

soundproofed room. I found the math very straight forward. The path

of least resistance is the general principal. If two windows are

open in a room, then the air moves from one window to the other, and

may not circulate in the rest of the room at all. Stagnant air is

possible, and even mathematically probably, and will exist,

especially in the corners of the rooms, with or without

furniture. Cool science.

>The radon level was higher than the man had ever seen working for

>the company. But with the unit installed we got it down to normal amounts.

That's so awful to learn one lives in a polluted home. I was

surprised here in Los Angeles I lived downwind of the Number One

Super Fund clean up site ever, a Shell oil refinery. And that the

world's largest nuclear reactor spill until Chernobyl is just 10

miles from my childhood home of 19 years. 50 square miles is still

off limits to hikers. Only animals are allowed. The spilled

happened in 1957 and was covered up for 40 years.

>As far as using granite inside, they are now discouraging that as it

>takes many years for the granite to off-gas.

As I implicitly implied, granite is now being mined from less

desirable sources, and put on the market for home use. Most granite

is not of this nature, but an increasing amount is. Knowing where

the granite was mine is key to the decision for buying. And you need

to not just be reassured by the salesperson they will deliver to your

home granite from that mine, but you need to " know " it was from

there. Most granite is mined locally as it's too heavy to ship

(except high quality granite which gets a premium price).

Glad to have you post corrections, updates, and more regarding my

posts. Good for you. The list members needs these types of

clarifications. Keep them coming.

Pete

[Guest guest]

Thanks Diane. I'll look into it. I'm on a hilltop called Briar Cliff. Not

sure what kind of rock it's on though. Do you recommend a particular test for

radon, or was the testing done by someone you hired?

>

> ---

> Barb: I remediated my folks home in NH. There is alot of radon in NH because

of the ledge (granite) in the ground.

[Guest guest]

---

Hi Barb: The test was done during an inspection for a real estate transaction so

I did not do it. They sell them at Lowes and Home Depot, maybe the guys here

will tell you if they are reliable.

Good Luck- D

In , " barb1283 " <barb1283@...> wrote:

>

> Thanks Diane. I'll look into it. I'm on a hilltop called Briar Cliff. Not

sure what kind of rock it's on though. Do you recommend a particular test for

radon, or was the testing done by someone you hired?

>

>

> >

> > ---

> > Barb: I remediated my folks home in NH. There is alot of radon in NH because

of the ledge (granite) in the ground.

>