Radon is gradually becoming a big challenge in Utah as it’s one of the highest Radon concentrated states in the U.S. This concern can aggravate your health issues even without your notice.
As a radioactive element, its release can be subtle and cumulative over time with specific implications if found in your Basement. Hence the need for a basement radon mitigation system.
The safety of your Basement can affect the safety of your home and vice versa. Therefore, you need to have the basic knowledge of:
How your Basement can be Infested With Radon
The Effects of Radon
How Basement Radon Mitigation System works
In this post, we shall discuss all of these and more. Let’s proceed.
How Can My Basement Be Plagued with Radon?
In previous times, Radon gas was not as popular as it is now on the radar of housebuilders and homeowners. However, it has become a household term in Utah and its residents.
As a resident of Utah, you need to know that you can be exposed to Radon gas inside buildings like your homes, schools, and workplaces.
This is because Radon is formed from decaying Uranium contained in the rock and soil beneath the Basement of your home. The gas is trapped after it enters your Basement through cracks, pipes, and other holes in the foundation.
This is because the Basement is the closest to the foundation of every home and, as such, serves as the entry point for radon gas.
Furthermore, another element that can contribute to radon gas entry is the amount of pressure in your Basement. When the pressure in your Basement is lower than the pressure outside, it creates the “stack effect.”
This effect pulls more air from the rocks and soils beneath your Basement through the cracks and holes, increasing the level of Radon in your Basement.
What are The Effects of Radon Gas
When the level of Radon is high in your home, it could cause certain health issues resulting from it accumulating in your body.
Radon is a radioactive element with no immediate symptoms; rather, it could aggravate over time and result in lung disease, lung cancer, and blood cancer.
Why You Should Test for Radon
Certain amounts of Radon are present everywhere and could be high or low concentrated at a particular place. It is usually not detectable with your physical senses, so you can’t ascertain if a building site will lead to a home with unsafe radon levels.
Because Radon is almost present in all homes, it is safe to take a radon test to avoid unpleasant problems in the future.
Having your home tested is significant as it’s the only way to determine whether you and your family are exposed to high levels of Radon.
Basement Radon Mitigation System
Indoor Radon can be controlled and managed with proven, cost-effective techniques.
So, if you have tested your home for Radon and found high levels, the next thing is to go for a mitigation system that best suits your Basement, finished and unfinished Basement.
Basement mitigation is generally done in the following ways;
Install a radon sump system
Seal the cracked floors and walls
Increasing underfloor ventilation
Installing whole house positive pressurization or positive supply ventilation system
Increase ventilation of the house
Increase the ventilation of the cellar or Basement with fan suction radon mitigation
Mitigation in Unfinished Basement
You can dedicate a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) for your unfinished Basement.
The Radiostat of these ventilators monitors the radon level and activates when the radon gas level has reached its peak of 150Bq.
Also, the ventilator stabilizes when your basement radon level has dropped, leaving the Basement pressurized.
Mitigation in A Finished Basement
If you have a finished basement with high levels of radon gas, don’t be scared, there are effective and affordable ways you get rid of the gas.
One of the easiest and most affordable options is the sub-slab depressurization. Your house might be new with a vapor barrier but may not be properly sealed with no vapor barrier.
However, with good sub-slab depressurization, your Basement will have enough of an air barrier to contain Radon below it.
Getting fan-suction radon mitigation installed is the only practical solution for fully finished basements, so call a radon mitigation company in Utah for a free radon home.
Conclusion
Since basements are potentially more prone to radon gas issues, you can choose a slab-on-grade instead of a basement for proper sealing.
However, the radon mitigation techniques discussed here are intended to give homeowners an idea of the types of solutions that are available for reducing radon levels in homes; they are not intended as a DIY guide.
Radon contamination in homes is a serious health concern and is best handled by an experienced professional who can guarantee results.
