Radon

[Hoosier]

I bought a new-build house here in Colorado, and in January I saw the newspaper saying that Radon can be a problem in this state. So I decided to buy a meter, figuring since this house was new perhaps no one had checked it. My first reading was 11x the EPA limit, second reading was 7x the limit.

I really wish my Realtor had mentioned it, I would have had tests done before I bought it and had the builder fix the problem. So now I've been sitting down here in the basement working for the last two years breathing in bad air.

Do any of you do Radon Remediation or recommend anyone to do it in the Pueblo area? Have any of you had to have it done and know what it costs, ballpark?

[Mad]

[esaabye]

I have had it done 3 times, runs about a grand or less and is not particullarly hard to do. They will add a fan and creat a smal vacume unde rhte slab to pull the gas out and vent it away from any windows. It can be done inside or outside the house depending on the basement layout.

It is not really a big deal, perhaps after 20-30 years down in the basement but not with just a few years.

Most new home builders will not address it, they don't want to have to test them all so they hold a line. This is just part of the Colorado experience.....

I don't have any contractors for you...

[Richard K]

I bought a new-build house here in Colorado, and in January I saw the newspaper saying that Radon can be a problem in this state. So I decided to buy a meter, figuring since this house was new perhaps no one had checked it. My first reading was 11x the EPA limit, second reading was 7x the limit.

I really wish my Realtor had mentioned it, I would have had tests done before I bought it and had the builder fix the problem. So now I've been sitting down here in the basement working for the last two years breathing in bad air.

Do any of you do Radon Remediation or recommend anyone to do it in the Pueblo area? Have any of you had to have it done and know what it costs, ballpark?

[Mad]

We lived in our previous house for 15 years. When we sold it the buyer had an inspector come in. He found high radon. I had a company come in and they cut a hole in the basement floor, ran a 4" plastic pipe down into the french drain and pumped air out through the garage with an inline fan. The cost was $1,100. The next test showed 0 radon. Now that I see how it's done, I could do it myself for $200-$300.
I'm told that in Canada the govt. mandated max is something like seven times that which is allowed here.

[Zundfolge]

Radon is another one of those environmentalist scams.

The only people that really have to worry about Radon are uranium miners that spend 12 hours a day in a Radon rich environment thousands to tens of thousands of times greater than the little bit you might find in your basement. Even then the cigarettes they smoke are still significantly greater risks to their health.

And the EPA limit is a figure drawn completely out of thin air (no pun intended). When you look at other countries their bureaucracies use significantly different levels, some significantly greater than the EPA limit. The reason for this is that its all bullshit.

There's more science backing up the existence of bigfoot than there is that Radon is a health hazard. In fact there's more science backing the idea that Radon may be GOOD for you (although this is still probably junk science too) http://www.radonmine.com/ .



I wouldn't worry about any sort of Radon mitigation unless you're planning on selling your house ... and then I wouldn't bring up Radon unless a potential buyer thinks to test for it.

Its a lie and a scam but its one of those lies/scam that has infected the law so if you have high Radon levels a buyer can require you get the situation fixed before selling.

[Hoosier]

Hmm well that's somewhat comforting. A little Googling found a NGO that has a grant to provide instruction on how to fix it. They're sending a contractor out to tell me how to fix this particular house, and I can attend a 3 hour class on wiring it up.

This house has foundation perimeter drainage for water, so I'm hoping a duct fan into that system will solve the problem.

[ChunkyMonkey]

This house has foundation perimeter drainage for water, so I'm hoping a duct fan into that system will solve the problem.

Make sure it doesnt flood back through the vent during rainy season! [Tooth]

[sniper7]

RADON isn't really that harmful and the limit here is colorado is extremely small. if you always have your windows closed and you purely run off air conditioning and heating throughout the year it is more important to get it done. best thing is to open a window on the nice nights or a door when you are out cooking on the grill or any time you are home, helps to get the fresh air in.
If you bought a BRAND new house the builder should have something in the settlement statement that says whether or not they will cover the cost to have your home tested.
I just bought a new home in august and made sure they will cover the cost of the test when i get it done. I haven't had it done yet, but I have up to a year to have it completed.

[Irving]

What ever happened to the guy who posted from his car because he kept having the Carbon Dioxide problem? I want to say it was Big Mat, but don't remember. I'm going to go look it up.