Protect Your Family From Radon When Buying a New Home

Tim June 7, 2021 Radon 0 Comments

Did you know a silent danger is lurking in our environment? Radon is a colorless and odorless gas naturally present in the ground. It’s also radioactive. The good news is high levels of radon can be mitigated to reduce its impact on your health. The right mitigation measures protect your family from radon gas in your home.

If you suspect a radon problem in your home, give Aegis a call, we are here to help: (317) 833-9000

Why is radon a problem?

High doses of radon gas over time risks causing lung cancer. It’s actually the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. According to the EPA, radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Other problems from high radon exposure include difficulty breathing, a new or worsening cough, and trouble swallowing. High radon levels can occur in every state.

How does radon get into our homes?

Radon naturally disperses in the environment, but it can accumulate inside enclosed buildings. Radon seeps its way into our homes through foundation cracks, water wells, and sump pits. While radon is often present, the EPA recommends that if the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher, mitigation measures be taken.

How to protect from radon?

The EPA publishes a map of radon zones showing which areas have the highest potential for elevated indoor radon readings. It’s an easy way to know if your home is in a high radon area.

If you are buying, selling, or simply concerned about the levels in your current property, the first step is to test for radon. The need for radon testing increases when you live in an area known to be high in radon or if you have a basement, crawl space, or sump pits.

Buying a new construction home doesn’t exempt you from radon testing. Ask if radon-resistant construction features have been used in the building and if the home has been tested. Every new home should be tested for radon levels after occupancy, even if it has radon-resistant features. The good news is you can purchase test kits relatively inexpensively or order one from the National Radon Services program.

Anyone building a new construction home must talk to their builder about installing a radon-reduction system. Homebuilders in high radon areas should already be familiar with how to install radon-resistant features. Otherwise, the EPA offers free model standards and architectural drawings to assist with planning.

What is a radon-resistant home?

Existing and new homes can install inexpensive features to reduce the radon levels present inside the building. These simple techniques have been found to reduce radon levels on average by 50%. They can have the added benefit of reducing other soil gases and moisture problems inside a home.

It’s much easier to install these features in the building during construction than to fix a radon problem later. That isn’t possible with an existing home. The good news is a professional can effectively retrofit your radon mitigation system.

How complicated it will be to install radon-resistant features in a home depends on its construction, architecture, and what kind of features will best mitigate the radon levels.

The first option is a gas permeable layer placed beneath a slab or flooring system. The layer allows the soil gases to move underneath the house freely. A common material used is a four-inch layer of clean gravel.

Plastic sheeting is placed on top of the gas-permeable layer or under the slab to prevent these gases from entering the home. The seams of the plastic sheeting are sealed to prevent escaping gases.

Second, check your concrete foundation below the grade for cracks. It’s imperative to seal or caulk these openings to reduce soil gas from flowing into the home.

Some radon mitigation systems use a vent pipe, a 3- or 4-inch PVC, or another gas-tight pipe that runs from the permeable layer through the house to the roof. This pipe allows radon to vent above the house safely.

Protecting your family from radon

As mentioned, the first step in preventing radon gas from building up inside your home and causing health concerns is to schedule radon testing. Radon testing is simple and relatively inexpensive when you consider the impact this radioactive gas can have on the health of your loved ones. We will have lab results within a week of the radon levels in your home. Armed with this information, you can take steps to reduce your exposure and keep your family safe in your home.

Client Testimonials

Fantastic company to work with. I'm under contract to buy a home and an underground storage tank was discovered by my home inspector. After a call with Aegis, they were able to get out to the property quickly to assess the problem. Turns out, there are FOUR underground storage tanks present since the property is multi-family. They have been very thorough, professional, and communicative to work with so far. I highly recommend working with them for any/all of your environmental remediation/cleanup needs.

I was having my HVAC system completely replaced including the ductwork. While down in the crawl space, the HVAC guys found asbestos on the trunk lines they were replacing. I called Aegis Environmental and Marty was able to come out the same day and take a look and give me an estimate. He was out the very the next day removing all the ductwork that had asbestos. Marty was professional and went right to work. I was extremely pleased with the pricing, as well. This company was absolutely great to work with! Hopefully I don't have to call them again for anymore asbestos, BUT they're who I would call if I had to! Great company and Marty was AWESOME!

I found Aegis after having a new sump pump system installed. The sump system could not fully finished as it required some cutting in my basement and I had asbestos tile. I needed the tile removed before work could be done. I wasted over 2 weeks on a different contractor who was happy to give me a quote, but never schedule an appointment. In frustration, I reached out to Aegis who immediately gave me a quote, quickly scheduled an appointment, and then showed up on time on the scheduled day. Marty, the tech, was quick, competent, and friendly completing the work in short order. My experience with Aegis was entirely positive, and if I need their services again, I would not hesitate to hire them for the job.

My husband and I were buying a house and during the inspection, it was discovered that there was an abandoned underground oil tank on the property. I contacted Aegis to have them inspect the tank, complete a soil test, and to empty and fill the tank. Marty called me back almost immediately after my initial phone call to Aegis! He walked me through every step of the process and kept me informed at each stage. He was always available - I even emailed him once after hours and he responded even though I didn't expect a response until the next morning! Marty was so kind, patient, knowledgeable, and he answered each and every question I had (and I had a lot of questions!). Once Aegis emptied and filled the tank, I was sent a report with a summary of the work completed, including pictures. They did a wonderful job in ensuring that the yard looked just like it did before they did any work. When the soil test was completed, I was also sent a report explaining the results along with a graph showing the lab results. I would highly recommend Aegis for any underground oil tank needs, especially Marty!

Our Commitment To Our Clients

Throughout time many things change, one thing that remains consistent is our sincere dedication to our clients. You can trust Aegis for quality, dependable service that is done within the framework of good science. Our staff takes great pride in being service-orientated and going the extra mile to meet our clients’ expectations. Our professional staff will get the job done and work in a manner that will give you the peace of mind you deserve while taking care of your environmental needs.