Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

I am currently in the process of selling my home. A radon test
revealed that my radon is at a level of 6.9 pCi/L. The buyers
interested in my home are requesting that a mitigation system be
installed.

I currently have a passive mitigation system. It consists of a pipe
that starts below the basement floor, runs through an interior wall of
the home, and vents above the roofline. My thoughts were that a fan
could be installed in the basement on this existing pipe. (Installing
the fan in the attic is not an option, as the home has vaulted ceilings
and no suitable location for an attic fan.) I got an estimate from
someone who stated that law and/or regulation now states that the fan
cannot be installed in a basement. This means that I would need to
reroute my existing pipe and have the fan installed on the exterior of
the home. Is it true that law and/or regulation now prevents the fan
from being installed in the basement on an existing passive system? (I
live in the state of Pennsylvania, if that has any bearing on your
response.)

Thanks in advance for any responses!

Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

Could you install a fan at the top of the pipe? I've seen fans at
infiltec.com that are weatherproof and wouldn't look too funny sticking
up off the roof of a house.

Have you offered cash? $500 back at closing could make the buyer
overlook it and then you don't even have to worry about whether or not
the fix works.

-rev




wrote:
I am currently in the process of selling my home. A radon test
revealed that my radon is at a level of 6.9 pCi/L. The buyers
interested in my home are requesting that a mitigation system be
installed.

I currently have a passive mitigation system. It consists of a pipe
that starts below the basement floor, runs through an interior wall of
the home, and vents above the roofline. My thoughts were that a fan
could be installed in the basement on this existing pipe. (Installing
the fan in the attic is not an option, as the home has vaulted ceilings
and no suitable location for an attic fan.) I got an estimate from
someone who stated that law and/or regulation now states that the fan
cannot be installed in a basement. This means that I would need to
reroute my existing pipe and have the fan installed on the exterior of
the home. Is it true that law and/or regulation now prevents the fan
from being installed in the basement on an existing passive system? (I
live in the state of Pennsylvania, if that has any bearing on your
response.)

Thanks in advance for any responses!

Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

wrote:
I am currently in the process of selling my home. A radon test
revealed that my radon is at a level of 6.9 pCi/L. The buyers
interested in my home are requesting that a mitigation system be
installed.
....

I don't actually know law/requirements but the EPA radon site should
help.

But, this is one I'd try to get out of by buying the potential buyers
off -- let them deal with it to whatever level they're comfortable. If
go ahead and do something yourself, then I'd want a contractual
agreement up front that what it is you're going to do is going to be
acceptable irrespective of the outcome of any further test, otherwise
you're in an open-ended loop. As noted, it would be far simpler for
you to take a small hit and be done, but whatever you decide, don't
just do something just hoping it will be accepted by a potential buyer.
A piece of carpet replaced or similar cosmetic/structure is one thing,
something like radon remediation _could_ escalate into a real hassle
depending on the situation. You just want to make it a closed-ended
deal.

Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

I am in PA, in a hot radon area:(

What they do is put a pipe up outside along the downspout to vent the
radon, not beautiful but normal procedure around here

perhaps the fan could go on the top of the existing pipe or just at the
roofline?

Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

dpb wrote:
wrote:
I am currently in the process of selling my home. A radon test
revealed that my radon is at a level of 6.9 pCi/L. The buyers
interested in my home are requesting that a mitigation system be
installed.
...

I don't actually know law/requirements but the EPA radon site should
help.

But, this is one I'd try to get out of by buying the potential buyers
off -- let them deal with it to whatever level they're comfortable. If
go ahead and do something yourself, then I'd want a contractual
agreement up front that what it is you're going to do is going to be
acceptable irrespective of the outcome of any further test, otherwise
you're in an open-ended loop.

Are you for real? What prospective buyer is going to enter into an
agreement where if the seller just does X, they then have to buy the
house whether it corrects the radon problem or not? The radon is
above the acceptable limit. The seller owns this problem period.
Plus, now that he knows about it, he has to disclose it to future
buyers as well.

Any buyer with less than **** for brains is going to insist that this
be corrected properly, by a professional company, not the homeowner and
that a further test shows that the radon is now at an acceptable limit.




As noted, it would be far simpler for
you to take a small hit and be done, but whatever you decide, don't
just do something just hoping it will be accepted by a potential buyer.
A piece of carpet replaced or similar cosmetic/structure is one thing,
something like radon remediation _could_ escalate into a real hassle
depending on the situation. You just want to make it a closed-ended
deal.

Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

Any buyer with less than **** for brains is going to insist that this
be corrected properly, by a professional company, not the homeowner and
that a further test shows that the radon is now at an acceptable limit.



yeah as a relatred issue I want to install a interior french drain, the
home is above the grade of the street. I have wondered if draining the
french drain by gravity to the street and adding a couple fresh air
vents would allow the radon to leave naturally?

the reason the OP vent didnt work is that radon is heavier than air, so
it comes out in the home rater than on top of the house. roof vent too
high

in any case he will have to use a certified radon company at a cost of
about 2 to 3 grand depending on how many vents are needed

also minimizing vacuumn in the house like hot water tanks and furnaces
using indoor air, that tends to suck more radon in.

using outdoor air for combustion is much better

Radon Mitigation System - Fan in Basement?
 

On 1 Nov 2006 14:32:06 -0800, wrote:

I am currently in the process of selling my home. A radon test
revealed that my radon is at a level of 6.9 pCi/L. The buyers
interested in my home are requesting that a mitigation system be
installed.

I currently have a passive mitigation system. It consists of a pipe
that starts below the basement floor, runs through an interior wall of
the home, and vents above the roofline. My thoughts were that a fan
could be installed in the basement on this existing pipe. (Installing
the fan in the attic is not an option, as the home has vaulted ceilings
and no suitable location for an attic fan.) I got an estimate from
someone who stated that law and/or regulation now states that the fan
cannot be installed in a basement. This means that I would need to
reroute my existing pipe and have the fan installed on the exterior of
the home. Is it true that law and/or regulation now prevents the fan
from being installed in the basement on an existing passive system? (I
live in the state of Pennsylvania, if that has any bearing on your
response.)

Thanks in advance for any responses!


IMHO:

I was wondering if I too could install a fan on my passive system, but
in my research about where to place the fan, the ideal situation is
where the piping inside your house is always under a negative
pressure. Having the fan anywhere lower than outside('habital
spaces') could result in a pin hole leak blowing subslab air into the
house.

Also, you might want to check if you can use the passive setup, since
many systems today exit the house immediately, meaning very little
piping exists in the house.

Good luck with your ventures, and wish you would tell use what
happened.

later,

tom @ www.NoCostAds.com