This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up above
the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and the most
recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level. (1st
floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first with
ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if any are
found...which there should be) I would rather go this route first before
spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation cracks?
Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I use some type
of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk up
the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving general
advice.

John in PA

On Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:39:07 -0400, "john"
wrote Re Radon problems..:

Thats another thing... the EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Either one will work well.

On Oct 31, 12:39 am, "john"
wrote:
This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up above
the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and the most
recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level. (1st
floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first with
ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if any are
found...which there should be) I would rather go this route first before
spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation cracks?
Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I use some type
of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk up
the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving general
advice.

John in PA

Hi John,

I did this in my basement for Radon. I posted my experiences on
alt.home.repair as Caulking Hell and Subsequent Redemption. So here is
my story again ....

The biggest crack I had was between the basement wall and the concrete
slab floor. The floor concrete tends to pull away from the wall as it
dries. The gap varies from almost zero to maybe 1/4 inch. You want to
fill this crack and make it gas tight.

The process I ended up with is two stage:

1) Use a polyeurethane caulk, which is *NOT* seal leveling first.
This will seal up most of the gap
but it will not be gas tight.

2) Use a *self leveling* polyeurethane caulk over the other caulk.

Notes:

Both caulks are polyeurethane based. This is because they will stick
to concrete and they will stick to each other. You want to use the
thicker one first because if you do not, the gap is so large that the
self leveling caulk will just drain away into the crushed rock base
below your basement slab. Note you do not have to wait untill the
thicker caulk dries, I just proceeded with step 2 right away and it
worked fine. I really recomend spending the extra 4 dollars on the
best caulk gun you can get your hands on. After caulking 150 feet of
basement perimeter your hand gets real tired.

For hairline cracks in the concrete slab itself. I used a concrete
filler. It somes in a sort of squeezy bottle and comes out like a wet
paste. I used a plastic putty knife to smooth it over. Your basement
floor will remain dead flat, no bumps.

After I did all this I also ended up installing a radon fan. The
caulking is useful in that you keep the warm air in the house and not
being sucked out. Some web sites say that sealing alone, although
useful, may not lower significantly radon levels. This is because you
may miss a bit, basement stairs, near the boiler where you cannot
reach etc. Also because the radon gas that remains is more
concentrated, you sealed up most of the gas where it could escape.
Hence the net lowering of radon levels is not that great if you do not
use a fan.

Best, Mike.

On Oct 31, 6:45 am, hobbes wrote:
On Oct 31, 12:39 am, "john"
wrote:





This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up above
the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and the most
recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level. (1st
floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first with
ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if any are
found...which there should be) I would rather go this route first before
spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation cracks?
Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I use some type
of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk up
the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving general
advice.

John in PA

Hi John,

I did this in my basement for Radon. I posted my experiences on
alt.home.repair as Caulking Hell and Subsequent Redemption. So here is
my story again ....

The biggest crack I had was between the basement wall and the concrete
slab floor. The floor concrete tends to pull away from the wall as it
dries. The gap varies from almost zero to maybe 1/4 inch. You want to
fill this crack and make it gas tight.

The process I ended up with is two stage:

1) Use a polyeurethane caulk, which is *NOT* seal leveling first.
This will seal up most of the gap
but it will not be gas tight.

2) Use a *self leveling* polyeurethane caulk over the other caulk.

Notes:

Both caulks are polyeurethane based. This is because they will stick
to concrete and they will stick to each other. You want to use the
thicker one first because if you do not, the gap is so large that the
self leveling caulk will just drain away into the crushed rock base
below your basement slab. Note you do not have to wait untill the
thicker caulk dries, I just proceeded with step 2 right away and it
worked fine. I really recomend spending the extra 4 dollars on the
best caulk gun you can get your hands on. After caulking 150 feet of
basement perimeter your hand gets real tired.

For hairline cracks in the concrete slab itself. I used a concrete
filler. It somes in a sort of squeezy bottle and comes out like a wet
paste. I used a plastic putty knife to smooth it over. Your basement
floor will remain dead flat, no bumps.

After I did all this I also ended up installing a radon fan. The
caulking is useful in that you keep the warm air in the house and not
being sucked out. Some web sites say that sealing alone, although
useful, may not lower significantly radon levels. This is because you
may miss a bit, basement stairs, near the boiler where you cannot
reach etc. Also because the radon gas that remains is more
concentrated, you sealed up most of the gas where it could escape.
Hence the net lowering of radon levels is not that great if you do not
use a fan.

Best, Mike.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sorry ... one more thing ... I bought my polyeurethane caulk from Home
Depot. Some internet "Radon specialist" sites sell the same stuff at
ridiculously high prices.

Best, Mike.

Mike, I dont understand why you'd use the concrete tube for the very small
hairline cracks. Im picturing that the concrete would be so hard to get in
there.

Do you know the exact name brands you got? Does the 'seal leveling' brand
say its 'seal leveling' on the item?

Another thing..it would probably be difficult to install a radon system in
my house because you cant drill down from inside the house. I have Radiant
Heating. (heating within the foundation)





"hobbes" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Oct 31, 6:45 am, hobbes wrote:
On Oct 31, 12:39 am, "john"
wrote:





This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up
above
the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and the
most
recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level.
(1st
floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first with
ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if any
are
found...which there should be) I would rather go this route first
before
spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation
cracks?
Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I use some
type
of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to
caulk up
the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the
EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the
Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving
general
advice.

John in PA

Hi John,

I did this in my basement for Radon. I posted my experiences on
alt.home.repair as Caulking Hell and Subsequent Redemption. So here is
my story again ....

The biggest crack I had was between the basement wall and the concrete
slab floor. The floor concrete tends to pull away from the wall as it
dries. The gap varies from almost zero to maybe 1/4 inch. You want to
fill this crack and make it gas tight.

The process I ended up with is two stage:

1) Use a polyeurethane caulk, which is *NOT* seal leveling first.
This will seal up most of the gap
but it will not be gas tight.

2) Use a *self leveling* polyeurethane caulk over the other caulk.

Notes:

Both caulks are polyeurethane based. This is because they will stick
to concrete and they will stick to each other. You want to use the
thicker one first because if you do not, the gap is so large that the
self leveling caulk will just drain away into the crushed rock base
below your basement slab. Note you do not have to wait untill the
thicker caulk dries, I just proceeded with step 2 right away and it
worked fine. I really recomend spending the extra 4 dollars on the
best caulk gun you can get your hands on. After caulking 150 feet of
basement perimeter your hand gets real tired.

For hairline cracks in the concrete slab itself. I used a concrete
filler. It somes in a sort of squeezy bottle and comes out like a wet
paste. I used a plastic putty knife to smooth it over. Your basement
floor will remain dead flat, no bumps.

After I did all this I also ended up installing a radon fan. The
caulking is useful in that you keep the warm air in the house and not
being sucked out. Some web sites say that sealing alone, although
useful, may not lower significantly radon levels. This is because you
may miss a bit, basement stairs, near the boiler where you cannot
reach etc. Also because the radon gas that remains is more
concentrated, you sealed up most of the gas where it could escape.
Hence the net lowering of radon levels is not that great if you do not
use a fan.

Best, Mike.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sorry ... one more thing ... I bought my polyeurethane caulk from Home
Depot. Some internet "Radon specialist" sites sell the same stuff at
ridiculously high prices.

Best, Mike.

john wrote:
This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up
above the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and
the most recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level.
(1st floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first
with ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if
any are found...which there should be) I would rather go this route
first before spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation
cracks? Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I
use some type of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk
up the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the
EPA hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the
Kidde radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a
Silicone sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with
there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving
general advice.

John in PA

Personally I think there has been over kill on the radon issue:
http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
EPA and OSHA have a habit of extrapolating animal test data to zero
where in real life there are no effect levels. I would seriously
question the 21,000 deaths they attribute to radon caused lung cancer.
That said, radon is a gas that comes out of the soil and any non-porous
barrier that helps vent it outside will reduce it - even paint on a
cement wall. I would do minimum and continue to test until you are
satisfied.

Frank

"Clark" wrote in message
...
"john" wrote in
:

[snip]

Another thing..it would probably be difficult to install a radon system
in my house because you cant drill down from inside the house. I have
Radiant Heating. (heating within the foundation)


There are other approaches than going through a hole in the floor. I
installed a system that used the drain tile and it worked quite well.

Another approach is to simply install ventilation to exhaust the radon
gases. Probably not applicable to clod winter climates.

On Oct 31, 11:15 am, "john"
wrote:
Mike, I dont understand why you'd use the concrete tube for the very small
hairline cracks. Im picturing that the concrete would be so hard to get in
there.

Do you know the exact name brands you got? Does the 'seal leveling' brand
say its 'seal leveling' on the item?

Another thing..it would probably be difficult to install a radon system in
my house because you cant drill down from inside the house. I have Radiant
Heating. (heating within the foundation)

"hobbes" wrote in message

ups.com...



On Oct 31, 6:45 am, hobbes wrote:
On Oct 31, 12:39 am, "john"
wrote:

This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up
above
the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and the
most
recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level.
(1st
floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first with
ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if any
are
found...which there should be) I would rather go this route first
before
spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation
cracks?
Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I use some
type
of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to
caulk up
the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the
EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the
Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving
general
advice.

John in PA

Hi John,

I did this in my basement for Radon. I posted my experiences on
alt.home.repair as Caulking Hell and Subsequent Redemption. So here is
my story again ....

The biggest crack I had was between the basement wall and the concrete
slab floor. The floor concrete tends to pull away from the wall as it
dries. The gap varies from almost zero to maybe 1/4 inch. You want to
fill this crack and make it gas tight.

The process I ended up with is two stage:

1) Use a polyeurethane caulk, which is *NOT* seal leveling first.
This will seal up most of the gap
but it will not be gas tight.

2) Use a *self leveling* polyeurethane caulk over the other caulk.

Notes:

Both caulks are polyeurethane based. This is because they will stick
to concrete and they will stick to each other. You want to use the
thicker one first because if you do not, the gap is so large that the
self leveling caulk will just drain away into the crushed rock base
below your basement slab. Note you do not have to wait untill the
thicker caulk dries, I just proceeded with step 2 right away and it
worked fine. I really recomend spending the extra 4 dollars on the
best caulk gun you can get your hands on. After caulking 150 feet of
basement perimeter your hand gets real tired.

For hairline cracks in the concrete slab itself. I used a concrete
filler. It somes in a sort of squeezy bottle and comes out like a wet
paste. I used a plastic putty knife to smooth it over. Your basement
floor will remain dead flat, no bumps.

After I did all this I also ended up installing a radon fan. The
caulking is useful in that you keep the warm air in the house and not
being sucked out. Some web sites say that sealing alone, although
useful, may not lower significantly radon levels. This is because you
may miss a bit, basement stairs, near the boiler where you cannot
reach etc. Also because the radon gas that remains is more
concentrated, you sealed up most of the gas where it could escape.
Hence the net lowering of radon levels is not that great if you do not
use a fan.

Best, Mike.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Sorry ... one more thing ... I bought my polyeurethane caulk from Home
Depot. Some internet "Radon specialist" sites sell the same stuff at
ridiculously high prices.

Best, Mike.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi John,

Sorry I did not explain it very well. For the hairline cracks I use a
concrete paste. It comes in a plastic container. It has the
consistency of mayonaise, sort of paste. I am trying to find it on the
internet. I got it at Home Depot. It is for concrete crack filling. Ah
got it (Sakrete is the manufacturer)

http://www.sakrete.com/products/prod...eteCrackFiller

The self leveing Caulk I used from home depot a

http://stickwithpl.com/Products.aspx...-Crack-Sealant

http://stickwithpl.com/Products.aspx...asonry-Sealant

One is self leveling, one is the ticker kind.

As for the Radiant heating .... I do not know ... sorry ... no real
idea how to solve that bit ....

Best, Mike.

On Oct 31, 12:39 am, "john"
wrote:
This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up above
the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and the most
recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level. (1st
floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first with
ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if any are
found...which there should be) I would rather go this route first before
spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation cracks?
Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I use some type
of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk up
the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the EPA
hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the Kidde
radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a Silicone
sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving general
advice.

John in PA

There's some websites which discuss just sealing the concrete as a
first try to eliminate the radon (and sell you the stuff). Seems
similar to what they use for waterproofing, in that it kind of expands
and locks into the concete pores. Radon is pretty leaky though, it's
an inert gas, therefore a single atom per molecule, i.e. tiny and will
seep between molecules, so it'a just a question of slowing it down,
rather than eliminating it.

Another site suggested trying to reduce the radon by putting suction
on the sump pump hole, before going the regular route and drilling
holes for subfloor suction; since you mention your area is sealed off,
that might be worth a try, especially combined with sealing the
concrete.

On Oct 31, 12:35 pm, Frank frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet wrote:
john wrote:
This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up
above the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and
the most recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level.
(1st floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first
with ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if
any are found...which there should be) I would rather go this route
first before spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation
cracks? Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I
use some type of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk
up the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the
EPA hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the
Kidde radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a
Silicone sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with
there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving
general advice.

John in PA

Personally I think there has been over kill on the radon issue:http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
EPA and OSHA have a habit of extrapolating animal test data to zero
where in real life there are no effect levels. I would seriously
question the 21,000 deaths they attribute to radon caused lung cancer.
That said, radon is a gas that comes out of the soil and any non-porous
barrier that helps vent it outside will reduce it - even paint on a
cement wall. I would do minimum and continue to test until you are
satisfied.


Well, as a general rule of thumb, the government (EPA, CDC, etc.)
tends to get involved with things when there's a risk of death of
1/10,000 or greater per person per year of exposure, which is
generally too low for an individual to get worried about, but works
out to about 30,000 deaths per year in the whole US, which is a
reasonable death rate for a government to get concerned about. EPA
standards assume (from statistical analysis of actual cases) risk of .
0018 of lung cancer/(pCi/L) for lifetime (70 years) exposure for
nonsmokers, .013 for smokers, which works out to the 1/10,000 risk per
person per year at the 4 pci/l limit for radon for nonsmokers, so the
EPA limits for radon come in pretty much standard by the book for
epidemiological interventions. Of course, that's based on worst case,
i.e. spending essentially all your time in the basement where the
radon is, so most people are actually at much less risk. However, if
your family chains you up in the basement, you may have cause for
concern.

I appreciate it much guys... Especially Mike/Hobbes for getting my those
links. Im going to look for that stuff at home depot tomorrow.

One last thing.... Im almost done ripping out the carpets upstairs (im
eventually doing hardwood flooring throughout)

and im going to rip out the basement/main level carpets tomorrow. I notice
though that the carpet layer under the main carpet is glued to the
foundation/concrete slab or whatever.. It seems like heavy duty glue.. is
there some stuff I could buy to get that glue off or to help peel off that
layer? It seems like its gonna be a pain in the ass. Especially to get
all that glue off to prepare it for hardwood floor.

On Oct 31, 5:16 pm, z wrote:
On Oct 31, 12:35 pm, Frank frankdotlogullo@comcastperiodnet wrote:





john wrote:
This is the 2nd time i've tested my house for Radon and its come up
above the normal levels both times. The first time around 4.2pci and
the most recent 8.0 pci. (these were 48 hour short term tests)

I already had it planned to rip out my carpets on my foundation level.
(1st floor - bi-level house) So I was going to try it on my own first
with ripping out the carpets and filling in the foundation cracks. (if
any are found...which there should be) I would rather go this route
first before spending a $1000 or more on a Radon system.

Does anyone recommend what I should use to fill in the foundation
cracks? Regular cement caulking in a tube...is that ok ? And should I
use some type of sealant coating on top after the cracks are filled?

My sump pump / well water area is closed off and sealed well.. Plus its
closed off. (door) so im not worried much about that area.

I do have a sink down there in which i'll have to use a sealant to caulk
up the small gap and the bottom of the pipe. Thats another thing... the
EPA hotline guys said I should use a polyurethane sealant... while the
Kidde radon company I used to test my radon levels recommend using a
Silicone sealant for that area.. so im not sure which one to go with
there..

Any help would be much appreciated. You guys are the best at giving
general advice.

John in PA

Personally I think there has been over kill on the radon issue:http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
EPA and OSHA have a habit of extrapolating animal test data to zero
where in real life there are no effect levels. I would seriously
question the 21,000 deaths they attribute to radon caused lung cancer.
That said, radon is a gas that comes out of the soil and any non-porous
barrier that helps vent it outside will reduce it - even paint on a
cement wall. I would do minimum and continue to test until you are
satisfied.

Well, as a general rule of thumb, the government (EPA, CDC, etc.)
tends to get involved with things when there's a risk of death of
1/10,000 or greater per person per year of exposure, which is
generally too low for an individual to get worried about, but works
out to about 30,000 deaths per year in the whole US, which is a
reasonable death rate for a government to get concerned about. EPA
standards assume (from statistical analysis of actual cases) risk of .
0018 of lung cancer/(pCi/L) for lifetime (70 years) exposure for
nonsmokers, .013 for smokers, which works out to the 1/10,000 risk per
person per year at the 4 pci/l limit for radon for nonsmokers, so the
EPA limits for radon come in pretty much standard by the book for
epidemiological interventions. Of course, that's based on worst case,
i.e. spending essentially all your time in the basement where the
radon is, so most people are actually at much less risk. However, if
your family chains you up in the basement, you may have cause for
concern.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes, I know and my concerns are the linear extrapolation of animal
test data, and picking the worst case senario. Regions may pick up
on this and mandate radon testing as condition of home sale.
Contractors become interested in going into the business and end
result is home owner getting hosed to correct a minor problem that
simply covering floor openings and painting may have remediated. My
advice as a homeowner is use available test kits and try to remediate
yourself. Bringing in a professional or letting the city know is
asking for trouble.

Frank

On Oct 31, 2:44 pm, "DonC" wrote:
"Clark" wrote in message

...

"john" wrote in
:

[snip]

Another thing..it would probably be difficult to install a radon system
in my house because you cant drill down from inside the house. I have
Radiant Heating. (heating within the foundation)

There are other approaches than going through a hole in the floor. I
installed a system that used the drain tile and it worked quite well.

Another approach is to simply install ventilation to exhaust the radon
gases. Probably not applicable to clod winter climates.

The official radon repair guys don't like that kind of thing, on the
grounds that you're pulling it through the basement, instead of
keeping it out of the basement.

On Nov 1, 11:01 am, Frank wrote:
Regions may pick up
on this and mandate radon testing as condition of home sale.

Too late... the insurance companies and mortgage companies, etc. have
already picked up on it. Even for houses with an unfinished, unheated
basement where you only go downstairs twice a year to change the
furnace filter.

"z" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Oct 31, 2:44 pm, "DonC" wrote:
"Clark" wrote in message

...

"john" wrote in
:

[snip]

Another thing..it would probably be difficult to install a radon
system
in my house because you cant drill down from inside the house. I have
Radiant Heating. (heating within the foundation)

There are other approaches than going through a hole in the floor. I
installed a system that used the drain tile and it worked quite well.

Another approach is to simply install ventilation to exhaust the radon
gases. Probably not applicable to clod winter climates.

The official radon repair guys don't like that kind of thing, on the
grounds that you're pulling it through the basement, instead of
keeping it out of the basement.

I don't really know who the "official repair guys" are but I do know that I
read this recommendation in an article regarding ways to reduce the level of
radon gas in a confined space. Here's an example from the EPA's site:

"A heat recovery ventilator (HRV), also called an air-to-air heat exchanger,
can be installed to increase ventilation which will help reduce the radon
levels in your home. An HRV will increase ventilation by introducing
outdoor air while using the heated or cooled air being exhausted to warm or
cool the incoming air. HRVs can be designed to ventilate all or part of
your home, although they are more effective in reducing radon levels when
used to ventilate only the basement. If properly balanced and maintained,
they ensure a constant degree of ventilation throughout the year. HRVs also
can improve air quality in houses that have other indoor pollutants. There
could be significant increase in the heating and cooling costs with an HRV,
but not as great as ventilation without heat recovery."

Recall that I qualified my original statement in regards to application in
cold climates. In an ideal setting a heat recovery system would not even be
required -- such as San Diego. Puts that's not representative of where most
of us live.

On Nov 1, 3:52 pm, "DonC" wrote:
"z" wrote in message

oups.com...





On Oct 31, 2:44 pm, "DonC" wrote:
"Clark" wrote in message

. ..

"john" wrote in
:

[snip]

Another thing..it would probably be difficult to install a radon
system
in my house because you cant drill down from inside the house. I have
Radiant Heating. (heating within the foundation)

There are other approaches than going through a hole in the floor. I
installed a system that used the drain tile and it worked quite well.

Another approach is to simply install ventilation to exhaust the radon
gases. Probably not applicable to clod winter climates.

The official radon repair guys don't like that kind of thing, on the
grounds that you're pulling it through the basement, instead of
keeping it out of the basement.

I don't really know who the "official repair guys" are but I do know that I
read this recommendation in an article regarding ways to reduce the level of
radon gas in a confined space. Here's an example from the EPA's site:

"A heat recovery ventilator (HRV), also called an air-to-air heat exchanger,
can be installed to increase ventilation which will help reduce the radon
levels in your home. An HRV will increase ventilation by introducing
outdoor air while using the heated or cooled air being exhausted to warm or
cool the incoming air. HRVs can be designed to ventilate all or part of
your home, although they are more effective in reducing radon levels when
used to ventilate only the basement. If properly balanced and maintained,
they ensure a constant degree of ventilation throughout the year. HRVs also
can improve air quality in houses that have other indoor pollutants. There
could be significant increase in the heating and cooling costs with an HRV,
but not as great as ventilation without heat recovery."

Hmm... EPA, huh... Well then, I guess by "official repair guys" I
meant the guys who are trying to get you to hire them to drill a bunch
of holes in your concrete slab. Not as objective as i had assumed.