24 to 32 Bq/m3 is an average reading for a home. (That was the spread of readings you got from the multiple devices.) I just used the consumer Airthings one. Pricey, but a great peace is over me now. After seeing some people were over the limit of 200 Bq/m3 in my part of the world. One family had a reading of over 4,000 Bq/m3. That is a recipe to develop cancer VERY quickly.

Nice work, Mike!

It would be much more simple if everyone just installed a system. Most homes that test low are just below 4 and rarely get below 1 naturally.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for the ideas! One of my favorites is Ecocube. ecosense.io/ARM A discount is automatically applied by using that link and we earn a small commission.

@@AmericanRadonMitigation Would you recommend that one over the RadonEye that is only $15 more?

Yes, I would.

@@AmericanRadonMitigation Great. It will be my first official new home purchase.

How exciting! Congratulations!

You're very welcome! Yes, they are great devices.

You're welcome! How do your levels look? Are you happy with the EcoQube?

@@AmericanRadonMitigation Just got it set up today. Already measured 5.8!! It’s set up near my sump pump basin about 4’ off the ground. This is freaking me out a little!

The sump will test high since it’s a major radon entry point. I’d move it away from your sump basket since it’s not likely an area you usually breathe from.

@@AmericanRadonMitigationThe sump is in the corner of our unfinished basement but I do have a home gym down there and we are planning to partially finish it. If my tests show an acceptable level wherever we might be regularly using the basement am I good to go? Thank you so much for responding!

If it were my house, I'd mitigate anything above 2.0 pCi/L. That might change to a lower number if I had kids or my wife had an office downstairs. In that case, I'd probably want it as low as possible. I highly recommend sealing block tops, plumbing penetrations, cracks, control joints, and floor-to-wall joints in the basement floor before finishing anything while you still have access. It will save you money if you choose to mitigate in the future. Keep in mind radon levels fluctuate.

Thanks for the suggestion. The tricky part is finding a house with elevated radon, going back several times to shoot a video, and finding the time to do so.

In case you have a bad monitor. I once had someone mitigate based on his Safety Siren Pro 3 reading 26 pCi/l. His post-mitigation Air Chek result was less than 0.3 pCi/L. His Safety Siren was still reading 26 after mitigation. Either his monitor was bad, or he never reset it after mitigation.

The Corentium (Airthings) Home model 2350 is black in color and is a Home Depot-exclusive version that can be found in-store only and cannot be purchased online. ​ The 223 model is the gray model and works the same way. The only difference is the color and packaging.

I agree. Performing this test at higher radon concentrations would be interesting. The test done in this video was to satisfy my curiosity. We don’t see many houses that test above 10 pCi/L in our area. Even if we did, I likely would not make several trips to perform this test in a potential customer's house. Maybe I'll repeat this test by capping our radon system in the future. However, I don't want my wife and I breathing in more radon than we need to. Kansas State University did a test on this recently. I'll post the results here if I can find them. Thanks for your suggestion!

Glad it helped!

Thank you!

Check out this video to see the results. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/orCHetV0uLXQfHU.htmlsi=Yh3s-ECDSEogQ-Y2

I'm curious to hear how your radon levels are looking. We're glad the video was helpful!

So?

62???

What is a stab and go?

It’s a quickly installed mitigation system without any engineering or diagnostic pressure field extension testing. Often the seller chooses the cheapest option since they are selling the house.

That's a good question. However, I have no idea.

@@AmericanRadonMitigation I found the solution which was a bit elusive. Even many research papers on detection of radon fail to mention anything about Geiger counters and why they are not effective. But basically they are not effective at measuring the radon emission directly. But there is a trick you can do to measure the decay daughter products. Polonium-218 has a half life of 3 minutes. If you use a vacuum cleaner to suck air through a filter, the daughter products will be collected. You can immediately test the filter with the Geiger and you will detect these short half-life isotopes. Then if you test for a little while, you can watch the decay profile to see if it matches up with the expected half life of the byproducts (Po-218 -3 min, PB-214- 30 min, BI-214- 30 min). The more common method is to use a dedicated radon meter that uses a scintillation counter instead of a Geiger tube.

Certainly a pancake G-M can measure radon. The problem is finding enough of it. Next time you run a load of laundry, take the dryer lint out while it's still hot and your pancake should absolutely sing! Bear in mind that most of the counts will be created by radon's various alpha and beta-emitting decay products, because they are solids and not gasses. The radon doesn't really get stuck in the lint, just slightly slowed down. This trick should also work for heater and vacuum filters, or plastic bags that have contained radium antiques.

@@MinSredMash Yes, that is what I described in my follow up post. However, my main question was in regards to detection of radon with the intent of evaluating concentration levels agains the 4 pCi/L threshold where in-home mitigation is recommended. Basically this concentration is too low to give you a meaningful signal above background that you can also confidently attribute to radon. The reason this is all relevant is because pancake tubes do detect alpha so they can detect radon. This might lead someone into believing they can buy one of these detectors and evaluate the safety of radon levels in their home. Because this is a very natural and logical idea it’s important to have awareness that it actually cannot be done effectively. Otherwise somebody might buy a detector, measure a reference background for an hour, then measure their basement. Even if radon is present at concerning levels, this test will give the person a false sense of security. Even the specialized scintillation detectors that are tuned to the emission energies of radon are not very sensitive and take days to gather a reading.

@@RedShiftedDollar It's the forced airflow of dryers, heaters and vacuums that gets you above the threshold where G-Ms start picking things up. In theory one could use actual radon monitors as a benchmark to correlate radon levels with the observed activity of filters and boom, you have a hillbilly radon test. Regrettably I don't know of any accessible dwellings which have very high radon levels, or I would take a field trip with my Wet-Dry Vac and start gathering data.

I'd recommend testing at your normal breathing level. Here's a link to the radon testing standard: standards.aarst.org/MAH-2023/8/index.html#zoom=z

It's not a bad idea to have a mitigator give it a once over and bring it up to today's standards. A radon monitor is a great way to keep tabs on your radon levels too. Check out this video to see which one I like. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g711rJOCxKqtmZs.html

Here's what it says on Airchek's website: For New Jersey radon test kit pricing, call toll free 877-723-6600. NJ charges additional user fees and has special reporting requirements.

Because the will notify the govt with your address and numbers. Do you trust the NJ govt?

Have you tried this?

You sound like you know what you're talking about. What would you be testing for and with what testing device? I ask because the radiation from radon and most of its progeny of concern is Alpha particles. Alphas being ejected inside the body won't be detectable because they are stopped by as little as a few layers of flesh. They eject and cause tiny burns, effectively. Because the isotopes are breathed in and the Alpha particles are ejected largely within the lungs, the fragile tissue there is damaged. No detecting from outside the body would react to that. There have been radiation tests of items in high risk areas that catch the radiation decay particles (RDP) of radon, such as polonium and bismuth, such as in air filters, where those metals have plated off (stuck). I believe that, due to the low overall concentration of all of these isotopes, the readings you would get would be very low. Again, the concern over radon and its RDP's is of long-term breathing of low concentrations, not one that a typical radiation sensor, such as geiger counter, would pick up, over background. Please advise if you have more information. FYI, the measurements of radon in a typical environment are of pCu/L (pico, not milli). A tested level of 4 pCu/L is the EPA level recommending action. Thank you.

Radon is hard to measure at low levels. However, all of the devices fall within acceptable control limits. The control limit is + or - 1.0 pCi/L when the results average below 2.0 pCi/L.

I know I'm 7 months behind, but in case you see this and for others reading, if the confined space requirements include supplemental air with a respirator (you're not breathing the surrounding air), then radon likely isn't a concern. If you can't breathe in the radon and its radiation decay products (RDP), then it isn't likely to harm you. In addition, you need to look at the amount of time in the confined space. Due to low concentrations, even in high risk areas, radon and its RDP's are only a risk over a pretty long exposure span, not brief exposures. If you enter the confined space four times a year, for an hour each time, you're not likely to have any concern over radon. Concerns are over homes and work locations, where a particular person may be breathing that air for hours per day, over years. Now, if you have a below ground location with breathable air, where people work daily, yes testing should be done. I'd recommend investing in continuous radon monitors (CRM), installing one in each area. One or more people should be trained (online training is fine) in how to use them and interpret the readings. It's not rocket science, but companies with people in risk areas should take it seriously, as their people are at risk, putting the company at risk. Message me if you have questions or email anthony () midmore.com. Tony Midmore, Eagle Rock Inspections, Reno, NV

We've never used one. We only do mitigation, so I'm not up-to-date on CRMs.

Thank you, Logan. I've never heard of Radex. How do you like them?

@@AmericanRadonMitigation I like it a lot. However, the people with the company in Germany told me that it’s not an approved monitor yet because it’s new to the market. And it kind of sounds like a mom and pop shop so I’m not sure they have the money to spend to meet the certification guidelines, just my guess.

That's too bad.

@@AmericanRadonMitigation haha why’s that too bad?

Does your company use Sun Radon CRMs, Jennifer? We’ve never had them, but we did use Femto-tech back in the day.

@@AmericanRadonMitigation Yes, we have 7 units, we calibrate them yearly an they work well producing a pdf of the report that we upload to our inspection software for the client to review.

READ comments and replies from ARM : @AmericanRadonMitigation 3 months ago Thanks for your suggestion, Alex. Unfortunately, all the homes I've lived in since getting involved with radon have had radon mitigation systems. It would be somewhat awkward to ask a stranger who does have a house with elevated radon if I could film a video comparing testing devices in their home over the course of several days and visits. It would also be pretty time-consuming. Kansas State University recently did a study on radon monitors that might have the data you want.

I'm sorry this happened to you. What kind of monitor is the one in question? You could also turn off your radon system and cap the top of the exhaust pipe to get an idea of what your home tests at without a mitigation system. You may find you had elevated levels all along.

@@AmericanRadonMitigation apparently this fan is drawing the same as a 120 watt light bulb left on constantly. It's one of the most expensive electrical devices I now have in my home. I plan on keeping it off and getting readings with the airthings square unit. I've made so many mistakes since becoming a homeowner and it's just costing me so much money I'm going to go broke. I was scared because I'm having breathing issues since moving here but it's probably the dust and the elevation and the stress :(

I tried to post the link and it will not stay up. It is made by funny kitchen, but that's just a reseller it is some piece of garbage from overseas

If you have a crawl space, confirm or have someone confirm, that there is a heavy plastic barrier over the soil and vent pipes running under it, to the exhaust fan system. If so, the barrier should be sealed all around and no soil exposed. If there is a barrier, is the piping to the fan within the house envelope (in the warmed walls, such as up through the attic) or is it up the exterior of the house? I would consider: shut off the fan. After 24+ hours (to allow any radon to start building again), start testing at the lowest livable/occupied level in the house. Run the test for at least 48 hours. Longer is better. Keep in mind that any barrier on the soil is going to reduce radon into the house from what it would have been before any work was done, so don't get angry if levels are low - it may simply because the barrier is working, not that no mitigation was needed. Now, if the piping goes up inside the house, you may be okay with just leaving the fan off, allowing the surrounding heat of the house to lift the air up and out of the soil, by the stack effect. That's a typical starting point for some systems, until it's decided that a fan is needed.

@@tonymidmore7652 I don't think you read my comment properly.

🤔

Thanks for your suggestion, Alex. Unfortunately, all the homes I've lived in since getting involved with radon have had radon mitigation systems. It would be somewhat awkward to ask a stranger who does have a house with elevated radon if I could film a video comparing testing devices in their home over the course of several days and visits. It would also be pretty time-consuming. Kansas State University recently did a study on radon monitors that might have the data you want.

I’m interested in the performance at low radon level (