Ameradon Services
Radon Testing & Radon Mitigation Contractor
Radon mitigation tips for your home
- Ventilate your home by keeping windows and doors open when the weather permits.
- Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) are a great tool for improving indoor air quality. They replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air. But look out! If your HRV is not properly balanced or the exterior vents are blocked, you may be creating a condition that will draw more radon into your home. Clean the filters and exterior vents at least twice each year and be sure your system is taking in the same amount of fresh air that it is exhausting. The energy penalty from running HRV's in some climates will increase your homes energy costs.
- Basement floor cracks and floor penetrations for plumbing, wiring, gas lines etc. are an invitation for radon to enter your home. Seal them up with a polyurethane caulk or foam sealant. Important - Always ventilate your home when using hazardous materials like polyurethane indoors.
- Attic by-passes for plumbing, wiring and chimneys increase the "stack effect" in your home. As warm air rises through these areas it creates negative pressure indoors and the resulting vacuum will draw radon gas into your home. Sealing them up may lower your heating bill also.
- Does your home have crawl spaces? They should be ventilated or sealed with a heavy poly liner properly attached to the block walls. This will help keep radon from entering your home and may solve other air quality and moisture problems found in your crawl space areas.
- If your home has a basement with block walls, be sure to cap off the open block cores at the sill plate.
- Drain tile and sump systems work great for water management concerns but they can also increase radon levels in your home. Be sure the sump basin has a lid that is properly sealed to help prevent radon entry. The good news is drain tiles can sometimes be used to mitigate a radon problem.
- Running interior fans in bathrooms and kitchens that exhaust outdoors can also create a condition that will depressurize your home and draw radon gas into your home. Turn them off when not in use.
REMEMBER TO TEST YOUR HOME AFTER MAKING THESE CHANGES
Important - These improvements alone are not usually effective in reducing indoor radon levels below EPA guidelines. An active soil depressurization system installed in your home by Ameradon Services is the most effective solution for radon mitigation.
CONTACT US FOR A FREE INSPECTION AND MITIGATION PROPOSAL FOR YOUR HOME.
Be aware of radiation sources and limit your overall exposure as much as possible. (Average annual doses in the U.S.)
