Wrong, I have a tri-level house and had radon reading of 8-9 in my basement and it was the same in the middle and upper floors. The furnace/AC will circulate the radon throught the whole house. Got a mitigation system installed and my levels now are between 0-3 but I always have my windows cracked to get fresh air in. I use the Radoneye continuous monitoring unit and love it.
I live in Maryland and radon systems are common here. Most newer homes use the sump pump pit and drain tile for the system, just adding a fan and plumbing to vent outside. I installed a system in my house and cut through the concrete floor just as you did. I had gravel under the slab so that made it easier. I did remove about 5 gallons of the gravel where the vent pipe went leaving a void to help create greater suction. I installed a pitot tube type gauge and got good suction. Testing afterwards showed 0 radon, it was about a 5 before.
Our house was tested when we moved in. We had 16... 4x normal. Previous owner died of cancer he got while living here. We put in air system like you are speaking of, and could only get it down to an 8. So, in the end, we have 1 fan pulling from 2 outlets under the floor. And by the way, the first fan was not strong enough. Cheaper Radon fans don't pull enough. They had to put in an upgraded one for us.... Radon detector stays around a 2 on average now.....
I’m located in the red part of GA. Custom built our home in 2016 on family farm. Decided to have the levels tested once we started having kids. Levels came back at 134 pCi/L in the unfinished basement. Highest ever seen in GA by multiple radon companies. Had a 2 port system installed and we got the levels down to 4.2 pCi/L. Seems newer homes have higher levels due to the thermal envelope being so tight. They can’t breath and allow fresh oxygen to circulate like older homes. So it pulls it from any crack and crevice it can find
We installed a radon mitigation system when we moved into our house in 2019. It was already below the recommended number but we did it anyway and cut it in half. Pretty easy install here because we have sump pump hole they used. Also I have that exact detector. It's great.
I live in Atlanta. I got the same tester years ago. It showed an average of 6.5 over a year. I live on a 1961 ranch with a full slab basement and we had a company come in and install a radon mitigation system. Dropped the levels down to 0.4 on average. Finishing the basement myself, but I wanted the 10 year warranty on the radon system.
I built a new house in 2018, theres a sewer line down at 13’ that they had to use explosives to clear ledge in the 1960’s to install, all the ledge here south of Boston is granite… which is a source of Radon. Since my footers for the foundation where to be at 11’, just 2’ above the granite ledge, I assumed there could certainly be a Radon issue, once the house was constructed.. I took no chances. Used an interior french drain using 4” PVC pipe with the holes predirilled in it for dual purposes, into the sump pit.. water collection & as a conduit to suck the possible radon gas out.. used 6” of stone all below the concrete, and the sump pit i bought is “sealed”, with a 2” pipe connected to the sump pump, and a 3” pipe out the top for radon gas.. the 3” pipe was routed through the walls, and out through the roof, forming a passive “chimeny effect” negative pressure system.. in the attic where the pipe passes through, a 120V outlet was installed, should the system have to be converted to an “active” system (a radon fan..). Hows that for Radon remediation & planning? ✅ I am particulary attuned to this issue, as I lived in the basement of the house I grew up in, for several years before moving out.. years later my parents went to sell the house, and yep, you guessed it, elevated Radon was present, a similar system to what you show here had to be installed… to sell the house.. but how much of a Radon dose did I get living their? also had an aunt that passed due to lung cancer, who never smoked a day in her life.. likely Radon exposure or bad genes.
We install “atmospheric drains” under encapsulated crawlspaces to remove radon. It’s a fancy word for exactly what you’re doing, a pipe with a fan outside.
I'll chime in from Portland, OR. We bought our house 5 1/2 years ago and had a radon test done... which was fine (even though many neighbors on the street have mitigation installed). Fast forward to this year and rather than paying for a re-test I bought an Airthings View Plus for the basement... then an additional Airthings Wave for the primary bedroom (over a crawl space). In the 3-4 weeks since I've been measuring the basement it's been as low as 1.6 and as high as 6.0, averaging 2.5. The bedroom has peaked at 3.4 with an average of 1.1 (but the window is often open for cross house ventilation). The peaks seem to have been at times of low weather pressure, although not all low pressure‽ A few more months to get the average, but I'm predicting a similar DIY radon solution in my future. Eventually the whole foundation gets a retrofit, so then a whole new crushed stone / inner French drain system will tie together.
Had a radon test done. Just a mail in type, and found out the levels were too high. Called in a remediation company and they install an extraction system for us. Worked out well. Went from 1.4 ppm down to .1. Glad we did it.
wouldn't you want to put hole in middle of floor, or do you do multiple holes? we invented radon in PA where I live I worked at limerick nuclear plant where they found problem with a guy setting off radiation detectors coming into work his house was tested and they figured out it was radon daughters (that's radon attached to dust.) on his clothes setting off detectors.
In my old house I ended up using a concrete penetrating Radon sealer on all the walls and floor and luckily I had a nice opening where the sewer line went out that I could install my sump, and seal off for the radon pump.
Thanks for sharing this one. I had never known how this type of problem is mitigated and it’s interesting to see how it’s done. Looking forward to the sequel!
Live in the north east, neighbors house had radon, but test was done with all windows and doors closed for 2 weeks while they were away. We run a humidity fan year round in our basement so there is constant air movement with air being pulled from upstairs and out. Our levels were low enough that we dont need a radon system. But i feel that if we didnt run fan we would need a system
Living in SE Pennsylvania a lot of home are built with radon pumps or at least they roughed in for future use if needed. When buying an older house, the buyer will usually test for radon and depending on results will make the seller pay for a system.
Radon here in N. Alabama. Lucky you can rent gophers for these kinds of jobs. Educational show. Did I detect a little chuckle after quoting the CDC? HandyOn!
Living over in Flagstaff, AZ. We had a radon test done by our home inspector but I think his test was done for only as long as the inspection was performed, which is not long enough. He gave the all clear for radon for the house. I ended up buying two AirThings. One for upstairs and one for downstairs. On some days the downstairs one reads about 7. The upstairs monitor usually reads lower. But on average, the radon is not too high...around 3-4. So, I think we are ok.
That vacuum is the mvp in this video that's for sure, Invaluable I'd say haha. The only other time I've seen someone reno a radon pipe, they used a quick cut, jack hammer and a gas auger. It was a mess but it was quick.
I bought one as soon as you said link below....I didn't even finish the video yet...I need to wait for my next coffee so I can sit and watch Northern indiana
I live in the orange slice (NPI) along Lake Erie. Our house is built on a hill with very sandy subsoil, so water (& probably radon in it) gets pulled downward easily. But I tested our basement years ago, safe levels then. Very good advice to test!
Recently installed my own radon system. Used the same meter to check my improvement. Went from teens to less than 1. Attached pipe to the sump pit of retrofit waterproofing on 1925 basement. Put the fan inside which is in code in Canada but not the us. Fan will last longer and doesn’t look crappy on the outside.
Just sold a house in Colorado a few months ago and they went crazy on the radon. Wasn’t an issue when I bought it and a few years later it was a big issue. Just totally ridiculous.
I bought 2 of those airthings wave plus units... Wanted to run them in parallel (right next to each other) to compare results. They're a bit inconsistent.
Had our basement tested a couple time. Once in summer a couple years ago, and this last winter. We were fine in the summer, but higher in winter. Apparently seasons can change results. Had a mitigation system put in place. Appreciate the meter recommendation so I don’t have to keep doing those mail in tests! Want to keep an eye on it in different place at different times of the year to make sure the system is working.
Our house tested positive for radon when we moved in 3 years ago. My woodshop is down there but I'm working mostly on the main level at this point. I'm looking forward to your next video to see what you do about it. Think we should do this before it becomes my fulltime workspace. Thanks for the info. The process does not look fun.
I have a tester that looks the same as yours. Our house was just under 4. It was built with passive radon installed, so I put the fan in the attic and now we're under 1. I partly put it in because a coworker said his fan helped with basement humidity as well. I can't say that has been the case for us.
I work at a Nuclear power plant in the orange area of your map. When we go into the “basement area” roughly 75’ underground we will sometimes set off the radiation monitors for radon.
In Alabama at the end of the Appalachia foothills. Got that exact tester. Had around 6.5 PPM, got it mitigated in the same way for about $3,700 before the virus. Hard clay is underneath. It went to around 3 PPM, sometimes lower. When it rains the readings are always lower. When it's dry, it's higher. Winter is generally higher due to warm air drawing it out of the basement slab -- I'm not sure how big a deal it all is. I have young kids, so I fixed it. People don't talk about Radon much here.
Very conscious about radon gas when cave and mine exploring here in Nevada. Don't want to be stuck in a chamber with no moving air where the radon that seeps through the rock collects just waiting for you to take a deep radioactive breath. Fortunately basements are very rare in the southern portion of Nevada with all the caliche we have here.
Curious, why not make a 1x1 ft or 1x2 ft hole and make it easier to dig out, then cap around the pipe when done? In Indiana we put down a thick vapor barrier on new builds and run up the stem walls to mitigate the radon from entering. Of course, older homes didn't have great vapor barriers, but seems a bigger hole would be easier. I have never done a mitigation on an older home, so again, curious why the small hole.
lots of areas have veins of uranium down deep in ground and as it decays it releases radon gas which rises through cracks in rocks and soil till it hits your concrete floor which is porous and it rises up though holes in floor into house your house might have none and neighbor have tons of it so new houses put in plastic sheeting on ground and gravel with pipes to ventilate under the house in case there is radon they can just add a pump to the pipes going into gravel under slab to suck it out and hopefully all the way up to roof
I installed a system with the fan inside, taking air from beneath the slap and then shooting it outside. My readings went from 6 to 0.5. I think it worked well because I have gravel beneath my slab so the air moves easily.
Brother!, informative videos like this save so many lives! I hope any home owner that sees this spends the little bit of cash on that tester and makes sure their living areas are safe! Heck even if youre a renter that has a space below grade ( which i had in a very old four plex building near a nuclear power plant 😂 )
why don't they install radon mitigation systems when they build houses ... a few heavy gravel pits and exhaust pipes before they pour down the slab, might do the trick...
Thanks Handyman! Just ordered my tester and it will be here tomorrow. We bought this house 3 years ago, (Western North Carolina) and person testing for radon had a faulty tester. Never returned to test again. We are downstairs 50% of the time when home, so I'm curious to know.
Another item to be aware of, although the jury is still out on what a 'safe' level is - electromagnetic radiation. In the 80's and the early 90's, we owned a house in Orange, CA. that backed up to a right-of-way for high-tension power lines that terminated at Disneyland, 5 miles west of us. We had heard of a possible problem with the issue, and since we were planning on having children, we decided to get the house tested. There was no set 'safe' level (I forget what the actual numbers were), but the crew doing the testing told us their 'best guess' as to what was considered safe. The suggested 'safe' level wasn't seen on their meters in the back yard, just over the fence from the electrical wires. In fact, they didn't get a safe level until they got out to the curb line. In other words, our entire property was 'unsafe'. We decided to sell the house and move. We did make the buyers aware of the report. They didn't seem to care, and fortunately, they didn't have any kids.
Now a days it's referred to as EMF electromagnetic frequency or electromagnetic radiation is common, if even in small doses. Big causes are the power lines you mentioned and also cell or microwave towers. Because of technology increasing we are exposed more and more from our phones smart tv other appliances and even metal roofing, all of these are considered for remediations.
I did a deep dive on Radon to do my own remediation at one point. Let's just say the evidence for it causing cancer is pretty weak. They use a 'linear no threshold' model, and most of the extreme cases used to model are from miners and/or cases with smokers. All that said, remediation is cheap (DIY) and easy, so it probably makes sense to do it if you spend a lot of time in the basement. I have the tester you used, and I've found the levels only get bad during the winter, especially if the oil heat is on which depressurizes the basement due to the burner fan. I started with a max of 20pc/L down to below 3 in the winter (occasional spikes above that.) During the summer, it never gets above 1. The long-term average is around 2, which is considered fine even by 'more stringent' European standards.
I read the same thing about how they came up with their findings. I see it used all the time after a home inspection during the sale of a house to try to get the seller to give them money for remediation.
Another great video, well worth watching! I especially love how you were able to use a low-cost masonry drill instead of an expensive diamond core saw. Thanks for sharing!
Wow that looked miserable. Wouldn't it have been easier and faster to make a bigger hole? If I'm drilling or breaking concrete inside I always run a box fan with a furnace filter on it nearby.
Husky kneeling pad - Home Depot. About $15, $10 around holidays. You're not as old as I am, but when you get here, you're going to ask why you ever spent the amount of time you did kneeling on hard surfaces without looking after those knees. Looking forward to part 2.
I was thinking that I was screwed having grown up in a basement bedroom until I saw that those of us way up in the PNW seem to be okay. Regardless, just another one of life's ways of killing all of us.
There would be nothing to re-pore onto. The only way to do that would be to dowel into the existing slab with rebar then build forms to support the new concrete.
it is a gas rising up through cracks in ground slowly from rocks you could be over nothing or a giant vein in newer houses with plastic and such under slab it might not get up as much ya never know till you test it.
In the South houses built on a crawl space and houses built on slab can have issues. The Radon can be drawn up into the crawlspace and then be sucked into the house with the chimney effect. This varies house by house. Obviously, houses on crawl spaces can be easier to fix, (put down plastic and install fan) but it just depends.
Question for you handyman. Im in a new construction home. I do have a Radon PVC tube goes from the basement to the roof, but there is no motor to create suction ,just natural siphoned air flow. Can it be done like this with no motor???
@@TheHandyman1 the radon pipe goes from the basement straight up through the roof. That’s where it’s vented out. I question this to the builder and he just said if I wanted to add a motor later on that’s up to me.
You could always test it. It sounds like some houses were plumbed for a radon fan. And its up to the home owner to test it and put one if if they want to.
i know a guy who had that done on a new house he built they said it is a precaution they test after home is done and decide if it needs a fan or if it is good they leave it alone
So, I dutifully go to the thumbs up and click on it. An ad comes up. No,no,no, I back up and try again.....another ad. I suspect TH-cam is up to their usual tricks once again. Help us Handyman!
everything has some radiation sunlight stone used in houses they made colorful plates to eat off of that had uranium in the paint back in the 50s old watch dials that glow in dark
Ong bro so funny...47 mins in So I had my old row home check for radon and was good because the home next door had one which help my levels to be lower Home was in Drexel Hill PA
Radon Tester amzn.to/42dz83k Get a Hat/Hoodie/shirt and become part of the secret society thehandyman.store/
Wrong, I have a tri-level house and had radon reading of 8-9 in my basement and it was the same in the middle and upper floors. The furnace/AC will circulate the radon throught the whole house. Got a mitigation system installed and my levels now are between 0-3 but I always have my windows cracked to get fresh air in. I use the Radoneye continuous monitoring unit and love it.
My Library loans out those detectors.
I live in Maryland and radon systems are common here. Most newer homes use the sump pump pit and drain tile for the system, just adding a fan and plumbing to vent outside. I installed a system in my house and cut through the concrete floor just as you did. I had gravel under the slab so that made it easier. I did remove about 5 gallons of the gravel where the vent pipe went leaving a void to help create greater suction. I installed a pitot tube type gauge and got good suction. Testing afterwards showed 0 radon, it was about a 5 before.
Our house was tested when we moved in. We had 16... 4x normal. Previous owner died of cancer he got while living here. We put in air system like you are speaking of, and could only get it down to an 8. So, in the end, we have 1 fan pulling from 2 outlets under the floor. And by the way, the first fan was not strong enough. Cheaper Radon fans don't pull enough. They had to put in an upgraded one for us.... Radon detector stays around a 2 on average now.....
My knees hurt just watching you. After 28 years of doing jobs like this, I wish I wore knee pads earlier in my career.
I’m located in the red part of GA. Custom built our home in 2016 on family farm. Decided to have the levels tested once we started having kids. Levels came back at 134 pCi/L in the unfinished basement. Highest ever seen in GA by multiple radon companies. Had a 2 port system installed and we got the levels down to 4.2 pCi/L. Seems newer homes have higher levels due to the thermal envelope being so tight. They can’t breath and allow fresh oxygen to circulate like older homes. So it pulls it from any crack and crevice it can find
We installed a radon mitigation system when we moved into our house in 2019. It was already below the recommended number but we did it anyway and cut it in half. Pretty easy install here because we have sump pump hole they used. Also I have that exact detector. It's great.
Loved your little chuckle after you said “CDC”… 😂
I live in Atlanta. I got the same tester years ago. It showed an average of 6.5 over a year. I live on a 1961 ranch with a full slab basement and we had a company come in and install a radon mitigation system. Dropped the levels down to 0.4 on average. Finishing the basement myself, but I wanted the 10 year warranty on the radon system.
I built a new house in 2018, theres a sewer line down at 13’ that they had to use explosives to clear ledge in the 1960’s to install, all the ledge here south of Boston is granite… which is a source of Radon. Since my footers for the foundation where to be at 11’, just 2’ above the granite ledge, I assumed there could certainly be a Radon issue, once the house was constructed.. I took no chances. Used an interior french drain using 4” PVC pipe with the holes predirilled in it for dual purposes, into the sump pit.. water collection & as a conduit to suck the possible radon gas out.. used 6” of stone all below the concrete, and the sump pit i bought is “sealed”, with a 2” pipe connected to the sump pump, and a 3” pipe out the top for radon gas.. the 3” pipe was routed through the walls, and out through the roof, forming a passive “chimeny effect” negative pressure system.. in the attic where the pipe passes through, a 120V outlet was installed, should the system have to be converted to an “active” system (a radon fan..). Hows that for Radon remediation & planning? ✅ I am particulary attuned to this issue, as I lived in the basement of the house I grew up in, for several years before moving out.. years later my parents went to sell the house, and yep, you guessed it, elevated Radon was present, a similar system to what you show here had to be installed… to sell the house.. but how much of a Radon dose did I get living their? also had an aunt that passed due to lung cancer, who never smoked a day in her life.. likely Radon exposure or bad genes.
We install “atmospheric drains” under encapsulated crawlspaces to remove radon. It’s a fancy word for exactly what you’re doing, a pipe with a fan outside.
I grew up in socal. Never heard about it until I moved to Idaho. 25 year contractor here.
Hey Handyman,
Don't only look for Radon in the air, it is also present in many folks well water.
I'll chime in from Portland, OR. We bought our house 5 1/2 years ago and had a radon test done... which was fine (even though many neighbors on the street have mitigation installed). Fast forward to this year and rather than paying for a re-test I bought an Airthings View Plus for the basement... then an additional Airthings Wave for the primary bedroom (over a crawl space). In the 3-4 weeks since I've been measuring the basement it's been as low as 1.6 and as high as 6.0, averaging 2.5. The bedroom has peaked at 3.4 with an average of 1.1 (but the window is often open for cross house ventilation).
The peaks seem to have been at times of low weather pressure, although not all low pressure‽ A few more months to get the average, but I'm predicting a similar DIY radon solution in my future. Eventually the whole foundation gets a retrofit, so then a whole new crushed stone / inner French drain system will tie together.
Had a radon test done. Just a mail in type, and found out the levels were too high. Called in a remediation company and they install an extraction system for us. Worked out well. Went from 1.4 ppm down to .1. Glad we did it.
wouldn't you want to put hole in middle of floor, or do you do multiple holes?
we invented radon in PA where I live I worked at limerick nuclear plant where they found problem with a guy setting off radiation detectors coming into work his house was tested and they figured out it was radon daughters (that's radon attached to dust.) on his clothes setting off detectors.
In my old house I ended up using a concrete penetrating Radon sealer on all the walls and floor and luckily I had a nice opening where the sewer line went out that I could install my sump, and seal off for the radon pump.
Thanks for sharing this one. I had never known how this type of problem is mitigated and it’s interesting to see how it’s done. Looking forward to the sequel!
Live in the north east, neighbors house had radon, but test was done with all windows and doors closed for 2 weeks while they were away. We run a humidity fan year round in our basement so there is constant air movement with air being pulled from upstairs and out. Our levels were low enough that we dont need a radon system. But i feel that if we didnt run fan we would need a system
1:00 I love the CDC laugh... :)
Living in SE Pennsylvania a lot of home are built with radon pumps or at least they roughed in for future use if needed. When buying an older house, the buyer will usually test for radon and depending on results will make the seller pay for a system.
Radon here in N. Alabama. Lucky you can rent gophers for these kinds of jobs. Educational show. Did I detect a little chuckle after quoting the CDC? HandyOn!
"Straight from the CDC..." Classic!
Yikes, in Ireland it’s code to have a radon barrier before raft foundation or under your slab .
“It’s true, straight from the CDC.” 😂😂😂😂
CDC FDA FUC
Living over in Flagstaff, AZ. We had a radon test done by our home inspector but I think his test was done for only as long as the inspection was performed, which is not long enough. He gave the all clear for radon for the house. I ended up buying two AirThings. One for upstairs and one for downstairs. On some days the downstairs one reads about 7. The upstairs monitor usually reads lower. But on average, the radon is not too high...around 3-4. So, I think we are ok.
Anything over a 4 is not good. in all honesty, i would install a mitigation system. lung cancer is a horrible way to die.
I'm in DARK RED!!! Central Indiana. Had a system put in a few years ago. They used the sump pit lid system. Cost $1100.
That vacuum is the mvp in this video that's for sure, Invaluable I'd say haha. The only other time I've seen someone reno a radon pipe, they used a quick cut, jack hammer and a gas auger. It was a mess but it was quick.
We have had Radon here for 50 years... My wife's nipples glow!!! Kinda cool!!
🤣🤣🍺👍
Excited for the follow-up reading. Thank you sir.
I bought one as soon as you said link below....I didn't even finish the video yet...I need to wait for my next coffee so I can sit and watch
Northern indiana
I live in the orange slice (NPI) along Lake Erie. Our house is built on a hill with very sandy subsoil, so water (& probably radon in it) gets pulled downward easily. But I tested our basement years ago, safe levels then.
Very good advice to test!
Recently installed my own radon system. Used the same meter to check my improvement. Went from teens to less than 1. Attached pipe to the sump pit of retrofit waterproofing on 1925 basement. Put the fan inside which is in code in Canada but not the us. Fan will last longer and doesn’t look crappy on the outside.
You got some good results.
Just sold a house in Colorado a few months ago and they went crazy on the radon. Wasn’t an issue when I bought it and a few years later it was a big issue. Just totally ridiculous.
I bought 2 of those airthings wave plus units... Wanted to run them in parallel (right next to each other) to compare results. They're a bit inconsistent.
Had our basement tested a couple time. Once in summer a couple years ago, and this last winter. We were fine in the summer, but higher in winter. Apparently seasons can change results. Had a mitigation system put in place. Appreciate the meter recommendation so I don’t have to keep doing those mail in tests! Want to keep an eye on it in different place at different times of the year to make sure the system is working.
Your probably higher in winter because all your windows are closed.
Looks a lot better than installing tile. Just not sure how to stay busy .
Our house tested positive for radon when we moved in 3 years ago. My woodshop is down there but I'm working mostly on the main level at this point. I'm looking forward to your next video to see what you do about it. Think we should do this before it becomes my fulltime workspace. Thanks for the info. The process does not look fun.
I have a tester that looks the same as yours. Our house was just under 4. It was built with passive radon installed, so I put the fan in the attic and now we're under 1. I partly put it in because a coworker said his fan helped with basement humidity as well. I can't say that has been the case for us.
I work at a Nuclear power plant in the orange area of your map. When we go into the “basement area” roughly 75’ underground we will sometimes set off the radiation monitors for radon.
I’ve never installed one but I’ve dealt with them while adding sump pump backups.
In Alabama at the end of the Appalachia foothills. Got that exact tester. Had around 6.5 PPM, got it mitigated in the same way for about $3,700 before the virus. Hard clay is underneath. It went to around 3 PPM, sometimes lower. When it rains the readings are always lower. When it's dry, it's higher. Winter is generally higher due to warm air drawing it out of the basement slab -- I'm not sure how big a deal it all is. I have young kids, so I fixed it. People don't talk about Radon much here.
Very conscious about radon gas when cave and mine exploring here in Nevada. Don't want to be stuck in a chamber with no moving air where the radon that seeps through the rock collects just waiting for you to take a deep radioactive breath. Fortunately basements are very rare in the southern portion of Nevada with all the caliche we have here.
I don't see any comments yet on the sweet Mongoose freestyle BMX bike! Dude must be awesome, basement looks just like mine, project bike on the stand!
Check your local library for a radon tester. Ours has one.
Straight from the CDC! Laughs. Cuts to next shot.
Earth Auger for a cordless drill works perfect in those tight spots
Curious, why not make a 1x1 ft or 1x2 ft hole and make it easier to dig out, then cap around the pipe when done? In Indiana we put down a thick vapor barrier on new builds and run up the stem walls to mitigate the radon from entering. Of course, older homes didn't have great vapor barriers, but seems a bigger hole would be easier. I have never done a mitigation on an older home, so again, curious why the small hole.
lots of areas have veins of uranium down deep in ground and as it decays it releases radon gas which rises through cracks in rocks and soil till it hits your concrete floor which is porous and it rises up though holes in floor into house your house might have none and neighbor have tons of it so new houses put in plastic sheeting on ground and gravel with pipes to ventilate under the house in case there is radon they can just add a pump to the pipes going into gravel under slab to suck it out and hopefully all the way up to roof
Some old-time "Professional Homeowner" put together that workbench... built with American pride.
I installed a system with the fan inside, taking air from beneath the slap and then shooting it outside. My readings went from 6 to 0.5.
I think it worked well because I have gravel beneath my slab so the air moves easily.
Brother!, informative videos like this save so many lives! I hope any home owner that sees this spends the little bit of cash on that tester and makes sure their living areas are safe! Heck even if youre a renter that has a space below grade ( which i had in a very old four plex building near a nuclear power plant 😂 )
why don't they install radon mitigation systems when they build houses ... a few heavy gravel pits and exhaust pipes before they pour down the slab, might do the trick...
Live in IA, new house came with a pump installed by previous owner.
Wow. That has been there for awhile! That old man must have built it like 50 years ago.
Thanks Handyman! Just ordered my tester and it will be here tomorrow. We bought this house 3 years ago, (Western North Carolina) and person testing for radon had a faulty tester. Never returned to test again. We are downstairs 50% of the time when home, so I'm curious to know.
Another item to be aware of, although the jury is still out on what a 'safe' level is - electromagnetic radiation. In the 80's and the early 90's, we owned a house in Orange, CA. that backed up to a right-of-way for high-tension power lines that terminated at Disneyland, 5 miles west of us. We had heard of a possible problem with the issue, and since we were planning on having children, we decided to get the house tested. There was no set 'safe' level (I forget what the actual numbers were), but the crew doing the testing told us their 'best guess' as to what was considered safe. The suggested 'safe' level wasn't seen on their meters in the back yard, just over the fence from the electrical wires. In fact, they didn't get a safe level until they got out to the curb line. In other words, our entire property was 'unsafe'. We decided to sell the house and move. We did make the buyers aware of the report. They didn't seem to care, and fortunately, they didn't have any kids.
Now a days it's referred to as EMF electromagnetic frequency or electromagnetic radiation is common, if even in small doses. Big causes are the power lines you mentioned and also cell or microwave towers. Because of technology increasing we are exposed more and more from our phones smart tv other appliances and even metal roofing, all of these are considered for remediations.
I don't know why you didn't get a 3" coring bit and drill down, chipping the hole out every 4" or so until you got down to the dirt/gravel!
I live in a high radon area (Central New Jersey) but my home has below .4 picocuries.
I did a deep dive on Radon to do my own remediation at one point. Let's just say the evidence for it causing cancer is pretty weak. They use a 'linear no threshold' model, and most of the extreme cases used to model are from miners and/or cases with smokers. All that said, remediation is cheap (DIY) and easy, so it probably makes sense to do it if you spend a lot of time in the basement. I have the tester you used, and I've found the levels only get bad during the winter, especially if the oil heat is on which depressurizes the basement due to the burner fan. I started with a max of 20pc/L down to below 3 in the winter (occasional spikes above that.) During the summer, it never gets above 1. The long-term average is around 2, which is considered fine even by 'more stringent' European standards.
I read the same thing about how they came up with their findings. I see it used all the time after a home inspection during the sale of a house to try to get the seller to give them money for remediation.
Another great video, well worth watching!
I especially love how you were able to use a low-cost masonry drill instead of an expensive diamond core saw.
Thanks for sharing!
Central Florida = Nope. First I've ever heard is from your videos. Thanks, Handyman!
Great Episode, what’s the word on the BMX bike? That an 1980’s GT? Or Dyno? Very cool!
'goose.
This is how we hid body's on the east coast in the city of brotherly love! but we did it all by hand no power tools
Wow that looked miserable. Wouldn't it have been easier and faster to make a bigger hole? If I'm drilling or breaking concrete inside I always run a box fan with a furnace filter on it nearby.
Toby from The Office is very proud right now!
Husky kneeling pad - Home Depot. About $15, $10 around holidays. You're not as old as I am, but when you get here, you're going to ask why you ever spent the amount of time you did kneeling on hard surfaces without looking after those knees. Looking forward to part 2.
didn't have any idea about Radon. Thanks Handy Man .
This just in on the wire:
!!!Handyman hired to install RADON mitigation system finds Jimmy Hoffa!!!
I'm fine in the basement. Mom wouldn't steer me wrong.
Love the laugh after "Straight from the CDC"
You wouldn't believe how many people lost their minds because of that little chuckle.
We had it done via a kit I sent in, $200. Because my wife has lung cancer (non smoker) negative on the Radon.
An entire crew of mustaches? 👍
I just moved to an apt and when the wind direction switch all everybody else air go out my window and the windows stop working lmao
Need to invest into a garden auger
I was thinking that I was screwed having grown up in a basement bedroom until I saw that those of us way up in the PNW seem to be okay. Regardless, just another one of life's ways of killing all of us.
I mitigated my house after high readings. I don't have to think about it.
Hopefully ok here...have a radon tester along with gas
Would it not be easier to break out more concrete and dig out the material and then re-pore for the hole.
There would be nothing to re-pore onto. The only way to do that would be to dowel into the existing slab with rebar then build forms to support the new concrete.
@@TheHandyman1 Well, I thought you could be more creative, with the form situation. I do understand your thoughts. See you on the next one
When in doubt , kick it out bahahaha
Handyman out here dropping Sunday afternoon videos just to see if I’m paying attention!😂
Started my tests on March 15 2023... Send the tests to a lab in June.
What if your basement is only 4ft in the ground rest is above?
I'm not sure.
it is a gas rising up through cracks in ground slowly from rocks you could be over nothing or a giant vein in newer houses with plastic and such under slab it might not get up as much ya never know till you test it.
In the South houses built on a crawl space and houses built on slab can have issues. The Radon can be drawn up into the crawlspace and then be sucked into the house with the chimney effect. This varies house by house. Obviously, houses on crawl spaces can be easier to fix, (put down plastic and install fan) but it just depends.
Question for you handyman. Im in a new construction home. I do have a Radon PVC tube goes from the basement to the roof, but there is no motor to create suction ,just natural siphoned air flow. Can it be done like this with no motor???
I have never heard of a system with out a suction fan. Have you looked all over for one. Does the pipe go outside your house or up through the house?
@@TheHandyman1 the radon pipe goes from the basement straight up through the roof. That’s where it’s vented out. I question this to the builder and he just said if I wanted to add a motor later on that’s up to me.
You could always test it. It sounds like some houses were plumbed for a radon fan. And its up to the home owner to test it and put one if if they want to.
@@TheHandyman1 thank you…
i know a guy who had that done on a new house he built they said it is a precaution they test after home is done and decide if it needs a fan or if it is good they leave it alone
We use Radon air fresheners
Extra mustard for todays episode!
What about new homes that have a plastic vapor barrier under the concrete. Can radon go thru the vapor barrier?
no it can't if it is actually sealed but most are not perfectly airtight it is a gas so it can go through small holes.
My preferred is whiskey barrel flooring
So did they test and request you to do something about it, something specific, or did they tell your problems and you suggested the radon test
So, I dutifully go to the thumbs up and click on it. An ad comes up. No,no,no, I back up and try again.....another ad. I suspect TH-cam is up to their usual tricks once again. Help us Handyman!
Thanks for trying to click the like button. I don't know what youtube is doing.
I'm In Fountain Colorado
Shawshank Redemption action here!
The best way to do what you are doing is to take a piece of 3 inch emt electrical conduit and a piece of wood and a sledge and take plugs out.
Why can't you just use an auger?
@@DennisMathias Good idea, if you have a 3 inch auger.
It's incredible how many people are unaware of radon. Even granite countertops can emit radon.
everything has some radiation sunlight stone used in houses they made colorful plates to eat off of that had uranium in the paint back in the 50s old watch dials that glow in dark
According the CDC.....
Heard of it, never lived in a region that had cellars or the red, or orange map legend of radon lung cancer death map.
They still had radon with no cracks in their cement?
Yes. I did find a strange void in a loadbearing wall. I show it in the next video.
There are no control joints in the slab either.
Handyman would you say we are slowly evolving into basement frogs?
p.s. I think I saw you had no ear plugs in for that drilling? handyman are you deaf yet??? :)
HUH???
How many PSI concrete is that? do that PSI test. 6 inch slab, no cracks, that is some strong sh$T!
I happen o have mine tested for free because I was part of local children’s cancer study
It was low
Ong bro so funny...47 mins in
So I had my old row home check for radon and was good because the home next door had one which help my levels to be lower
Home was in Drexel Hill PA