How to Test for Radon at Home DIY
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- Опубликовано: 25 май 2016
- Building forensics guru Corbett Lunsford demonstrates how to test for pressure imbalances that might draw radon into your home, and how to REALLY find out how much radon there is in the air you're breathing.
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Retrotec.com
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Great video. Only item I saw is where the home monitor was placed. With Radon you want to be at lease 12 inches from a wall so it does not take biased readings by the plate-out affect. There are higher concentrations of Radon on walls as the air always moves out towards the walls in each space. Also keep them 3 ft. from any outside openings and at least 20 inches from the floor. These are the national protocols / standards for testing.
+David Daniels haha, that’s hilarious in light of this being a wall-mount monitor! Sounds like you’re saying it’ll give you inaccurately high readings on a wall. Thanks for sharing.
Nice video! Its great to see Building science folks talking about how changing building pressures can change radon entry. I love the diagnostic approach. A couple things....there are many continuous radon monitors but only a couple consumer grade continuous monitors like the one you are using. The Corentium is a great tool, though. Also, the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L never was intended to be considered a "safe" level, and in fact they say mitigation should be considered between 2.0 and 4.0. Again, great video!
+Chad Robinson thanks for chiming in, Chad! Yes, I'm also in the camp of "0 is the only truly safe number".
I’m preparing for an interview at a reputable Foundation Repair company that does radon mitigation. Thanks for the solid info. 💪
Rock that interview Jarrod
How do you depressurize the basement? What should we do?
Good video. So many questions do you have a more in-depth video you can make going into what those readings mean please
Subscribe to our channel, our new home’s radon system is about to be exhaustively toured!
I just got this for a good price and it works for all Air indoor safety messering Quality Airthings Wave plus !
I have the same meter and put it in the same area you did in hallway right below the house fan system , the AC vent and the attic and the level read 3. That is the highest I've seen it in 2 years. We do have a mitigation system in the basement . So what steps did you take to lower the radon levels in that one area ? Almost every other room in my house is always lower than .50.
Try increasing the speed of your radon fan, or checking if it needs to be replaced.
Wow, great video.
How do you feel about the accuracy of this monitor?
Have you ever had any other radon tests performed to compare this device against those kinds of test where you mail them away to a lab? Thank you.
Hey Patrick, thanks for watching. Having watched this monitor, and their newer Wave Pro, fluctuate with the seasons and weather, I actually wouldn't trust a three-day or seven-day radon test at all. It goes up and down daily, weekly, monthly.
@@HomePerformance Ok, thanks for the reply. So, would you suggest running the test for longer durations? I heard something like a 90-day test is a good place to start. Would you recommend something like that? How much of a fluctuation are you talking about in a week-long period? Could you give an example of how far the readings will change? Say from 4 to 8? Or is it only smaller amounts like 4.1 to 5.2? Something along those lines? Thanks again. Sorry for all the questions. haha.
It's not the only continuous radon monitor in the world . There are other ones. Maybe more expensive than this one but they exist and they have existed for many years.
Nice video! However, do you have a recommended radon monitor similar to the one you show in your video? You see, I am about to buy a new construction home in NC, and I would like to know the level of radon since the construction company will install at no cost to me a mitigation system if I prove the level are above 4. Thank you.
Still being made- Corentium is also part of Airthings monitors, which have sensors for more than just radon.
Hello! Thanks for the video. How do we know where to place the Radon monitor? Can this monitor be moved place to place. Like from our LIving room for a period then move it to the basement.
Of course! Move it from house to house if you want- it has a reset button. Thanks for following.
@@HomePerformance should be placed in a specific orientation? On a wooden table? Anything it should be kept away from?
I have the same device. It is almost as precise as a commercial grade device. Unfortunately it is expensive. Mine is measured in Bequerels which is a much more precise (an international) unit of measure.
@@realtyrocks1969 LoL. For 44 I would buy 3. They cost way more than that. A passive lab device can only be used once for 6 months and is sent to the lab for the results and it costs 35 dollars.
@@Rombizio see my previous comment. Edited. They keep deleting my comments.
There are many types of continuous radon monitors. Some as inexpensive as the Correntium, some into the thousand$.
Any truly professional mitigator does diagnostic measurements, similar to what you did to make sure their mitigation fan won't be overcome by the HVAC and bathroom fans.
Pretty decent info overall.
+Radon Ease thanks for the feedback! I've only met radon testers onsite who would be setting up their testing at the same time I would be doing blower door testing. I always make sure they know what my test is doing, but they never seem to get how it would make the radon measurement meaningless.
We bought one of thise dual testers you show at the end. Our measurement was in the 20s. We're all gonna die - i thinks. Anyway, is that possible? Could a house actually be that bad? There are homes all around us. Your thoughts?
Hi Don- entirely possible, but I’d hire a radon pro locally before telling the neighbors, just to confirm. There are ways to fix it, don’t worry.
There is no safe level of radon. The EPA's action level (4.0 pCi/l) is based upon an industry standard (what mitigation techniques could achieve), and is not a health based standard. The U.S. Congress has a set a long term that indoor radon levels be no more than outdoor levels 0.4 pCi/l. World Health Organization standard is 2.7 pCi/l. An unbalanced HVAC system would create problems for a sub slab ventilation system. Great video.
Sounds like something a salesman would say.
That lines up with our govt’s past behavior and all agencies here in the US. Liars. Just like govt raising levels of radiation considered to be safe after Fukushima and that means 20 times higher than that of Japan. Also the tiny amount of mercury and aluminum in vaccines won’t hurt you! Big fat lie, again.
@@stevenanderson9660 Well then exactly how much Radioactive waste is good for you?!
@@stevenanderson9660 I had a Radon mitigation guy come to my home and said my levels weren't that alarming (2.9) and I said what is an alarming level and he said anything over 20 pci. I said "why did the EPA set the number to 4 pci as time to take action?" and he said "I guess they just needed a number to tell people" lol. I think they need to train/brainwash this guy a bit more... he's not convincing me to be scared.
@@RiffMakerMost radon mitigation companies don’t employ people with a background in healthcare, they’re there to bring the levels down, not study the literate of health risks from radon exposure. Look at the lung cancer statistics if you want to be scared. At 20 pci/L a non-smoker has a similar risk of dying from lung cancer as a smoker who smoked 2 packs/day their entire life starting as a child. Lung cancer has on average a 13% 5 year survival rate. If it’s small cell lung cancer then it drops to 3%. It’s basically a death sentence and often has no symptoms until it’s too late. The important thing to keep in mind is your average cummulative lifetime exposure is what counts. You could have a 1 year average of 1 pci/L but things spike up to 10 pci/L just briefly in the winter on a specific day. Radon is volatile, just testing for a week is inadequate.
I heard that you cannot use Corentium home radon detector in the basement due to the moisture, can you? Thanks.
Not sure about that one, you can check it out with the manufacturer, Airthings
Apparently Radon itself is harmless, a noble gas, the "Sister elements" that form from Radon breakdown are what can cause health hazards. There is a lot of misinformation around the gas and a lot of businesses profitting from that.
Trust always comes with a pair of chops 👍
Are you saying my sideburns should be bigger?
@@HomePerformance No haha, just respect
Should it be put in basement or living area ?
Ideally both and you’ll want to test for at least a year if you think your levels are ok. If they aren’t ok though I would not wait a year to mitigate radon. Just realize different times of the year it can spike.
Some say even 4 is actually not really safe! The EPA is often criticized for not having adequate requirements when it makes these recommendations for many chemicals. It seems whatever level they recommend, it’s always a better bet to take an even lower measure!! The EPA has often been criticized for being influenced by industry and commercial interests etc who often push for looser standards and/or not even enforcing those lower standards when it makes them.
How much does the Radon gizmo cost?
$199. You can get it off our website here: airthings.com/us/home/
buy a dollar store fan and stick it in window draws little electric
+sixtynine stang not in Florida, my friend. The dewpoint of the outside air is higher than indoor temps for most of the year, so everything would be wet and moldy.
Cost is too high like everything else that has to do with health. Poor people are better off dead, I suppose.
2:04 why does is look like your bending spacetime?
Probably because I’m a weirdo
I think the Radon affected the structure of his house!!!!
I'm sure you didn't mean to suggest that 4.0 pCi/L is the magic number we must aim for. In fact, zero is what we are aiming for. That's because 4.0 was pulled out of thin air, based on our ability to mitigate radon levels. Very much like arsenic in drinking water: the maximum permissible level was 500 ppb, then lowered to 100 ppb, then to 50, then to 10. New Jersey limits arsenic in drinking water to just 5 ppb. Yet everyone agrees that zero is the target. No0ne would suggest that the widely allowed 10 ppb is perfectly safe.
Agreed, Paul, for kids. I say it all the time.
Thanks my unit is soon🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
💪🏼🧠
Smart dude! Subscribed. Your videographer could use some help
Thanks. That was my bride, 8 mos pregnant.
Congrats!
How can i change radon gas into solid
+Harsh Yadav i think you just add some balsamic vinegar and parmesan. Never tried it though.
It does that on its own. Turns into polonium
I appreciate all of your hard work and that you share your knowledge. I understand that fresh air is needed, homes need to be "sealed tight and ventilated right," etc. I wonder if you have seen this:
Myth's of Radon (4 part series)
ruclips.net/video/TYZglUjLE0Y/видео.html
Basically, this guy with significant experience in toxicology, safety, etc shows how the EPA has used guesswork to arrive at their "recommended" radon levels. According to him, there are studies showing NEGATIVE CORRELATION with low levels of residential radon (under 100 PiC/liter) and lung cancer (cancer rates actually lower with low levels of radon).
He says the EPA recommendations are for someone who works in a mine, lives in a mine, and is a smoker. Obviously, no one lives in a mine, so their recommendations really don't apply to anyone.
Again, I don't think building science is a hoax, but it kinda sounds like the radon epidemic is.
According to him, the radon monitors (yours and professional ones - which I almost bought BTW) aren't even measuring radon, but rather usually Bizmuth).
Your take?
In short, this is why I don’t advise seeking an industrial hygienist for homes. Too technical, for one, but also he does not acknowledge that kids and elderly and otherwise compromised people live and breathe 24/7 in homes. They are not subject to OSHA, in fact they would be unemployable in the first place. What we ask healthy adults to do for money and what we subject children and sick people to are not, and should not, be the same.
Hey calm down doctor smith
I like to put Radon on my asbestos sammichs
4:35 "You want the number to be 4" ---- you may want recheck your understanding of Radon. That is the maximum. You do not want the maximum.
I believe right after that I said I actually want the number to be zero (rounded down)
Wrong - the AC fan has no influence on differential pressure between the inside and outside of the house. This is not what you are measuring.
You obviously haven’t tested this if you think that. Anyone who studies building science knows the air handler can put + or - pressure on the house when the ducts leak into attics or crawlspaces.
You want 0 But thats very hard.. However you want Less than 4 four Sure!. The USA Action Level is 4 and the EU Actionable level is 2!. If you are living with 4 then you are at a much higher risk!>
ruclips.net/video/TYZglUjLE0Y/видео.html
These numbers are parts per billion. I seriously doubt there is any devices that can actually discern these few parts per billion.
It’s actually not ppb, it’s picocuries/liter
4:30 NO!!!! you don't want 4 pCi/L. That is the current upper limit. Lower is better. You want Zero, which will not happen, but NO you do not "want" 4.
+wonderboysc1 that's why I say I want zero. Good luck finding it in Florida's existing homes. If it's present, what do we do about it? That's the real issue.
ruclips.net/video/TYZglUjLE0Y/видео.html
Yeah, that's great a detector that cannot be calibrated by external means.
FAIL.
As long as you have a baseline to measure against, the same instrument can be effective. It's measuring against itself, even if it's out of calibration.
@@HomePerformance uh, that's like a carpenter using a rubber band to make measurements in building, just about every one of his measurements could be a FOOT; calibration is uber important, I believe you have said so in your vids on air pressure testing equipment.
Let's not expect the layperson/homeowner to truly understand and actually perform any kind of calibration; most won't even flush their water heaters, let's be real!
Have a great one!
Something’s better than nothing though, I think we can both agree- and we’ll both keep trying to get people educated and on the right track.
You know just enough to be dangerous.
I think that describes all of us, Terry
I wonder if. North Korea 🇰🇵 n Iran 🇮🇷 have Radon 😜
frank franko you know that radon has no practical uses and will undergo radioactive decay in a short time right ?
Fake news
Isn't Dan Eekhoff a fake name?