Radon and Newer Built Homes

Can newer built homes have radon gas issues? The answer is absolutely yes! Surprisingly, radon can be a major issue even in newer and even brand new built homes. Some of the highest radon levels our team have seen come from homes that were just previously built. 

Depending on grade and location of the home, sometimes there is a sump pump pit with drain tile. This drain tile is ran around the entire basement along the footing and in most cases ends at the exposed sump pump. This drain tile creates an open highway for the radon gas located under the slab to travel freely and up into your home. Most newer homes also have a layer of pores gravel/aggregate underneath the concrete slab floor. Whether there is drain tile or not, this also creates a path for the radon gas to travel under the slab and up into the home. Newer built homes are also bundled up extremely tight for efficiency reasons. Sufficient insulation in the attic and walls of the home along with sealing of all openings prevents air leakage from the outside in and inside air out. This is great for your homes energy efficiency, but bad for radon/soil gases and other indoor air contaminants.  

Luckily, the solution to these radon problems are pretty easy to solve. If you are building a home, it is important to discuss a pass though radon reduction system with your builder. This system is a radon reduction system that is piped in during the build without the radon fan. This gives the radon gas a path of least resistance and allows the radon gas to travel up the piping and escape above the roof. Building code in most areas also mandates an electrical outlet be installed within 6 feet of this pipe in the attic so a radon reduction fan can be easily installed at a later date if the radon levels are still high. If you home is already built and does not have a pass through system, a radon reduction system can be easily installed. There are many options and designs available for newer built homes. You can in some cases completely hide the system from the exterior to make sure it is aesthetically pleasing from the exterior. That is why it is important to call a professional radon installer like ALS Property Associates, Inc. We will go over everything with you and give you all of the options needed to properly mitigate your radon gas and bring your radon levels as low as possible. Remember, it is important to test your home for radon. The only way to know if your levels are high is to test. High radon gas levels is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States next to smoking cigarettes. Whether new, old or already have a system, please test to make sure radon is not an issue.