Page 30 - Summer2011

One contractor may not care that a pipe is routed through a hallway where it is exposed, where another one may take the time to run it up through a closet concealing the piping. Remember that the Radon Mitigation Standards are a minimum standard that are not always followed by all contractors. Choose your mitigation contractor carefully.

Most radon contractors offer performance warranties. They will generally arrange for a short-term test to ensure that they have reduced the radon to less than 4 picoCuries/liter (pCi/l). They will often perform this test themselves for their own information, but they must advise you of the benefit of an independent test that you could perform yourself or hire a radon measurement professional to do it for you.

Furthermore, most radon contractors will also include in their bid a warranty that the radon levels will continue to be below 4 pCi/L for a specified period of time.

The determination of when the system goes out of warranty is often made with the use of a long-term test device placed in the home for one year. Most performance warranties cover the first year of operation. Many warranties also exclude performance capabilities if the basement was modified.

When you evaluate warranties, realize that the only component that can wear out is the fan and its controller. Most of these fans come with a 3 to 5 year warranty from the manufacturer. Once the radon has been reduced to less then 4.0 pCi/L and this has been verified by testing, there is little that can go wrong unless you remodeled your home or change the type of heating system you have. So long-term warranties may be of marginal benefit compared to the cost.

If I have a radon mitigation system in place, do I have to retest periodically?

Yes. The EPA recommends that you test every two years after the mitigation system has been installed to check that the system is still working properly.

Check with local consumer protection based agencies such as the Better Business Bureau. Have them carefully explain and document the system routing and appearance to be sure you know what it will look like. Remember the cost of the system is driven more by the amount of finish work you want, rather than the amount of radon that is removed. Make sure that there are no ugly surprises. Obtain a copy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Consumer Guide along with other publications from the mitigation contractor or from www.epa.gov/radon.