How to Know Your Radon Level

LESLIE: Isaac in Washington is on the line and has a question about checking radon level. What can we do for you today?

ISAAC: Yeah, I have a slab on grade. My home is – and I don’t have any drain tile or a sump pit or anything of the sort. I’m just wondering if radon should be an issue there or not, without the drain tile.

TOM: Well, it’s possible that radon could be a problem in a home that’s built as slab on grade but it’s a lot less likely than if the house was on a basement, for example.

In terms of the drain tile and the sump pit, certainly that is one source of it but it doesn’t need that to get in. So, if you want to be sure, you should do an inexpensive home radon test for checking radon level. You can order them online, the most common of which, Isaac, is a type of test called “charcoal adsorption” – a-d – not absorption. It’s an adsorption canister.

And typically, you open this up into the lowest living space which, in your case, is a slab. And you leave it exposed for, generally, three to seven days or so. You seal it back, up, send it off to a lab. They’ll come back with a report that will tell you what the radon level is. And it’s going to be measured in picocuries per liter of air. If it’s 4.0 or higher, it’s an issue. If it’s less, it’s not an issue.

So I would do a radon test just so that you can have the comfort of knowing what your radon levels are. You might want to wait until it’s a little colder out, because you do have to keep the windows and doors closed except for normal entry and exit for checking radon level. So, typically, you’re going to get higher radon test results in when the weather gets chilly, just because folks are so accustomed to kind of keeping everything closed up.

ISAAC: Perfect. Sounds great. I appreciate it. Thank you much.