What is a Radon Mitigation System?
A radon mitigation system is used to remove radon gas from an enclosed building. These systems can use either a passive or active approach to moving the radon gas out of the space and back into the open air.
Radon gas is a natural gas that is produced when uranium decays. The gas can be found in soil, rock, and water. When a home or building is placed on a foundation, the foundation is in direct contact with the source of radon gas. Over time and with environmental changes, the radon gas could collect in the lower level of the building and move upward through open spaces into the area of the home or building used most often.
Radon is always present in the air, but levels higher than 0.4 picocuries per liter of air are considered carcinogenic. This means the gas, when breathed regularly at higher levels, can cause cancer as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Once a radon test has established the presence of radon gas in a home or building, the radon mitigation system will need to be installed to remove that gas. Depending on the levels of radon or the previous attempts at radon removal, a passive or active radon mitigation system could be chosen.
The passive radon mitigation system uses a pipe running from the lowest level of the building through the walls and out through the roof. This pipe collects the radon gas and allows it to naturally move into open air at the top of the building. Passive systems are often used as a first line of radon gas treatment or when levels of radon gas are relatively low. Some new constructions install passive radon mitigation systems even if the building is not in an area where radon gas is a problem.
The active radon mitigation system is more effective than the passive system. A fan is placed in the lowest level of the building. This fan causes a vacuum effect in the space that forces all of the air to move through the installed pipe. The radon is often completely removed with an active mitigation system.
Many radon mitigation systems will work hand in hand with sealing or soil treatment on the home or business. The sealing does not work alone to obstruct the radon gas from entering the building, but can block some of the gas from entering the space. The sealing simply refers to patching any cracks in the foundation or basement of the building where radon gas could be seeping in.
The soil around the building may also be holding on to radon gas. Mitigation systems often include soil treatment, which draws the radon out of the soil. The soil system is used as part of a complete radon treatment plan that includes the sealing and pipe installation.
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