The radon system is installed in a home or building after a positive radon test has been recorded. Any levels of radon over the approved 0.4 picocuries per liter is considered harmful to human health. If a home or building measures higher, a kit will be installed to clean the air and return it to the building with a lower level of radon.

Radon systems come in two forms, the passive radon system, and the active radon system. The active radon system is most often used after the passive system has been unable to reduce the levels of the gas in the building. Some radon systems can be installed in the home or building during construction to reduce the cost of radon removal.

Passive radon systems use the natural radon collection process to remove the gas from the home. Most often, radon enters the home through cracks in the foundation. These cracks allow the harmful gas to seep into the basement or crawl space and collect. These gases then permeate to the upper levels of the home. The passive system employs a metal pipe that runs from the collection point through the roof. The gas naturally moves through the pipe and out into the air.

The active radon system uses a fan to improve the movement of the gas. The fan creates negative pressure in the collection space, which gives the radon gas only one place to escape, through the pipe. The active system is more effective than the passive system and may be used as a first choice in homes and buildings with very high levels of radon.

If a home is currently under construction in an area where radon gas has been detected, many construction companies will installed the pipe from the lower level of the home through the roof to eliminate the chance of radon gas collection. This will reduce the cost of installation dramatically.

In older homes, the pipe may need to be installed with the cost of installation varying based upon the type of home construction and the time spent installing the pipe. Whenever possible, the home should regularly test for radon because the gas naturally fluctuates during different times of year and with environmental changes.

While radon systems can remove nearly all of the radon in the air, a radon detector should remain in the space at all times. Most often, the long-term radon detector will be used due to the presence of radon already being established. The long term detectors can be used for more than 90 days at a time and often use a readout screen to report the current radon levels in the air. A radon detector should be installed on all levels of the home or building.