Frequently Asked Questions

No, you are not required to test your home for radon. However, as high radon levels can increase your chance for lung cancer, testing and appropriate action, if necessary, is a good idea. Thus, the EPA recommends that every real estate transaction of a home in the United States includes a Radon test.

Many factors such as season, weather, distance from a source and indoor activity influence radon levels. This unfortunately means that you cannot accurately estimate your radon levels from that of neighboring houses. The only way to know how much radon is in your home is to measure it. 

There are many different ways to measure radon and each method has different advantages and disadvantages. These methods can be lumped into two different categories: Short and long term testing. 

Short-term testing is the quickest way to test your home. Short-term tests remain in your home for two days to 90 days, depending on the device. “Charcoal canisters,” “alpha track,” “electret ion chamber,” “continuous monitors,” and “charcoal liquid scintillation” detectors are most commonly used for short-term testing. Because radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, a short-term test is less likely than a long-term test to tell you your year-round average radon level.

Long-term testing will give you a reading that is representative of your home’s year-round average radon level. Long-term tests remain in your home for more than 90 days. “Alpha track” and “electret” detectors are commonly used for this type of testing.

Reduction of the radon that enters your house is a fairly simple process. Basically, a vapor barrier is added or improved between the ground and your basement or crawlspace and piping and a small fan is used to reroute the radon laden gas from underneath this vapor barrier to an outside vent on the top of your house. The radon that is already in your house will continue to naturally and quickly decay and will be mostly gone within a week. 

When you look for a contractor to reduce the radon in your house, look for a contractor who:

• Is NRSB (National Radon Safety Board) & NEHA (National Environmental Health Association) certified. (Will use the guidelines set by the EPA for Radon mitigation in your home.)
• Knows all the local ordinances regarding radon mitigation, piping, wiring, etc.
• Has a substantial amount of experience fitting Radon mitigation systems into houses like yours – each house is different and requires subtle but important customizations in your radon mitigation system.

Drennen Custom Contracting is NRSB & NEHA certified, knows all of the local ordinances and has completed thousands of installations of radon mitigation systems in Fort Collins and the Northern Colorado area! Contact us!

A radon mitigation system can usually be installed within one working day.

YES! All of our systems are guaranteed to function for 5 years as designed and that the radon concentrations in your house will be reduced to below 4.0 pCi/l (annual average).

The EPA recommends a third party test be completed no sooner than 7 days after the work has been completed. However, as part of our installation, we will test your radon levels for you to make sure the system is working properly.