Radon mitigation in Minneapolis homes
If you don’t know already, radon is a nasty gas that you don’t want to have lurking underneath your house. It forms naturally as uranium decays in soil.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, living in a house with high radon levels can increase your risk of developing lung cancer.
That’s why it’s important to test your house for radon if you suspect you may have elevated levels.
How common is radon?
Nearly 1 out of every 15 houses in the United States has radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended threshold of 4 pCi/L (Picocuries Per Liter of Air). According to Radon Removal Inc. in Plymouth, radon is even more prevalent in Minnesota.
The company specializes in radon mitigation near Minneapolis. It says 2 of 5 Minnesota houses have radon levels above the EPA’s threshold and the gas is even more prevalent in the Twin Cities, with 4 of every 10 houses at risk.
Where does radon live?
Radon gas comes from rock and soil. So if you have elevated levels in your house, it’s likely coming up from the ground beneath your foundation.
Radon can also come into your house through gas appliances, pressurized air (exhaust fans for kitchens, bathrooms, and clothes dryers), and your house’s water supply, according to the CDC.
If you have a basement or crawl space under your house, you have a higher chance of radon leakage. Finally, radon could theoretically leak from some of the materials used to build your house:
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Bricks and mortar
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Cinder blocks
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Concrete
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Gravel for heat sumps
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Sheetrock
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Stone product
Get a radon test!
Radon Testing in Minneapolis isn’t difficult. You can buy a test kit and do it yourself. According to the EPA, the National Radon Program Services at Kansas State University offers discounted test kits that you can buy online.
You can also mail or fax an order form to the university, and you can download a coupon from the web.
Radon test kits can also be found on other websites and inside house improvement stores.
Just follow the directions on how to place the test kit in your house and set the device out in the location indicated on your instructions to find out how much radon you have in your house.
You can also reach out to any radon program in your state to learn how to obtain a test kit.
Radon mitigation in Minneapolis.
If you find high radon levels in your house, you should hire a certified professional to help you bring those levels down to a safer threshold.
Contact your state radon program to get help finding radon mitigation professionals near you.
The EPA requires states that receive federal radon-related grants to keep a public list of credentialed radon mitigation service providers.
The lists can be found through the National Radon Proficiency Program and the National Radon Safety Board.
3 types of radon removal:
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, there are 3 common ways radon mitigation professionals in Minneapolis will tackle elevated radon levels in your house.
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Sub-slab suction – This method pulls up radon sitting directly underneath your house’s foundation and vents it outside.
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Drain tile suction – This approach requires a pipe fitted through your drain tile system that can vent the radon outside.
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Sub-membrane – You can use a sub-membrane in crawl spaces. To make one, your contractor will cover the floors and walls with plastic sheeting and seal them off. Next, a pipe will be pushed through the plastic sheeting to funnel the radon from the crawl space to the outdoors.
Cost of radon mitigation.
This work isn’t cheap, but it’s also not necessarily out of reach for the average homeowner. The total could range from $1,500 to $3,000, but there’s no way to know until you’ve consulted a specialist.
The total cost will depend on things like the type of radon system you need to have installed and the construction of your house.
Got radon? We can help!
Getting on top of radon, testing, mitigation, and removal probably isn’t how you planned to spend your free time.
If paying to reduce the radon levels in your house is too expensive, or you don’t want to be bothered, consider selling your house to We Buy Ugly Houses® Minneapolis.
We don’t mind if you have elevated radon levels. We can still visit your house for a free, no-obligation consultation and discuss making you a fair, fast cash offer.
Call 866-200-6475 to learn more about our easy, 3-step process.
