Insight To Check For And Protect Your Home Against The Presence Of Radon
Radon in the environment is naturally occurring and is created when uranium decays within the soil. However, when it seeps up through the soil and into your home through cracks and other openings, this is when it becomes a problem. Radon causes cancer, especially in the lungs, and is a danger you want to keep out of your home by using good management and ventilation. Here are some steps you can take to check for the presence of radon so you can keep your home a safe place for you and your family to live.
Check For Radon
When you understand that radon can be present in most homes at some level, it is in your best interest to check your home for dangerous levels and clear the air inside your home. You can complete your own test at home with the use of an at-home test, which takes a few days to complete. You can find quick radon tests at many home and garden stores or online.
You can also get a long-term test to check for overall levels in your home over a longer time period. Or you can contact a radon professional to complete the test for you. And you can also install a continuous radon tester in your home, similar to an H2O tester or a smoke detector.
Radon levels can fluctuate depending on conditions in the soil and in the weather and depending on the amount of ventilation in your home, which can make a long-term or continuous test more beneficial to get an overall average. For example, snowfall on the ground can cause more radon to be trapped in your home, but when you open your home's windows in the springtime, this can reduce the radon levels.
Take Radon Reduction Steps
Once you have evaluated your home and found that your home contains high levels of radon, you should take immediate steps to reduce these levels. You can start off with getting fresh air into your home, especially in the basement, by opening up windows and running ventilation fans. Next, you will want to seal up any cracks on the floors or walls in your basement foundation. Use a polyurethane caulk to seal up these cracks and openings within the foundation and joints in your home.
Contact a radon mitigation specialist to install further protection in your home against radon. This can include sealing the floor in the crawlspace with plastic sheeting and installing additional ventilation in the floor of your home.
To learn more, contact a radon testing and mitigation company.