Radon Abatement Methods

Radon levels in your home should be reduced if they are above 4 picocuries per liter reports the Environmental Protection Agency. This radioactive gas can enter your home around the foundation or in well water. Radon reduction systems can reduce radon levels in the home by 99 percent, reports the EPA.

The type of radon abatement method you should use depends upon your radon levels, cost, your home size and the type of foundation you have. Some radon reduction systems prevent radon from entering your home and others reduce radon levels after the gas has entered.

Some homes have different foundations under different areas of the house. You may need to use more than one radon abatement method.

Basement and Slab-On-Grade Homes

• Soil suction is the method for homes with basements or slab-on-grade foundations. It draws radon out from under your home, vents it away and dilutes it. Soil suction methods include block-wall suction, drain-tile suction, subslab suction and sump-hole suction.

  Block-wall suction is for homes with hollow block foundations. The process depressurizes the block wall and removes the radon. This radon abatement method is often combined with subslab suction, according to the EPA.

  Drain tiles or perforated pipe may be present under your home to direct water away. Suction can be applied to these tiles or pipes to reduce radon levels.

  If you have a sump pump to remove water from under your home, this can be capped and used as a location for a radon suction pipe.

  Subslab suction can be active or passive. The EPA reports that active subslab suction or subslab depressurization is the most reliable radon abatement method. Suction pipes go through the floor slab and into crushed rock or soil. A vent fan attached to the suction pipe draws radon out and expels it into the outside air. At the same time, a vacuum or negative pressure area is created beneath the slab.

  Passive subslab suction uses natural air currents and pressure differences to draw radon out from under your home.

Crawlspace Homes

• If your home has a crawlspace, a contractor may cover the soil floor with a thick plastic sheet and use a vent pipe and fan to draw radon out from under the sheet. This soil suction method is called submembrane suction.

  Another radon abatement method used in homes with crawlspaces is active crawlspace depressurization. A fan draws air directly from the crawlspace. This radon reduction method isn't as effective as submembrane suction, reports the EPA, and entails sealing the area from other portions of the home. Backdrafting from combustion appliances can also mar the effectiveness of this method. You can reduce radon levels by installing vents and using a fan in your crawlspace but you'll need to insulate appliances, pipes and sewer lines against the cold, reports the EPA.

Other Radon Reduction Methods

• Heat recovery ventilation, home or room pressurization, natural ventilation or sealing may reduce radon levels in your home.

  You can use an air-to-air heat exchanger or a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to reduce radon levels. Outdoor air is brought inside and either cooled or warmed by an HRV. You can use the HRV to ventilate just the basement area or your whole home.

  You can use a fan to blow air into your basement or into a room of your home to prevent radon from entering living areas. This home or room pressurization may be difficult to maintain, reports the EPA.

  Just opening doors, windows and vents on the lower floors of you home can reduce radon levels temporarily.

  Sealing foundation cracks will reduce the flow of radon into your home but they may be difficult to identify. As your house settles, now radon routes may develop.

Radon in Water

• Radon in your water supply can be dangerous as it becomes airborne. Showering and other uses of water can increase the risk of inhaling radon. Contact your water supplier to find out if they treat the ground water for radon. If you have a private well you can use point-of-use or point-of-entry treatments to reduce radon levels.

  Point-of-entry radon abatement methods include aeration systems, filters or granular activated carbon. Point-of-entry radon reduction systems remove radon at the tap but don't reduce radon levels released from all water sources in your home.