How to Block Radon

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon reduction efforts can be made to reduce or prevent radon from seeping into a home. Before employing a technique, a radon mitigation specialist will use chemical smoke to determine air flow sources and movement. Detectable air flow sources are regarded as possible routes for radon seepage. By simply trying to suction chemical smoke into a vacuum, radon mitigation specialists can also determine whether a particular radon reduction technique is functional for your home. Home foundation design is the third determining factor in blocking radon.

Things You'll Need

• Radon mitigation contractor

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Instructions

• 1

  Hire a radon mitigation contractor. Have the contractor inspect your home's structure before deciding on the appropriate radon reduction measures to take. Reduce high radon levels in a slab-on-grade or basement home with sub-slab depressurization or active sub-slab suction. Approve your contractor's insertion of suction pipes into the soil or crushed rocks underneath your house. Suction pipes should be placed where air flow is detected in the soil. Your contractor will connect a radon vent fan to the end of the suction pipes, allowing radon to be released into the air outside the home. Radon vent fans may be placed anywhere outside homes, including garages and attics.

• 2

  Use block-wall suction in conjunction with active sub-slab suction if a basement home has hollow block foundation walls. This method will pull radon away from basement walls so it won't seep into the rest of the house.

• 3

  Add suction pipes to a home's water drain pipes that direct water away from a home. This measure will also direct radon into the open atmosphere. Sump pumps are often used as radon suction pipe holders to direct water and radon away from a home.

• 4

  Apply the sub-membrane suction technique to reduce high radon levels in a home's crawlspace. Allow your contractor to cover the earthen floor of your crawlspace with a dense, plastic sheet. Vent pipes and fans will be attached to the sheet to draw out radon from underneath the crawlspace and send it outdoors. Lower moderate radon levels in a crawlspace home by ventilating it with open vents. Use a fan to maintain air circulation. You may also install a heat recovery ventilator.

• 5

  Limit the flow of radon to your home. Seal all cracks in the home's foundation in addition to using a suction technique.