No matter the age, condition, style, or size of your home, it can be at risk for radon exposure, and you may not even realize it. Radon has no taste or smell and you cannot see it, so if it is present in the soil below your home, it will seep into your home's foundation and collect inside the air, where it will cause health problems and lead to lung cancer. Radon exposure can be prevented in your home with the right testing and mitigation to keep your home safe and protected. Here are some recommendations to keep your home free of radon risks and their underlying effects.
Ensure Good Home Ventilation
Radon problems can usually originate in the lowest floor of your home, which is often the basement and a below-ground space that may not be used for regular daily activities. But the radon can come up into higher floors of your home if you don't vent it to the fresh outside air. Look to reduce your exposure to radon by keeping the basement ventilated well.
You can do this by opening windows on opposite sides of the basement to create airflow through the space. You can also turn on bathroom vents or an inside ventilation system to draw air from the inside of your home to the outside. This is a proactive way to avoid contamination if you suspect or know there is a radon problem, though be sure you follow up with solid radon testing to make sure it eliminates your risk for exposure.
Seal Interior Floor Cracks
Radon needs an opening into your home's foundation in order to enter the interior space, so if you can block off those openings, you can keep the inside air clear of it. A professional radon mitigation system will use floor and crack sealing solutions often in combination with a ventilation system. However, you can seal up a basement crawlspace with a similar tarp sealant around the floor for radon mitigation. You can also use caulk and silicone sealer that will expand and remain flexible with your concrete foundation's natural movement to fill in the seams and cracks present.
Contact a professional radon service to create a customized home radon mitigation system within your home. Additionally, they can install a radon detection meter for your home to measure your radon levels for long-term measurement and short-term readouts in your basement or lowest home level.
