What is Radon?
Have you heard of a little thing called radon? It’s not such a little thing because it kills about 21,000 people a year on average. Radon isn’t something to fear because when handled correctly, it can be dealt with. But it is something to respect and be aware of. Let’s talk about it!
Radon is a natural gas that comes from rocks and minerals. It’s a gas that then moves around in the air. As it rises, it disintegrates outside which is a good thing! Where it becomes dangerous is when radon enters into builds and homes through leaks, crawl spaces, and basements. In buildings, it’s trapped and cannot disintegrate which then creates lung cancer over the long term.
You can’t see radon, smell it, and there are not any short term illnesses that come from it, but long term it creates lung cancer which is where the 21,000 deaths come from. Because you cannot see or smell it, that’s where the danger of it comes in. Home owners don’t even realize it’s in their house and affecting their health.
What to do with Radon
So, how do we know if your home has radon? You have a specific radon test completed. This is a simple service you can order through several home inspection companies which generally cost around $150. These companies have a special device they set up in your home for 48 hours and it essential reads your radon levels for two days straight to take the total average.
If you have a reading at 4 PCi or below, you are considered in the safe zone and do not need to do anything different. But if it’s above level 4, that’s when you need to have a radon mitigation system installed. This system generally costs between $1,000-$2,000 depending on the size of your home.
Mitigation Systems
The company (a radon mitigation company) can install it within a day. It’s placed in your basement or crawl space and it essentially sucks the radon into the system through a fan that’s constantly running. It then runs the gas outside of your home to release in the air! This system is what keeps your home completely safe to live in because the mitigation system is working at all times on your behalf.
Because radon comes from rocks, it’s safe to say rocky areas in the states are where you will find more dangerous levels. I live in Colorado Springs also known as the rocky mountains and this is why each home transaction I do I require clients to have this inspection. Each home will vary if it has dangerous levels or not and it’s important for every home to be tested unless there is already a mitigation system installed.
Looking for more information about Colorado Springs living? Visit my YouTube channel here. If you’re looking to make a move, I’d love to help you out with your move. Schedule a call with me here!
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