• Weeping drain tiles, if draining to an open sump pump
  
• Mortar joints
  
• Uncapped foundations that are hollow block
  
• Loose fitting pipe penetrations​
  

Benefits of A Radon Mitigation System

We Test for Radon!

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540-886-0004

There are several ways that contribute to the change in negative air pressure.

Downwind Draft Effect-When strong winds blow around your home, they create a vacuum causing a change in a home’s air pressure.

Vacuum Effect-Hot water heaters, fireplaces, vents, furnaces, exhaust fans or any other type of combustion appliance, can all remove significant amounts of air from your home.

Once the indoor air is depleted, outdoor air is the replacement, and it often comes from the ground below your house.

Stack Effect-When warm air rises inside your home and is replaced by denser, cooler outside air from the soil, radon comes in.

As a general rule, whenever air enters your home from underlying soil, radon comes with it.​

Types of Homes Prone To Radon

There are three different types of radon mitigation systems.

1. Sub-Slab Suction System--This is the most common type

2. Sub-Membrane Suction System--Used in crawl spaces

3. Heat Recovery Ventilation System--This is for very specialized issues with radon

Benefits of Hiring Augusta Exterminating for Radon Removal

We Test for Radon!

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540-886-0004

Radon is created by the natural breakdown of uranium found in soil. Because radon is unstable, it decays continuously until it becomes a stable element, lead.

During this process, it forms radium, which in turn, disintegrates into the radioactive gas known as radon.

Radon moves up through the ground and into the air we breathe. If a house or workplace is not properly ventilated, radon silently accumulates, wreaking havoc on your health.

Because no two homes are the same, indoor radon levels vary. There are, however, two factors that decide how much radon accumulates in your house:

• Pathways
• Air pressure
  

Radon Mitigation System and Appearance

Factors That Change A Home’s Air Pressure

What Is Radon?

Get Your Home Radon Tested

How Indoor Air Pressure Affects Radon Levels

Bottom line: One of the big factors for choosing the right radon mitigation system is your house design.

The air pressure in your home is called negative air pressure because it is lower than the pressure surrounding the air and soil.

The combination of the two creates a vacuum which pulls soil gases into your home through radon pathways.

Even if the ground around your house is soaked by rain or is frozen, the soil below your home stays warm and permeable, and that’s what attracts radon.

Radon is a radioactive gas that causes cancer. It’s formed by uranium breakdown in the earth. When it is inhaled, the radioactive particles damage the cells lining the wall of the lung.

The annual cost of radon-contracted lung cancer is $2 billion. Primarily, people contract radon through their homes and buildings in which they live and work.

Prolonged exposure to low levels of radon is just as lethal as short exposure to high radon levels. That’s because the human body has no tolerance for radon exposure. ​

Radon gas is a colorless, odorless killer that is undetectable except through testing.

Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General’s Office have estimated that 20,000 people contract lung cancer as a result of direct exposure to radon each year.

You cannot see, taste, or even smell radon. And yet, it may be a problem in your home.

If you’re a smoker and your home has high radon levels, your risks of radon-induced cancer are very high. 

Congress passed Radon Act 51, which uses the naturally occurring outdoor levels of radon gas, 4 pCi/L, as the target number for acceptable levels of indoor radon levels. However, ⅔ of all homes exceed this acceptability level.

If you have radon levels at this level or higher, the EPA recommends corrective action. Unfortunately, if you have radon in your home that’s below the  4 pCi/L, it doesn’t mean the radon level is acceptable, either.

Safe Levels of Radon

• Well water
  
• Floor/wall joints
  
• Cracks in slabs of concrete
  
• Soil exposed by a sump or by a crawl space
  
• ​Building materials such as rock, concrete, brick
  

Regardless of foundation type, radon can be a problem in any home!

It enters through concrete cracks, floor-to-wall joints, concrete joints, and more. If people live in the basement area of a house, radon exposure can be quite high.

Slab-on-grade foundations, like basements, offer many openings for radon to easily enter. The same is true for crawl spaces, vented and sealed. These, too, can have elevated levels of radon.

If you have your home tested for radon, and the results are positive, it’s time for action.

Certified radon technicians use several methods to lower radon levels in your home.

Some of these techniques prevent radon from entering your house, while others focus on reducing radon levels after it has entered your home.
 

How Radon Causes Cancer

We Test for Radon!

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540-886-0004

Radon, Staunton, VA

Generally, the mitigation system can be installed so that it doesn’t affect how the house looks or how the family uses their home.

And if your system needs to be serviced? Our radon reduction systems will alert you.

Once the problem is corrected, test the system 24 hours later to be sure radon levels have once again reduced. 

We Test for Radon!

Call Augusta Exterminating today.

540-886-0004

We Can Help!

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, with cigarette smoking the primary cause.

Types of Radon Mitigation Systems

How Radon Gets Into Your Home

Radon pathways are the routes that are taken to get into your home.

Some of these pathways may surprise you.

The absolute best benefit of a radon mitigation system is dramatically reducing your risk of developing lung cancer. Once the system is installed, 24 hours later it’s doing its job, maintaining low radon levels.

Another potential benefit is the possible reduction in humidity levels in your basement. Radon mitigation systems reduce moist soil air along with the infiltration of radon.

And finally, if you’re thinking of selling your home, it’s best to correct the problem of radon before placing your home on the market. Everyone reaps the benefit!
 

We Test for Radon!

Call Augusta Exterminating today.

540-886-0004

Often, a simple system works fine for reducing radon by using underground pipes and an exhaust fan. This will remove radon from below the concrete floor as well as the foundation before it can enter your home.

There are also similar systems that can be installed in houses with crawl spaces. 
Another way is sealing all cracks or any other openings in walls and floors. This limits the flow of radon while reducing the loss of conditioned air.

The EPA doesn’t recommend just sealing alone to get rid of radon. Sealing as a stand alone method has not been shown to be effective in reducing radon. As your house settles over the years, it creates new pathways and possibly opens up old ones.

However, sealing combined with the other radon reducing techniques are more cost-efficient and more effective overall.

 

Because radon gas is an unstable atom, it decays. As you breathe, you’ll breathe in both the radon decay products as well as the radon itself. Only the decayed radon products stick to lung tissue, which greatly increases the risk of lung cancer.

At Augusta Exterminating, we are professionally certified radon technicians.

We use extremely accurate equipment such as a radon monitor for accurate radon gas testing.

This devices measures and analyzes radon in the air every hour for a 48-hour period.

You can also take the DIY approach and buy a radon test kit. You can find these kits at local hardware stores and online.

Whether you choose to test yourself or have Augusta Exterminating do it, have us professionally install your radon mitigation system.

We design custom solutions for removing dangerous levels of radon from your home.

Call Augusta Exterminating for radon testing and radon mitigation.

540-886-0004

540-886-0004

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