Radon Mitigation Contractor

[ishoot308]

Can anyone recommend a radon air mitigation contractor in the Gilford area.

Has anyone had this done to their home and can you give me a rough idea what the cost was?

Thanks!

Dan

[brk-lnt]

My parents had this done to their home. It was 8 years ago and in Michigan, but the concepts are all the same.

Basically there is a hole cut into the basement floor with a pipe installed along with a sealed fan unit, and then some PVC (3", iirc) that goes up and exhausts outside ( there is some calculation for the exhaust location similar to a chimney calc). I think the whole kit/ install was like $900, maybe a little less.

I don't have any references of people doing this work in the lakes region, but relatively speaking it should be a simple and cheap process.

[camp guy]

First question: Has it been determined by a licensed air quality engineer that your home has a radon problem? Assuming the answer it "yes", then you will need to have a licensed radon mitigation specialist address the problem.

What brk-Int says is totally correct, but you need a licensed mitigation specialist to do it to cover you insurance-wise and Code-wise.

If it makes you feel any better, New Hampshire is VERY high in residential radon cases simply because NH is very high in radon.

Good Luck.

[ishoot308]

Camp Guy;

Thanks for your response.

The high readings were taken by a NH licensed Home Inspector that I hired. Samples of air and water were taken and sent to a certified lab. Air samples came in at 13.1 in finished basement and 7.2 in first floor living area. Well water came in somewhere around 2400 pci/L. While the water reading really isn't bad, NH recommends mitigation at any reading over 2000 while Massachusetts says 10,000 (go figure)! Nationally a standard has not been set by the EPA so each state makes their own recommendation. Anyway for my own personal peace of mind I am having both taken care of.

I'm not sure what insurance or code has to do with this since New Hampshire law does not mandate radon testing or mitigation during real estate transactions. This is something I had done on my own and not required by anyone.

Dan

[codeman671]

Air mitigation is rather cheap however water mitigation can get pricey.

Did you buy something else in the lakes region Dan?

[SIKSUKR]

Here's a nice little Q&A for radon in water.If it were me I would take a look at the radon levels in your water and decide if a water mitigation system is really needed.
http://www.wpb-radon.com/radon_in_water_information.html#air to water

[Just Sold]

Camp Guy;

Thanks for your response.

The high readings were taken by a NH licensed Home Inspector that I hired. Samples of air and water were taken and sent to a certified lab. Air samples came in at 13.1 in finished basement and 7.2 in first floor living area. Well water came in somewhere around 2400 pci/L. While the water reading really isn't bad, NH recommends mitigation at any reading over 2000 while Massachusetts says 10,000 (go figure)! Nationally a standard has not been set by the EPA so each state makes their own recommendation. Anyway for my own personal peace of mind I am having both taken care of.

I'm not sure what insurance or code has to do with this since New Hampshire law does not mandate radon testing or mitigation during real estate transactions. This is something I had done on my own and not required by anyone.

Dan

I have seen a situation where the radon in the water was extremely high at >60k pci/L and the radon in the water was the source of a high (>4 pci/L) radon air reading so I would fix the water for sure. Once the radon in the water was addressed the radon air was below the max of 4 pci/L.
I was told that any radon value in the air will change depending upon the atmospheric pressure, how air tight the house is and the time of year.

[ishoot308]

I found a contractor and I am having both air and water issues mitigated. Since no amount of radon is considered "good for you" the question then becomes how much risk are you willing to take? For me and my family, it's short money to have the house 100% radon free.

Thanks!!

Dan

[Merrymeeting]

I found a contractor and I am having both air and water issues mitigated. Since no amount of radon is considered "good for you" the question then becomes how much risk are you willing to take? For me and my family, it's short money to have the house 100% radon free.

Thanks!!

Dan

Hi Dan,

Assuming you completed the install and now have 6+ months to review, can you let us know how things worked out? I may need to hire someone too.

[Just Sold]

Camp Guy;

Thanks for your response.

The high readings were taken by a NH licensed Home Inspector that I hired. Samples of air and water were taken and sent to a certified lab. Air samples came in at 13.1 in finished basement and 7.2 in first floor living area. Well water came in somewhere around 2400 pci/L. While the water reading really isn't bad, NH recommends mitigation at any reading over 2000 while Massachusetts says 10,000 (go figure)! Nationally a standard has not been set by the EPA so each state makes their own recommendation. Anyway for my own personal peace of mind I am having both taken care of.

I'm not sure what insurance or code has to do with this since New Hampshire law does not mandate radon testing or mitigation during real estate transactions. This is something I had done on my own and not required by anyone.

Dan

You could find that the Radon Air would improve to an acceptable level after the water Radon is corrected. I have seen this happen in homes before. Your water Radon is not that high though. I have seen a Radon water value of 150000+ in a home in Atkinson, NH and it was causing the air to fail as well. They corrected the water and the air was then fine.
Radon Air mitigation should also include sealing of the foundation floor to prevent Radon penetration in the future.

[ishoot308]

Hi Dan,

Assuming you completed the install and now have 6+ months to review, can you let us know how things worked out? I may need to hire someone too.

Hi Merrymeeting;

Everything worked out great!! 99% of all previous radon was eliminated after mitigation which included water and air.

I had Derek from "All Pumps and Filters" (603) 463-8930 do all the work. I have known him for a few years as he has installed a couple water softening / filtration systems for me on previous homes. I had no idea he also did radon mitigation until I called him for a recommendation. Derek has done work all over the lakes region and for a few condo associations on the lake.

Derek does excellent work at a very fair price. He did a great job hiding much of the PVC vent piping and what is exposed looks professional and is not unsightly.

I am very pleased that I had this taken care of and couldn't be happier with the work by All Pumps and Filters.

Good Luck!

Dan

[ApS]

"...Since no amount of radon is considered "good for you" the question then becomes how much risk are you willing to take...?

While looking for the marketing behind "granite dust" in gardening, I stumbled into the below—here's a screen-shot:

[Kamper]

I'm glad to hear the situation was satisfactorily resolved. It's good to have something like this resolved when the house is not on the market so you won't have to fix it 'under the gun.'

My house passed the radon test when I bought it but the inspector and I were talking and he said sometimes painting/sealing exposed foundation walls and floors will reduce the amount of radon and moisture that get in. I have gradually achieved this with my renovation efforts. I haven't re-tested for radon but the de-humidifier makes less water now. Less than a 1/2 bucket instead of a full one per day. I could probably do without the dehumidifier now but I have a lot of stuff being stored and I prefer it to be dry.

Obviously a person with a finished basement would not want to re-build just to slap on some paint. For those situations the ventilator is likely going to be the most cost-effective solution but for an unfinished cellar it is probably worth the effort.

Good luck!

[ishoot308]

Where 99% of radon air can be mitigated for a little over a thousand dollars, to me it was a no brainer!

Dan