When To Test Your Home For Radon And How Testing Is Done

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas in the environment. It becomes a health hazard when the gas is trapped inside buildings and the levels increase enough to cause lung cancer. Since radon is a serious health risk, consider having your home tested so you know what the exposure level is for you and your family. You can't smell or see radon, and the only way to know if your home has a high level is through testing. Here's when to consider testing for radon and how to do it.

When You Should Test Your Home For Radon

You should have a house tested for radon before you first buy it. Some areas of the country have higher levels of radon than others, but it's still good to know the levels in your house since many factors affect how much radon builds up inside an enclosed space. It's also good to test your home periodically if you've lived in it for years.

You won't have any symptoms from radon exposure in the beginning. It usually takes years of breathing in the radioactive gas to affect your lungs and grow cancer. It's best to be proactive and test your home for radon so you can reduce your risk of lung cancer, especially since radon testing can be done with a DIY kit for a fairly low cost.

You may want to follow up with professional testing to confirm results of a home test, especially after you've finished a basement since radon exposure is often higher in basements and lower-level floors of a home. You should also retest for radon levels when you have foundation repairs done, put in attic ventilation, or get a new HVAC system since changes to your home can change the way radon builds up in your house.

How To Test Your Home For Radon

You can buy a home kit for radon testing, but when it comes to real estate transactions, a professional test is necessary. You'll also want professional testing done to verify a high DIY test result, to get a baseline reading for the house, and to monitor the radon levels if your levels are high.

Radon testing is done in different ways. There's a short test and a long test. The short test gives results for radon present over a few days of testing, while a long-term test measures radon levels over the course of a few months. A long test is more informative and gives you a better idea of your exposure since radon levels can vary with the seasons and the different ways you use your HVAC.

Radon tests can be active or passive. Passive tests collect samples that are analyzed later in a lab. Active tests use meters that monitor radon continuously over time.

After you've had your home tested for radon, you'll probably be anxious about the results. It's important to know that high levels of radon can be mitigated through different methods to reduce your exposure to the gas. Once you've had a mitigation system installed, have the radon testing company check the radon level again so you can see how much it's fallen and how much safer your home has become.

To learn more, contact a radon testing company.