Radon Basement Levels First Floor Difference

How does it get in.

Radon basement levels first floor difference.

The highest concentration of radon tends to be found in the basement or on the first floor. The radon levels on all three floors were measured simultaneously. In that case radon remediation is forced on you. 3 to 5 pci l on the first floor and 11 to 13 pci l in the upstairs bedrooms.

Radon enters buildings through cracks in the foundations and or basement walls unsealed joints and utility chases. To this end the us epa has set an action level of 4 pci l. Surprisingly we find that the second floor typically has more radon than the first. It was done when the weather was cold enough to be sure all windows were likely to be closed.

Below that level the house tends to draw air in. Here s a question i get a lot do we need a radon system installed in our basement. About one in every 15 homes is thought to have high levels of radon. Each measurement was in the same horizontal place near the center of the building.

The first floor was 7 3 pci l. The 2nd floor was 6 7 and the 3rd was 9 2. The unfinished basement radon level was slightly above 4 pci l the first floor was lower at just above 2 pci l and one of the second floor bedrooms tested at above 8 pci l. By the way if you let a skunk loose in your basement you d smell it.

How to test your home for radon it s. Caulking basement floor cracks coating basement walls or floors with waterproofing compounds sealing the tops of open drains installing caps on sump pump holes and covering bare crawlspace floors with plastic are a few techniques that can dramatically lower radon levels. Radon act 51 passed by congress set the natural outdoor level of radon gas 0 4 pci l as the target radon level for indoor radon levels. Above it the tendency is to exhale.

And if they do they normally have ventilation thereby bringing down the risk of radon exposure immensely. Staying out of the basement doesn t matter if your furnace fan is running even occasionally. The us epa was tasked with setting practical guidelines and recommendations for the nation. Unfortunately two thirds of all homes exceed this level.

Thus the basement is drawing in radon the first floor is drawing fresh air and the upper floor is receiving and expelling a mixture of the two. This is because the neutral pressure plane is typically about halfway up the wall on the top floor. The only real worry is if the levels of gas are really high and you inhabit the basement. And to this i say let s test and find out there is an ongoing controversy surrounding the topic of radon levels in basements and the need to mitigate the levels of radon gas present in your basement.

There is a natural level of radon in the ambient air estimated at about 0 4 pc l but what we are more concerned about is concentrated levels of radon indoors.