What You Need To Know About Radon In Your Home

Radon in your home is something that you may never think about, but its presence can significantly endanger your family. Radon gas is toxic and is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. If you do have radon gas in your home, you may not know it. Radon gas is odorless and invisible. This is why monitoring for radon in your home is so crucial. You may not know it's there until the damage is already underway. Here are three things you need to know about radon in your home and what to do about it.

How It Gets There

The first thing that you should know about radon gas is that it occurs naturally, and there's no way to avoid it entirely. Radon gas is produced when radioactive metals break down in soil, rocks, and groundwater. It can then enter your home through small cracks and other openings. What you do want to avoid are high enough levels of radon that can harm you and your family. There are a few ways to detect and mitigate radon in your home.

How To Detect It

The first step to dealing with radon gas is to determine if it is present in harmful amounts. The easiest way to do this is by using a radon testing kit to check the levels in your home. However, the most effective way to detect radon is to hire a pro to do the inspection. On average, a home testing kit will cost between $10 and $30, while a professional radon inspection ranges anywhere from $144 to $724. The larger your home, the more a professional inspection will cost.

How Much Mitigation Costs

If there is an unsafe level of radon gas in your home, you will need to seek out residential radon mitigation. There are a few options to choose from when it comes to residential radon mitigation systems. The two most commonly used mitigation systems are depressurization and lower-level pressurization. Both options remove the gas from your home and deposit it away from the home. On average, residential radon mitigation will cost you anywhere from $773 to $1,179.

Radon gas is something that every homeowner needs to look for in their homes. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can enter the home even through tiny openings. While in small amounts, it's not hazardous. It can cause cancer at higher levels. Testing for radon in your home and keeping an eye on radon levels is vital. If you find a dangerous level of radon in your home, you will need to take steps to mitigate it.