My First Radon Test: Day 6
Mike Conte is coming by to remove my radon monitor today! I am very close to finding out my results and will share them with everyone soon.
But first, I got some really good questions on my first blog post, and I wanted to quickly answer them--thanks Jim and Robyn!
First, Jim asked: "Is that an outside wall where Mike placed your radon monitor? Cause I'm pretty sure that's not right."
You are absolutely correct Jim. If that had been an outside wall in my picture, that would have been a problem. There are very specific parameters for where a radon test can be placed for accurate results. That is an interior wall in my basement just separating the two storage spaces. It is actually considered an "object" and the monitor must be 4" away from it, which it is. I consulted our environmental guru, Martin Smith for some more details about device placement.
Here are all the parameters. The device must be at least:
20” above the floor
12” away from an external wall
36” away from any potential openings to the outside (doors/windows)
4” away from other objects (internal wall is considered an object)
48” from a heating source
12” below the ceiling (if hanging the device, try to get it in the 4 to 6 foot area)
Additional considerations…
Don’t place the device in:
Laundry room
Kitchen
Bathroom
Direct Sunlight
Path of a vent airflow
Next Robyn asked, "Is your monitor still in? Is it normal for a "simple" test to take this long?"
Yes Robyn, my test will be picked up today-day 6, and is currently still in my home. A 48 hour test, like that usually done in a real estate transaction, is a minimum standard. It can’t be any shorter than that. A longer test is always better because what we are trying to do is find out what the annual average level is. Basically, the longer the test, the more closely you’ll get to the annual average value. Of course, in a perfect world we would do a 365 day test!
I'm after the best results we can get and I have no restrictions on time, so I was shooting for a 4-day test, but basically just told Mike to pick it up at his convenience in between jobs, so today is the day.
I'm looking forward to sharing more info with everyone soon--keep the questions coming!
