Radon vent pipe (appointed, new house, neighborhood)

[allen25ham]

Hello...We recently moved to a new home and we found out (from our neighbors) that the radon gas vent pipe hasn't been installed in our homes. My neighbor did the test and the level was 4, so he called the builders and reported the issue. After so many calls and emails, they finally came and installed. Now, after knowing this issue, we called the builders and reported the issue as well. Absolutely no answers, not hearing back from them at all. We live in Loudoun county btw! I've never heard of radon gas before, but now reading about it on the net makes me really nervous and I would be of peace if they install it. Well..I'm still calling them..trying my luck!

Anyone heard about this before? any suggestions?

[kww]

have you done a radon test? if your neighbors home came back at a four, it doesn't necessarily mean yours will..

[airjay75]

It is very common in this area to have to install a radon mitigation system. I just bought a house myself, tested for radon before closing, and asked the seller to install a radon mitigation system and re-test as a condition to close. I believe our test had come back at 4.6.

Not sure how it works with buying a newly built home - I imagine it depends on your contract. If the builder won't pay to install it, there are plenty of companies who will install it for you. My understanding is that the cost to install a system can range from roughly $800 to $2,000.

Also, if you haven't actually tested in your home, you may not necessarily have a problem. Radon is one of those things where you neighbor can have unacceptable levels, but your house may be completely fine.

[PariNeeta]

Rodon is common here. So get the house tested. If you the 'passive' in place,it costs $ 800 otherwise little more.

[allen25ham]

Thanks all! I'm planning to go buy the test kit first. Thanks all for the inputs!

[Fundman]

The whole radon testing is kind of odd. One house will have the vent pipe but none of their neighbors will. Since the radon is coming from the ground if one house has it then most likely every other house in the area would as well. Either the whole thing is a racket to scare people about a tiny risk or 99 percent of the people who are at risk are oblivious.

[airjay75]

Originally Posted by Fundman

The whole radon testing is kind of odd. One house will have the vent pipe but none of their neighbors will. Since the radon is coming from the ground if one house has it then most likely every other house in the area would as well. Either the whole thing is a racket to scare people about a tiny risk or 99 percent of the people who are at risk are oblivious.

I'm far from an expert on radon, but I've been told that one house can have high radon levels while the neighbor might not (and I'm sure many people choose not to worry about it at all). It all depends on the earth underneath your particular house. I've also read that the only way to get truly accurate radon testing done is to do a long term test - on the order of 6 months - I think most people settle for a 2-day test every so often. And, even when you get a radon mitigation system installed, you are supposed to retest every few years to make sure your system is still properly working.

As far as the health risks, I think there is a formula where living with certain levels of radon in your home is basically the equivalent of smoking so many packs of cigarettes a day. One website I saw said that a radon level of 15 (whatever the units are) is the equivalent of everyone in the house smoking a pack a day. The EPA has established 4 or less as the recommended safe level of radon in your house. I suppose whether you trust the EPA and radon testers is another question, but, for me, I don't see any reason to risk it when the cost of a mitigation system is pretty low - and, if you're buying a new house, just pay the extra couple hundred bucks to do the testing, and if it comes back high, ask the sellers to install a radon mitigation system.

[allen25ham]

Thanks airjay75 and other too! Finally the builders have come to terms with us and have accepted to install a radon vent pipe in our home. Now the qstn is when are they coming? LOL! I guess these are things you have to deal with when you buy a new home

[sullyguy]

...I suppose whether you trust the EPA and radon testers is another question...

Though it is moot because It's The Law, IMHO the entire Radon Scare is a bunch of hooey that WILL eventually be thrown out similar to the artificial sweetener scare.

Studying uranium ore miners and concluding the correlation between those miners, lung cancer, and radon means causation is The Root Of All Evil vis-a-vis radon...

[NC211]

Hi Allen! I concur with the others about Radon being quite common around here in general. The highest concentrations in the country are actually pretty close to us, in SE PA, so we get some here too. The basement areas, which are primarily underground, seem to be the highest concentration areas. Our old home in Chocago had radon too, and some really funky evac system in the basement to vent it. Worked very well with a fluid measuring system that would tell me what the levels were at any given time. Don't be surprised or disappointed if you have some in your house too, especially considering your basement is primarily underground.

Now, the builder - since we live in the same neighborhood, and I've been dealing with them a bit longer than you, I'll tell you that beyond delivery of the house and associated repairs due to errors and settling cracks, these guys are one of the worst to deal with, but please understand that they're all pretty much like this no matter what some survey says on a national level. They're a pain in the you know what! If I may offer some minimal advice that I've learned over the past 15 months with these guys - sanity comes at a cheaper price to hire a third party contractor to do your upgrades and repairs than it'll cost to haggle and chase around these idiots who built our homes in general. You'll talk to this person, that person, and the other person over and over again. But who will show up to do the work for the builder, will most likely be someone who could care less about you or your home. These guys don't pay their workers barely anything, and treat them like crap!