Mitigating Radon Is Important

Radon is a naturally-occurring gas. It is colorless, odorless, and radioactive. It can seep into your basement from underground, and you might not even know you have it until it's too late to do anything about it. One way to make sure that you know if and when you have radon is to use a radon detector that you place in your basement. If it detects any radon, it will go off, and you will be able to deal with it. It doesn't matter if you are in an area that has a history of radon or not. Having an alarm is a smart thing to do. The most basic radon mitigation comes down to ventilation and clearing out the radon gas. There are different ways that residential radon mitigation can happen. 

Passive Mitigation

With passive radon mitigation, there really aren't any moving parts to the system. These systems work because pressure differentials and air currents are created so that fresh air is moved into the space while the radon gas is moved out. Generally, a passive mitigation system is installed when your house is being built, and it may include a membrane to help keep the radon out. Passive systems are generally inconspicuous because they are built into the house. A passive system can be activated, if necessary, if you start to have high radon levels in your house. 

Active Mitigation

An active mitigation system will start adding in moving parts. Generally, that means that an exhaust fan of some sort is added to the system. Usually, that means installing a pipe that will run from the basement to the roof. A fan will then be added to suck out all the radon and blow it out into the atmosphere while bringing in the fresh air. It's generally obvious that you have an active mitigation system installed if you had to have one retrofitted to your house. If you live in a radon-prone area, you can have it installed during the building phase to be less conspicuous and fit in better with your entire house. 

It can be dangerous to have radon in your house. If you are worried that you might have radon problems, you should call in a mitigation specialist so that they can check out your house. Once they have checked out your house, they can suggest some mitigation solutions for you and help keep you and your house safe.