Many builders today are building homes and saying they have Radon Systems installed.

  1. Wisconsin does not require radon system installers are licensed (yet) and many are not.
  2. Many builders save money by having their plumbers or HVAC installers install the systems.
  3. Many building/home/plumbing inspectors don’t know the code for installing radon systems.
  4. Some builders are including “Radon ready” systems which are incomplete and need to be completed (unaware to the homeowner).
  5. Some systems are Passive Radon Systems (no fan) and the homeowner thinks they have an Active System. Passive systems rely on the chimney or stacking effect, warm air rises and is replaced by cold air, this can help to pull/push the Radon from under the basement floor into the Radon pipe to exhaust it through the roof. Passive Systems can roughly be counted on to remove half the gas that would enter into the home IF INSTALLED CORRECTLY.
  6. Radon Test should be conducted once the house is completed and move in ready to ensure the test is accurate (closed house conditions are better maintained when it is finalized).

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Caption: A new home recently built in the Madison Area. The homeowner was told they had a Passive Radon system and performed a Radon Test on his own (no prompting from the builder). The results came back above the EPA threshold level of (4.0) pCi/L. After converting the Passive system into an Active Radon system Wisconsin Radon Services found the system to be installed improperly.

Problem 1: There was improper pipe slope on about 25 feet of the radon pipe in the attic. The improper pipe slope allowed about 15 gallons of water to accumulate in the pipe (when we fixed the pipe slope the 26 gallon sump pit filled over half way full of water).

Problem 2: The installer had put a reducer on the end of the 3″ pvc pipe so it would fit into the sump pit cover (instead of making the factory installed 1 1/2″ hole larger). This limited the amount of Radon gas which would go through the Radon system.

MAKE SURE YOUR RADON SYSTEM IS INSTALLED BY A CERTIFIED RADON INSTALLER. PLEASE CALL TODAY FOR A RADON SYSTEM INSPECTION.