Radon in a Slab Home?

As I help people buy and sell homes in the Dayton, OH area the single biggest misconception I run across is people believing that radon is only a potential problem on homes with a basement.  This is FALSE!  The second highest radon level I’ve personally seen was in a ranch home with a slab. Radon is heavier than air so the highest concentration will be in the lowest level of the house. So, if there is a basement that’s where we test but that does not mean you can’t have it in a house with a crawl space or one built on a slab.  

Radon comes from the decay of uranium which is naturally occurring in the ground. As the uranium decays, if off-gases radon which is a cancer causing radioactive gas which when inhaled at certain levels can cause cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer just behind smoking.  

The fix is pretty simple and involves installing a pvc pipe beneath the floor of the home that has a fan that runs 24/7. This gentle vacuum pulls the radon up and exhausts it outside rather than allowing it to build-up inside. The system generally runs about $1200.00 to install and costs about $50.00 per year to run. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions that come to mind surrounding home inspections and more.