Before Your Close Your Home Up For Winter – Get a Radon Kit For your Iowa Home

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Why Use Radon Kits Iowa Before Winter?

Radon Kits Iowa Options for Winter

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can cause serious health issues for you and your family. If you live in Iowa, your chances of being exposed to radon are especially high, since Iowa homes tend to have relatively high levels of radon compared to other states. Because radon is undetectable to humans, it is important that you have your home professionally tested for radon. This is especially important to do before the winter time, when you close up your home.

Most homeowners are not aware that radon levels in homes can increase in winter due to the greater stack-effect in the home (the warm air rises to the top of the home, where it escapes – it is then replaced by radon-laden air from the soil below). Radon also cannot rise though frozen ground as easily. This means that it will push through the warmer ground under your foundation. Poorer ventilation in the wintertime can also increase home radon levels.

All of these are important reasons to have your home tested for elevated radon levels. How should you have your home tested? A good way to start the radon-testing process is to purchase a home radon test kit. Ameriserv Radon Mitigation can provide you with DIY radon test kits Iowa to determine how much radon is present in your home.

The Radon Kits Iowa Home Testing Procedure

When administering a DIY radon test in your Iowa home, it is important to realize that although these radon kits are a great way to check short term radon levels in your home, they are not entirely conclusive. If you find that the test kit shows a high radon level, it is best to follow the DIY test with a professional radon test to determine the severity of the problem and come up with a solution.

 

How do radon test kits work? There are a few important steps to using the radon kits Iowa in your home:

  1. Close off the home: Making sure that all of your windows and doors are closed will ensure that the test kit gives you an accurate result.
  2. Placing the detector: When you place the detector, be sure that it is somewhere where it will not be bothered or moved for the 48 hour duration of the radon test.
  3. Read directions: Because all radon test kits are a little different, it is important to carefully read the directions and then follow them as exactly as possible for the best results.
  4. Send the detector: After the test, you will probably have to send the radon detector off to a lab in order to get the results.

Thinking about purchasing a radon test kit for your Iowa home? Ameriserv provides radon testing home kits for just $15.00. We can also provide short-term and long-term radon testing as well as mitigation system installation if necessary after you complete the DIY radon home test kit. Contact us today to find out more.

Should You Cancel a Home Sale if Radon is Present?

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Should High Radon Levels Cancel a Home Sale?

Cancelling Home Sales for High Radon Levels in IowaIf you are buying a home in Iowa, make sure that you are aware of the dangers that high radon levels pose. This colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among people who do not smoke. Radon is a gas that naturally decays from uranium in the soil under your home. This silent killer can seep through cracks in your foundation and basement to enter your home. If the home that you are buying has high levels of radon, you should think carefully about what your next move is.

Whenever you are buying a home in a state that has particularly high radon levels, like Iowa, it is important to have the home tested. If the homeowner has not already had the home recently tested for radon levels, you may want to see if you can pay to have a short-term radon test administered. This kind of radon test usually involves placing a radon collecting device in the home for a period of time and then having it tested at a lab to determine radon levels. These tests are good because they only take around 2-7 days. If the short-term radon test shows extremely high levels of radon, you may want to consider having a long-term test completed for more accurate results.

Should You Buy a Home with High Radon Levels in Iowa?

New Home Radon Inspection in Iowa

If you find that the home you are about to purchase has elevated radon levels, there are a couple of different steps that you can take:

  1. It is important that you check the contract to see if high radon levels are a legitimate reason to cancel the sale. Be sure that your purchase offer has the proper inspection contingency that will let you cancel the sale of you are unsatisfied with inspection or test results.
  2. Have the home tested for radon levels if it has not already been done. This is especially important if you are buying a home in Iowa,  where radon levels are notoriously high.
  3. If your contract does allow you to cancel the sale, and the extremely high radon levels concern you, you may want to cancel the sale. Be aware though, that most elevated radon levels can be greatly reduced by installing a radon mitigation system.
  4. If you choose to go on with the sale despite high radon levels, it is important to invest in radon mitigation as soon as possible. This can be done by investing in a radon mitigation system from Ameriserv Radon Mitigation of Iowa.

Contact Ameriserv today for solutions to the high radon levels in your new Iowa home.

Can Weather Affect Radon Levels?

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Effects of Weather on Radon Levels in Iowa

Most homeowners are not aware of the fact that weather patterns can influence the radon levels in their homes. Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is a major contributing factor in lung cancer among people in Iowa. It is considered the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, and radon levels in Iowa are particularly high. However, many people do not realize that severe weather situations can put them at an even higher risk of radon exposure. It is important to have your home tested for radon and to have any radon taken care of as soon as possible.

While radon levels vary greatly from home to home, even if the homes are close together, there are a couple of different weather situations that can cause higher radon levels in your home:

  • Effects of Weather on Radon LevelsDrought/Heat: When the ground is much drier than normal, it causes the water table to lower significantly. This exposes deeper layers of the ground, where more radon gas decays from uranium in the soil. This gas can seep into homes through cracks in the ground and in the foundation. Also, closed windows and air conditioning turned on generally provide less ventilation to remove radon.
  • Winter Weather: During the cold winters in Iowa, radon levels in your home can rise. This is due to the fact there is a greater stack effect in the wintertime (warm air rising and escaping the home to be replaced with new air often, from the soil below), and due to the fact that the radon cannot rise through the frozen ground in the yard and so is pushed up through the warmer soil directly beneath your home. Also, homes have poorer ventilation in the winter due to closed windows.
  • Wet Conditions: When the ground is wet, more radon is able to move quickly to the surface of the ground, where it can seep through foundation cracks into your home. In addition, windows are normally closed more during rainy or wet conditions, which cuts down on ventilation that helps radon leave the home.

Iowa Solutions to Effects of Weather on Radon Levels

Whether these conditions are occurring outside or not, it is important to have your home tested for radon. Testing your home and implementing a radon mitigation system will greatly reduce chances of health problems that are often caused by prolonged exposure to radon. Once you have the proper radon mitigation system in your home, you will not have to worry so much about weather conditions causing high levels of radon in your home and the negative effects of weather on radon levels.

While it is important to test for radon, the EPA recommends avoiding administering radon tests during storms, high winds, and other kinds of weather conditions that might affect radon levels. Severe winds and rainy conditions can temporarily affect radon levels in your home, leading to an inaccurate test result.

Contact Ameriserv Radon Mitigation for short-term and long-term radon testing as well as radon mitigation in your Iowa home.

Radon in Your Home? Don’t Panic! We know what to do.

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How To Test Your Home For Radon

If you are concerned about high radon levels in your home, here’s what you can do.Radon testing Carroll Iowa

First of all, don’t panic! Although radon is dangerous, it is very easy to get rid of. You can do at-home testing as well as hire a professional to take care of it for you. Radon is found in most Iowa homes. It is everywhere, you can’t avoid it, but you can get rid of it over time.

Here is how to test your home for radon. You can start with a do-it-yourself test. You can purchase a radon test kit from almost any hardware store or your local health department. It is wise to perform multiple tests as one test may not be accurate. Radon levels tend to fluctuate, so you may want to do more than one test over a period of time to find the average radon level in your home.

If your first test comes back with levels between 4 and 8 pCi/L, you should immediately follow up with another test. If you need quick results, a short term test can take 2-7 days. Long term tests can take from 3 months to a year, which will give you the most accurate results if you are willing to wait that long. The higher your levels, the sooner you should test again. You can also have a professional inspector come in and test the radon levels in your home.

After you have tested for radon various times and have a good average number of the radon levels in your home, it’s time to get it properly treated. You will want to hire a professional, well-trained, and licensed mitigation contractor to remove radon from your home. If you are on a budget and a true “do-it-yourselfer”, there are resources online published by professionals that you can use. If this interests you, check out Infeltec INC.

Inspect for Radon Before Selling Your Home

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Selling Your Home & Inspecting for Radon

Radon is a colorless and odorless deadly gas that is attributed to be the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers. This deadly substance has made its way into more than half of the homes in Iowa, although many homeowners may be unaware of its inconspicuous entrance. It is accountable for 20,000 to 25,000 deaths per year in the United States, and can cause physical and mental issues in the development of infants and young children. Not only is radon extremely hazardous to you and your family’s health, but it can may influence your potential to sell your home.

Researchers on this radioactive gas have noticed that it can be found in new and old homes alike. Whether your home has insulation or not, a basement or not, it is still prone to radon entrance. Sometimes, there are extremely high levels of radon in a new home, but none found in an old one. So as you can see, the age of your home does not affect the radon level. Rather, it is completely dependent on the soil underneath your home. Radon occurs naturally when uranium is broken down in the soil, and then enters through any cracks or openings in your foundation. If the inside of your home has a lower air pressure than the soil outside, your home will be more apt to take in radon. Radon can also be released in water through your sink or shower, though this is not as high of a risk as when it comes through the soil. Rarely, your granite or concrete can give off radon.

Will High Radon Levels Influence Potential Buyers?

Selling your home and radon detection

When it comes to real estate, it is important to inspect for radon before selling your home. Potential buyers in Iowa should be aware that radon is a major current issue in most homes. Make sure there is a mutual understanding between you and your potential buyer about how radon levels will be taken care of.

Depending on your state’s disclosure laws, you may be required to include your home’s radon levels in your sale disclosure. If you have not had your home tested for radon, and levels come up high in the home inspection, your potential buyers may have the right to cancel if they are not satisfied with the results. In this case, in order to save the deal, you may have to pay for the radon to be removed or make a mutual agreement with your potential buyer on splitting the difference. If your potential buyers walk away from the contract, you will be obligated to include radon levels in your next sale disclosure, which may turn away other potential buyers.

Fortunately, it isn’t very challenging to get rid of high radon levels, although it may be expensive. Typically, it will cost 1,000 to 2,000 to have radon removal equipment installed by a professional. It may be wise to take care of radon levels in your home and include what you spent in your asking price before listing your home. A home that is radon-clear will be very attractive to a potential buyer and can allow for a smoother process.

How to Test Your Iowa Home for Radon

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How does a Radon test Work?

Since radon is an odorless and colorless gas, many people who have it in their homes may not realize it. Radon is extremely harmful, and it is suggested by the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as the US Surgeon General that every home in America be tested for radon, below the third level.

Short Term & Long Term Tests

The quickest and easiest way to test your home for radon is through a short term test. Some of the most common tests are called: Charcoal canisters, alpha tracks, electret ion chambers, continuous monitors, and charcoal liquid scintillation detectors. The only downside of short-term tests is that you cannot accurately detect the average radon level in your home throughout the year, but it works well if you need fast results to get an idea of whether your home may have a radon problem or not.

While short-term tests usually last a few days to a couple of months, long-term tests will take more than three months to complete. Alpha tracks and electret ion chambers are the most frequently used long-term tests. It is recommended by the EPA to first take a short-term radon test, and follow up with a long-term test if radon levels showed to be high.homeradon

In preparation for a radon test, you should keep your exterior doors and windows closed twelve hours beforehand. Choose a room to conduct the test in, one that is regularly used by you and your household, but not the bathroom or the kitchen. Find a place about 20 inches above the ground where you can keep the radon test kit for the instructed period of time without it being moved or disturbed. When the allotted time is over, seal your radon kit and send it to the lab. You can expect your results to return to you in a couple of weeks.

To learn how Ameriserv can help you test your home for radon, click here.

Radon: Iowa’s Dangerous Home Intruder

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How Does Radon Enter Your Iowa Home?

Radon is a radioactive gas that occurs naturally by uranium breakdown in soil, water, and rock. The most common way that radon can enter a home is through soil that lies around the foundation. Soil tends to carry a higher air pressure than the inside of a home does, and because of this, a house will absorb radon that is in the soil through holes and cracks in the foundation. Unfortunately, virtually any home is prone to radon entrance. Old or new, basement or no basement, it is estimated that one out of fifteen homes in the US has an elevated level of radon.

Radon in your Iowa Home
Another way that radon can find its way into your home is through water sources. Surface water won’t typically raise an issue; it’s ground water sources that are more likely to produce radon. For example, a private well or any other system that sources from ground water.

The last way that radon can get into your home is through granite, concrete, and other building materials. Although they can sometimes give off radon, they don’t run a high risk of causing it.

The most prominent routes for radon to enter include:

1. Pores and gaps in concrete slabs and foundations
2. Cracks in walls and floors
3. Floor-wall joints
4. Exposed soil (in a crawlspace)
5. Mortar joints
6. Well water
7. Building materials: brick, concrete, rock
8. Open tops of block walls
9. Service pipes that fit loosely

To read more about radon and the effects it can have in your home, check out our FAQ page. There is also additional information on the EPA website.

Iowa Radon Abatement: A Guide to Radon Reduction

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Getting Rid of Radon Gas in Iowa

Radon gas is a dangerous radioactive gas that is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Iowa is known to be the state with the highest average levels of radon gas. It is also naturally-occurring. It is created through the decomposition of uranium and rises through the soil into homes, businesses, churches, and schools through cracks in the foundation. Radon gas can cause health issues, including lung cancer. Radon gas is the second most leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. It takes the lives of 21,000 people per year.

Radon Abatement in Iowa from Ameriserv

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The best and only way to tell if your home has high levels of radon is through radon testing. If your home is found to have high enough levels of radon, radon abatement is the next step. There are a variety of ways to decrease high levels of radon, in fact, the EPA cites 13 different methods to lower radon levels. The basic idea is to ventilate the home so that radon gas can escape, where it then becomes harmless. We here at Ameriserv can use sub-slab suction, which is one of the methods that the EPA cites. It is one of the most successful forms of radon abatement, reducing radon levels from 50 up to 99 percent.

If your home, business, church, or school is found to have high levels of radon gas, do not hesitate when considering radon mitigation. Do not wait until someone is sick. Contact us today to learn more about our radon testing and radon mitigation methods. Our service area covers all of Iowa, including Des Moines, Davenport, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Carroll. We are fully licensed and insured for all projects in Iowa. We want to hear from you! Give us a call today!