Radon system in old house

rosieann · 08-20-2011, 07:48 AM

Hi.
I'm new here, not sure if this is the right site for this question. But here goes.
A friend of ours is helping us to put in a radon system in our old ( 56 Yrs.) house.( He has put in other systems and is very knowledgeable .)

We drilled a 4 inch hole thru the cement floor and discovered a terracotta french drain that goes around the whole perimeter of the inside of the house.So far so good,this should help draw radon from the other side of this 1200 sq. ft "L " shaped basement , right ? Wrong !

We find out the drain that is at the bottom of a integral driveway , that flows under the basement and has another drain from inside the basement attached to it , is also attached to this french drain. So the system might just draw the air from these drains, it's about 20 ft away, instead of from the other side of the house.
These drains have to stay open for heavy storms , we get occasionally.

We did temporarily block the one drain, that's inside, and our radon went down from 22 to 15 ,over a period of 2 weeks. We our planning on putting a test plug , in that drain, so that we can open and shut that drain.

We do not have any system up and running just yet. We do have the fan and materials bought and ready to go. Our friend has suggested a larger fan or two sites to pull the radon up , if the fan we have doesn't do enough after we install it. Also that we could do the reverse in blow air back into the hole to mitigate the radon.

Any suggestions before we go the expense of the professionals ?

We don't really have the money for that, but will go that direction , if we have to. Could sure use some advice on how to proceed.
Thank-you ,
Rosieann

Ron6519 · 08-20-2011, 08:18 AM

I guess the term, "knowledgeable friend" is an oxymoronic one.
I'd save up and hire a professional. I don't think using the piping you discovered for a dual purpose is the way to handle the issue.
The systems I've seen had a hole in the slab, a 4" pipe and an exterior fan.
But what you need might be completely different. The geology in your area might require a more involved system based on raised emmissions.
Local people in the industry would be your best bet.

gregzoll · 08-20-2011, 11:30 AM

Yes, radon mitigation systems are a waste of money. This subject has been beaten like the proverbial dead horse over and over.

Ron6519 · 08-21-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzoll

Yes, radon mitigation systems are a waste of money. This subject has been beaten like the proverbial dead horse over and over.

Counterpoint:

Question: How can radon damage my health?
Answer: Radon is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths.
Comes from here:
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/rad/radon/radonfaq.htm