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• Other Types of Radon Reduction Methods

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  255 - A spotty market in Hilton Head is coming around to a seller's market again as local Realtors report rising sales. "It has been a rebounding year on Hilton Head Island," says Realtor David R.Pautler, "a world-class designated resort and residential area. "Home site prices continue to appreciate over 86 percent in the last four years," explains Pautler, "as the land values go up the homes go up. New homes are still selling strongly, as prices go up, however, more people are looking at resale. That market appears to be crowded. Resale homes that have been updated are selling quickly and for close to list price. If you are the type of person who likes to remodel then there are some good opportunities. There are still good opportunities to buy a home site or a lot and build later. Home sites have averaged over 20 percent growth in average price in the last four years. Much better than the stock market." Says Realtor Linda Mullinix, "What started out as a vacation / resort community has grown into an island filled with diversity. Read this Nemmar Real Estate Training article at Real Estate - State and Local

   

Other radon reduction techniques that can be used in any type of house include: sealing, house/room pressurization, heat recovery ventilation, and natural ventilation.

Sealing cracks and other openings in the foundation is a basic part of most approaches to radon reduction. Sealing the cracks limits the flow of radon into your home thereby making other radon reduction techniques more effective and cost-efficient.  It also reduces the loss of conditioned air.  EPA does not recommend the use of sealing alone to reduce radon because, by itself, sealing has not been shown to lower radon levels significantly or consistently. It is difficult to identify and permanently seal the places where radon is entering. Normal settling of your house opens new entry routes and reopens old ones.

House/room pressurization uses a fan to blow air into the basement or living area from either upstairs or outdoors. It attempts to create enough pressure at the lowest level indoors (in a basement for example) to prevent radon from entering into the house. The effectiveness of this technique is limited by house construction, climate, other appliances in the house, and occupant lifestyle. In order to maintain enough pressure to keep radon out, the doors and windows at the lowest level must not be left opened, except for normal entry and exit.  This approach generally results in more outdoor air being introduced into the home, which can cause moisture intrusion and energy penalties.  Consequently, this technique should only be considered after the other, more-common techniques have not sufficiently reduced radon.

A heat recovery ventilator (HRV), also called an air-to-air heat exchanger, can be installed to increase ventilation which will help reduce the radon levels in your home.  An HRV will increase ventilation by introducing outdoor air while using the heated or cooled air being exhausted to warm or cool the incoming air.  HRVs can be designed to ventilate all or part of your home, although they are more effective in reducing radon levels when used to ventilate only the basement. If properly balanced and maintained, they ensure a constant degree of ventilation throughout the year. HRVs also can improve air quality in houses that have other indoor pollutants. There could be significant increase in the heating and cooling costs with an HRV, but not as great as ventilation without heat recovery (see the EPA Installation and Operating Cost Table Figure 182).

Some natural ventilation occurs in all houses.  By opening windows, doors, and vents on the lower floors you increase the ventilation in your house.  This increase in ventilation mixes outdoor air with the indoor air containing radon, and can result in reduced radon levels.  However, once windows, doors and vents are closed, radon concentrations most often return to previous values within about 12 hours.  Natural ventilation in any type of house should normally be regarded as only a temporary radon reduction approach because of the following disadvantages: loss of conditioned air and related discomfort, greatly increased costs of conditioning additional outside air, and security concerns.

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