Inspecting Radon Mitigation Equipment

[Ed DeRousse]

I've recently learned through some sources that ASHI now recognizes Radon Mitigation Equipment as part of their standard inspection and have issued guidelines to their inspectors for performing these inspections. Is anyone here familiar with this practice and do we at NACHI have anything covering this issue? Thanks for your input ahead of time!

[Michael Larson]

http://www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/ashicklst.pdf

[Nick Gromicko]

The checklist is flawed. I wrote the EPA about it and they interviewed me regarding it. I'm helping them rewrite it. The checklist fails to mention the main reason for radon system failure and the cure developed by the radon mitigation fan industry... that being the installation of a condensation drip loop tube.

[Ed DeRousse]

Thanks Nick! Once the check list is properly completed, will it then become part of our (InterNACHI) standard inspection items?

[Keith Runquist, CMI]

A good opportunity to sell a radon test too. Everything can loook fine, but is it really doing it's job? I've seen brand new systems that did not bring levels down below 4 but eveyone was happy because there was a system installed.

[Gary Farnsworth]

Nick, most of the radon mitigation systems I see have the sump pump cover sealed. Recently, I had a friend call me and complain that his sump pump was working, but not sucking the water out of the sealed sump pit. Any sealed top sump pit should have some type of outside ventilation pipe running to the sump hole. I realize that in order for the radon pump to work, it has to suck the air from under the slab. I found out later that the sump hole had no side drains running to the sump hole. It was just a hole dug into the floor. Careful. Perhaps using some sort of one-way air check valve. ???