Homeowner DIY - Radon Mitigation

[William Thacker]

This photo was culled from a "Handy Owner" website. Nice work huh?

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by wthacker

This photo was culled from a "Handy Owner" website. Nice work huh?

Attachment 27295

The picture is small. What problems do you see with it?

I don't see a manometer in the photo.

How is it powered?

[William Thacker]

Originally Posted by mlarson

The picture is small. What problems do you see with it?

I don't see a manometer in the photo.

How is it powered?

The problem is this fan is INSIDE the house and not in the attic or exterior of the home. If a seal fails, radon will be pumped into the basement/first floor depending on the location of the install. (basement or slab on grade).

The picture is bigger than the thumbnail, if you click on it.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by wthacker

The problem is this fan is INSIDE the house and not in the attic or exterior of the home. If a seal fails, radon will be pumped into the basement/first floor depending on the location of the install. (basement or slab on grade)

And right you are.

I always see them in the attic or garage and seldom on the exterior.

[William Thacker]

Originally Posted by mlarson

And right you are.

I always see them in the attic or garage and seldom on the exterior.

Good Afternoon Michael,

I would say a fan inside the garage is ill advised. I have seen slab penetrations in the garage though.

In my area, fans are frequently located outside for post-construction mitigation. Unsightly but effective.

[Joe Farsetta]

William is correct. Fan should be in the attic or on the exterior. Never on the inside (even in the garage).

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by jfarsetta

William is correct. Fan should be in the attic or on the exterior. Never on the inside (even in the garage).

Someone tell ASHI.

Their revised January 2009 checklist list garage as a location.

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

[William Thacker]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Someone tell ASHI.

Their revised January 2009 checklist list garage as a location.

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

That seems like a typo compared with the rest of the document. The checklist that serves as a guideline to inspecting an active mitigation system does not list garage as an acceptable location.

I wonder, do they have a checklist that differs from this EPA document?

That is a very "interesting" checklist as written though.

[Michael Larson]

Does anyone have a source that states a garage is not an acceptable location for a Radon mitigation fan?

It's outside the conditioned building envelope so I 'm not sure it would be a problem.

[William Thacker]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Does anyone have a source that states a garage is not an acceptable location for a Radon mitigation fan?

It's outside the conditioned building envelope so I 'm not sure it would be a problem.

As long as the garage is not beneath the conditioned space it is acceptable in PA.

[William Thacker]

The biggest question I have when I see a garage slab penetration is, is this slab independent of the house slab if it is on the same horizontal plane. Also if there is a basement lower than the garage slab, I would expect to see a basement penetration as well, although occasionally I have seen sump pump cover systems only. And of those I have tested radon levels in, the sump cover systems have shown themselves to be effective in those applications.