Radon

My brother is buying a house in Maryland. The home has a Radon Pump installed in the home. Is this safe to buy this home? What is he to expect or should he walk away.

He should have the home tested for Radon. If it were me, and the fan was working, and the levels were well below the action level, I wouldn’t have a problem buying the house.

Always better to have a mitigation system. :wink:

Hi, the EPA recommends that every home be tested for radon, but it’s great the home has a radon mitigation system in place already. He should make sure the inline fan is working.

It’s also important to understand that radon gas exists pretty much everywhere, inside, outside we’re all breathing it all the time. Its just a worry when it gets to a level that the EPA determines is actionable.

I agree with Juan

What do mean pump? Do u mean fan? If so, then the fan MUST be exterior to the living envelop. It can be in the attic or crawl space, but not the basement or living room.

We do not have them in our area can you tell me why the fan should not be in the home ???
Thanks … Roy

I can only speculate that the fan assembly may leak and increase the radon in the home.

I’ve never seen it done wrong, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done wrong.

(Radon - Interior Inspections - InterNACHI®️ Forum
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Chris is right. There is no way to know if there is a leak in the pipe beyond the fan so EPA recommends having the fan in an unoccupied area: attic or exterior. Found one in a basement once which is wrong. If there is a leak you would be pumping your home full of radon.

I would have no reservations in purchasing a home with an approved system…just make sure you test to ensure the system is proper. It actually may be a benefit because usually it drops the level below the normal average…making it safer. My home was at 7 to 8 pCi/L…put in a system myself and now average 0.7 pCi/L. Average indoor radon level in WI is 1.3 pCi/L so I am now better off than the average home that does not have a system.

All the ones I’ve seen around here are an inline fan/pump. I have never disassembled one but it looks just like the inline air pump in a hut tub. Its PVC outer is attached to PVC ductwork that runs up and out of the home above the roof line.

I’m not sure if you call it a pump of a fan, semantics I guess. But it can be inside or outside, but it does need power to run. I see no greater chance of leaking in any of the duct work that in the mechanism itself.