Too Much Info for Clients - Radon Reports

So, I am now using new digital equipment for Radon testing - Correntium Pro. It is extremely easy to setup and a seamless process sending reports to Agents and Clients directly from the test site. The problem are the calls to explain the extremely detailed reports. The reports include humidity, temperature and average Radon levels.

The big question is this: “The average 1.7pc/L is below mitigation recommendation, but the reports shows at 1:30pm on day two Radon levels spiked to 7.8. Are my kids in danger?”

I do have a response but wanted to hear from you you guys how you handle these questions?

‘Short Term’ results are generally useless, and are only a tiny glimpse into the total Radon situation of a home for the sake of a ‘Real Estate Transaction’.

A ‘Long Term’ followup test should always be performed to establish a true Radon threshold of the home.

Followup Radon testing is recommended every two to three years as naturally occurring conditions change, ie. “What is today, may not be tomorrow”.

(I know that’s not the answer you were looking for, but it is the truth none-the-less)!

Short-term testing is not useless. Although, in any situation, a greater level of data is always better. I generally tell my clients, " Listen, if you’re going to focus on the 7.8 in that one hour, you also need to focus on the 0.9 in the other hour, since we are averaging the data" Everyone wants to focus on the worst case scenario. There is no such thing as too much data or detail in your reports, as long as it is clearly presented in you can explain it standing on your head. It is up to us to help people understand what they are reading and how to interpret it. I do not come from a perspective that less is more in a home inspection. People generally want the detail. A high percentage of people do not even know what radon is and it is probably one of the areas in a home inspection where people are least educated, including our agents. So, learn your reporting system, how to interpret it. Learn when anomalies occur, why they may have happened and how to explain them… Meaning if you haven’t taken a radon course yet, you really should consider it so that you can explain the information to the best of your ability and to best practice. A short-term test does give you a snapshot. I have certainly seen data drastically change over three and four days to the levels that if we went with the first 48 hours, the home would need a mitigation system. But a mitigation system is never a bad thing, as now many contractors are installing fan systems to handle the moisture coming into the home from under the pad anyway as an energy update. So either way, it will be good for the home if a system has to go in.