Recent Newspaper Articles

Here is a recent article on radon from the Tennessean: Free Test Kits

Failed Cases

Here are pictures from one of the few radon cases in 2010 we could not fix. In this instance we sealed the dirt floor, then sealed the stone wall and used one of our biggest fans. This was about 8 days of labor and hundreds of $ in materials. Radon levels remained unchanged. Result? The client received a full refund. Final solution? The homeowner himself simply installed a heat recovery ventilator in the living space. Radon problem solved and an expensive lesson for us.

 Formerly bare dirt.....and not the radon source

 Let's seal this leaky stone wall........

A few days later-sealed, but radon levels were unchanged....

Day 9: Complete system removal and refund

Block Wall Suction

Sealing the Edges of the Vapor Barrier

We just finished yesterday with a combo vapor-barrier with block-wall suction. There was a large, exposed dirt area in the basement, and radon levels around 8 to 10+ pCi/L. A lot of these houses built around the early 1900's have dirt floor basements. I guess that was normal for that time period. We must have used 60 feet of pipe, as we had to vent a concrete barrier wall on the far end of the basement, and place another pipe under the white vapor-barrier on the end closest to the exit point through the exterior wall:

"Block Wall Suction"


Vapor-Barrier Penetration


Vacuum Indicator


Finding a Way to the Outside


Success!

Hidden Radon Pipe

This radon job went from being a relatively simple one day project into an intensive two day project, after the client requested that we hide the pipe in the bathroom wall where it passed through the second floor.

I first drilled a 3 5/8" hole from the basement through the first floor into the back of the 2nd floor bathroom closet, for the standard-sized pipe to come through from the basement origin. It was from that point that I needed to angle the pipe backward, and run it straight upward inside the walls to the attic. It looked like I would have to drill a hole downward from the attic, at a point exactly between the walls, or risk putting a hole in the second floor ceiling into the bathroom closet or adjoining bedroom.

This turned out to be an exceptionally dirty job, due to the summer heat making me sweat profusely, which caused the loose insulation material in the attic to stick to me, which I had to search intensively through to find the right spot to drill through the attic floor.

I finally determined the target point by taking a measurement from the air conditioning duct that ran up the side and rear of the bathroom closet walls to the attic.

I informed the client that there was not enough room for the standard sized radon pipe, but they asked that it be done anyway, if at all possible. I went back to Home Depot, and finally found a flat oblong-type pipe, with the same air-flow rating, that would most likely fit. Back in the attic I slowly fed the flexible piping down through the hole to the other hole in the back of the closet near the floor. This entire process took the rest of the day, so I had to return to finish the job the next day.

On day two, I connected the inside-the wall pipe to the standard 3" pvc piping on the first and third floors, hooked up the fan in the attic with the roof penetration, and finally was done, a solid, two days of radon work!

Recent Testimonials

I recently finished this 2-phase job where the original radon reading ranged from 17 to 30+ pCi/L:

Hey Kurt, This is Richard down in Manchester, and I want to let you know that we got the radon test back and the result was very good, it was 1.1 pCi/L. So I wanted to let you know that you did the trick with that basement fan and pump there. When you get a chance give me a ring. We still have the your long-term test. We have not started yet. We will probably start that now, or very soon. Good job and I appreciate your work and I'm glad to. That's all. I feel much better now and I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks. Bye. Here's another one, from last December of 2009: Mell F-Nashville: Hi Kurt, Just wanted you to know that your work received a compliment today. We had a guy from ServPro doing a mold inspection in the basement and he commented that yours was one of the best radon barriers he has seen. I figured he's probably seen a few, so I thought it was cool that he commented on it. Hope all is well with you.

Endless Crawlspace-Finished!

Finally finished the endless crawlspace job. Due to the Nashville floods, this job lasted from April to yesterday, July 14. A true test of endurance!

Crawlspace-Day 3

Things went well yesterday, with the "endless crawlspace". I sealed all obvious air leaks to the outside world, except for leaving one small vent open on the west side of the structure. This will reduce radon infiltration into the main house because outside air tends to rush in, drawn by the vacuum created by the house above, and takes any radon gas with it, into the house.

The really tedious part, and the reason these jobs take so long, is the sealing of the plastic sheeting to the pillars and perimeter wall. The goal is to make an airtight seal so the radon can be routed to the outside from the pipe insertion point beneath the plastic, before it leaks into the atmosphere of the crawlspace, and eventually seeps into the main living space of the house.

I believe I will actually finish this in less than a day now. I had to take a day off, due to neck-strain from crawling around on my hands and knees much of the day, but will resume the project next Wednesday, and hopefully finish.

Endless Crawlspace Job

I was obligated to finish this particular project, after the great Nashville floods recently, which had torn up my work on this massive crawlspace, before I had finished the job. Today I went back in there, to re-do some of the work, and try to finally finish.

Notice in two of the photos a beat-up looking Sony radio. This radio is pretty tough, because I had lost my temper after bumping my head on a pipe a few times in a row, and the radio had fallen off, pulling the earplugs out of my ears. I retaliated by whipping the radio into one of the cinder block walls, twice! I thought it looked pretty good considering, and it didn't even come apart, and the clock still worked. This radio had lasted me for two years. Rest in peace. I immediately bought an identical new one at Best Buy, which set me back about $40. I guess they call that inflation. I am definitely investing in a hardhat.

Manchester Installation

Here are some pictures from a recent installation in Manchester, TN:

Pre-radon levels: 17-30+ pCi/L, Post-Radon levels: 1.1 pCi/L

Energy Recovery Ventilator

Recently installed an energy recovery ventilator, an excellent alternative to plastic sealer in a dirt basement or crawlspace, if radon levels are below 15 pCi/L.

This turned out to be a tough job, where I burned through 2 $40.00 hole saws while drilling through two layers of 100 year-old wooden support beams and a layer of brick to route the ducting to the outside, but I got it done!

Questions About Radon......