PA Meltdown

It looks like my bright idea to expand my radon territory to Pennsylvania was a non-event, as I have received no work in PA since I started marketing back in late August. I will have to try again in the Spring of 2012, as Winter is headed this way with a vengeance.

Radon Truck Packed after Wasted Trip to PA

I actually checked the number of radon firms in PA-something I should have done before embarking on the whole venture-and found no less than 7 pages of radon people. Okay, maybe that could be a factor.... Regardless, I missed several calls for radon work back in Nashville while I was away, so it was an expensive trip! So I am officially back in town, as of a few days from now.

 Horse Breeding Facilities-PA

 Amish Farmer 1

 Amish Farmer 2

 Rare October Snow

Staring contest......

HRV Success!

I recently received a passing radon test of 3.9 pCi/L on that large crawlspace job where we installed the heat recovery ventilator back on September 8. Success! To achieve even lower readings I will recommend spray-on insulation for the ceiling.

Tuesday Radon Job on Wednesday

I finally finished up the Tuesday radon job on Wednesday. I'm not really finished though, until we get the results of the short-term radon test, which usually takes three weeks and means I either have to go back and do more work, or we pass and I get paid the other 50% and am really done. Still thinking about going into the radon business?

Here are some pictures:

Needed this 30 ft ladder for this huge home. This made the height of the roof a non-issue-a very stable ladder!

The outside section, completed

Pipe-cutting area

My electric person is pretty good. Highly recommended...

Steel straps are best for securing the pipe to the house

Belle Meade Section

"Retarder-Tee" for air-tight membrane penetrations

Everything is Hooked Up

 We have good suction under the vapor barrier-goodbye radon gas!

Tuesday Radon Job

What I expected was a one-day job has turned into a two-day job. Too many trips for materials today.

Here are the pix from today's experience:

The 250,000 Mile Toyota 4Runner

Nashville Morning Traffic

Crawlspace Entrance

The Problem-Unsealed Plastic Covering the Crawlspace Floor and High Radon in the House Above

 Radon Solution Phase 1 - Seal All Leaks in Plastic Flooring

A Nice, Large Crawlspace Area to Work In...

 Phase 2 - Install Radon Fan and Connect to Pipe Under Plastic Covering

 Phase 2, Step 1: Drill hole in wall for 4" Pipe - Equipment

"This looks like a good spot"

 Dewalt Power

Completed Pipe Entrance to Crawlspace

Oops! Looks like the Ladder is a Bit Wimpy....

The saga continues tomorrow.....

 - Home by twilight -

Heat Recovery Ventilator

My two years of contract work in Florida having finally ended last week, I managed to land my first radon job in Nashville through a previous client.

This job was a tough call because it is a fairly large crawlspace, which some other firm had already attempted to seal with a plastic liner, but apparently it failed to have any effect on radon levels, possibly because the moisture in the walls prevented any kind of significant sealing of the edges. I could either install a better plastic liner, at a cost of a few thousand dollars and hope I can seal it, or merely install a heat recovery ventilator (air exchanger) for much less. So I installed the HRV.

Here are some pictures, although I forgot to photograph the exit vents. I am anxiously awaiting the results of the post-radon test. Hopefully this does the job. Check back for the results of test #1:

 Actually nice because you can stand up in the center part

 Moisture in the walls does not bode well for long-term sealing

A nice new Fantech HRV with 200 cfm capacity

Smyrna Long-Term Test

I was pleased with the latest results of a long-term radon test from a job we completed last year in Smyrna, TN. Radon levels tested out at .5 pCi/L, after a year of exposure in the dining room. This house also has a young child, so all the better for everybody! (EPA limit is 4.0 pCi/L).

I am still working my temp. job in Florida, but hopefully I can get back in the groove after this job ends. I just got my PA radon license also, so it will be between Nashville or Philadelphia, although test-marketing in Philly has shown about 4x the demand of Nashville. Phila. PA is about 3x as expensive and crowded, so it will be a tough call, or maybe just open 2 offices, if I can organize it in the proper way.

Here is that report. Blogger usually shrinks it to about 1/4 original size:

Stuck on "Pause"

I am now stuck in the Florida panhandle for the foreseeable future, under a "temporary" work contract. Please feel free to email me for radon advice in the meantime, or request referrals to other qualified radon contractors.

I will be sure and delete this blog entry when I am again available for radon work in the Central Tennessee area.

Thanks.

Kurt Anderson

Help4Radon.com