Wasted Wednesday

I traveled up to Goodlettsville today, to install a basic radon mitigation system. Of course I had to do the standard diagnostic testing for adequate airflow under the basement concrete slab before I began installing the main system. In this case the house failed the test, so it was a complete wasted morning-no installation occurred.

I think from now on, I will charge $75.00 for the diagnostic part, applicable towards the original estimate if the house passes the test, otherwise I lose that amount on travel expense and labor.

In this particular case, the concrete was about 10" thick and directly on dirt, so there was no crossflow of air to work with:

 Concrete Basement

 Client wants the pipe to come through the concrete wall to the outside, here.

 Time to christen my new and improved Bosch hammer drill

 The pilot hole from the outside comes through the basement wall at a good spot and luckily not into that black pipe there.

 We'll need a 3 5/8 diameter hole, here.

...But first we have to check beneath the concrete floor for a gravel-layer. X marks the spot. 

"Ready for Radon" 

This time, a 1 inch bit will be needed. 

My small industrial vac with a big motor. 

The work area. 

 So far, 10" of concrete and no sign of gravel. Maybe we're too close to the wall? The new Bosch hammer drill performs amazingly well in concrete and it doesn't try to tear my arm off, unlike the el-cheapo hammer drill I used from 2008 through last month.

5" further in should get us away from the footer. 

This time we hit some hard-packed dirt at about 8", but no gravel to be found. I will recommend a heat recovery ventilator. A subslab ventilation system will likely fail.

Concrete in a tube to patch the test-holes. 

 And some foam backing-rod filler.

We were never here......

I also patched the smaller hole to the outside.

Wasted trip. At least the dog was friendly.

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