Is Your Radon Mitigation System Working?

If you don't own your home, you might not have any idea what a radon mitigation system, I know I didn't until mine stopped working.

Why You Need A Radon Gas Mitigation System

Apparently, most homes have a system that will vent the radon gas that naturally seeps up from the ground into your home. The system is run by a fan that is usually connected to the side of your home and it will vent the dangerous gas from your home.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year."

Radon gas usually dissipates naturally into the air, but if your home has a basement, the gas will seep into your basement. Your radon mitigation system is what is removing all of the harmful gas from your home, so if it isn't working then the gas is collecting in your basement.

So, here is how I learned about radon... I went downstairs to swap the laundry over the weekend and all of a sudden I noticed that weird PVC pipe with the red liquid looked different. It turns out that the PVC pipe with the red liquid was my radon mitigation system and it wasn't working properly. After a quick google search, I found out that this is not good and can be very harmful to your health.

I almost called the installer to come out and install a new fan, but then I found out about the on/off switch that can be located on the side of your house. I checked it out and someone had accidentally turned the fan off (I blame our neighbor's daughter because that side of the house is fenced into our neighbor's yard.) So, if your mitigation system looks like the picture below, it's not working and you should figure out what's wrong with it.