When Should You Get Your House Tested For Radon?

Radon poses one of the most deadly and yet invisible threats across the nation. While most homeowners worry about the effects of lead, gas leaks, and asbestos in their older homes, radon often goes unnoticed for years. And even though residential radon testing and inspection is widely available, it’s also woefully underused.

Indeed, the risk of lung cancer increases by 16% per every 100 bq/m increase in average radon concentration — a number that is particularly dangerous because many people will neither get their homes tested nor radon removed.

Some people do, however, test their homes for radon, but even that isn’t always enough to safeguard your home in the long run. Radon can arise after you have your home tested, which is why it is very important to get it tested every time the right situation arises. Read on to find out when you should be getting your house or property tested for lingering radon gas.

Major Changes in The Home

This is the big one: if you are planning any sort of construction or renovation, it is important that you make sure to get your home tested. The EPA warns that the major ways that radon is able to enter your home are through cracks in solid floors or walls, gaps in suspended floors, caps around service pipes, cavities inside walls, and through the water supply. These are all liable to expand or be unearthed if you are doing renovations, so be sure to get tested after any big, house-shaking renovations.

Major Weather Events

In the same way that construction can shake up your home, so too can a major weather event or natural disaster. If there is a bad storm, flood, or earthquake in your area, it is important to get the house tested again.

Living Pattern Shifts

If you go from living on the bottom floor of your apartment to your top floor, you may be exposing yourself to radon in the new location in your house. If you leave areas of your house vacant for long periods of time, consider getting that area tested before you re-occupy it again.

If it’s time for your home to get tested, call a radon testing company and ask them to send over a radon testing contractor as soon as possible. And when you need residential radon testing in Aurora, Denver, or Colorado Springs, contact Affordable Radon Colorado and sign up for an inspection today.