What to Expect During Radon Mitigation

How does Radon Mitigation work?

Radon mitigation pulls radon gas from under your slab and vents it above the roofline before it can enter your living space. Most homes get an active soil depressurization system: a fan and PVC pipe that create constant suction beneath the foundation.

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from uranium in the soil. It seeps through cracks in the slab, gaps around pipes, and crawlspace openings. The gas has no smell or color, so you won't know it's there without a test. Once a test shows levels at or above 4.0 pCi/L, the EPA and the Alabama Department of Public Health say it's time to act.

The fix is surprisingly straightforward. We drill a hole through the slab, usually in a utility closet or the garage, and insert a pipe that runs up through the house and out the roof. A small in-line fan mounted in the attic or on the exterior pulls the gas from under the slab and pushes it up and out. The result is negative pressure under the slab, so the gas never has a chance to enter your home.

Indoor radon averages about 1.3 pCi/L nationally. Outdoor air runs about 0.4 pCi/L. If your test came back at 8 or 12 or 20 pCi/L, that's several times higher than normal, and mitigation typically drops it below 2.0 pCi/L within a day of the fan turning on.

The system runs continuously. It uses about as much electricity as a 75-watt light bulb. The only maintenance is checking the manometer, a U-shaped tube with colored liquid, to make sure the fan is pulling. If the liquid levels are even, the fan has stopped and needs service.

What to expect, start to finish

From the free on-site quote to the final test, radon mitigation takes one to two days. We walk through your home, pick the best route for the pipe, drill the slab, install the fan, and test the result.

First, we come out and look at your home. We check the foundation type, the layout of the basement or slab, and where the pipe can run without ruining the look of the house. We also look at the roof pitch, steeper roofs take more time to work on safely. This is the point where we give you a firm price. Most standard systems run $800 to $1,500 installed, but complex homes can reach $2,500 or more. We lean toward the upper end of that range in our estimate so you're not surprised later.

Once you say go, we schedule the install. For a typical slab-on-grade home in Huntsville, the crew arrives in the morning. We drill a 4-inch hole through the concrete, usually in a mechanical room, a closet, or the garage. We run the PVC pipe up through an interior wall or along an outside wall, then through the roof. The fan goes in the attic or on the exterior wall, depending on what makes sense for your roof and local code.

The hole in the slab gets sealed with a polyurethane caulk. The pipe joints are glued. The fan is wired to a dedicated outlet or hardwired by a licensed electrician. The whole process takes four to eight hours for a single-story home. Two-story homes or homes with a crawlspace can take longer.

After the system is installed, we set up a continuous radon monitor or place a short-term test kit. We leave it running for at least 48 hours. If the reading comes back below 2.0 pCi/L, the job is done. If it's higher, we adjust the fan or add a second suction point. That's rare, but it happens in larger homes or homes with tricky soil.

We also show you the manometer and explain how to read it. We leave you with a written warranty and contact info. You don't have to do anything after that except check the gauge once a month.

1. Free quote.We inspect your home, check the foundation, and give a firm price.
2. Drill and run pipe.We drill through the slab, run PVC up through the house, and seal the hole.
3. Install fan and vent.The fan goes in the attic or on the exterior. The vent exits above the roofline.
4. Test the result.We run a 48-hour test to confirm levels dropped below 2.0 pCi/L.

How long does Radon Mitigation take?

The install itself takes four to eight hours for most homes. The follow-up test runs 48 hours. From start to finish, plan on two days.

A single-story slab home in a Huntsville subdivision like Jones Valley or Hampton Cove is usually a one-day job. We're in and out before dinner. The fan runs overnight, and we come back the next day to collect the test results.

Two-story homes take longer because running the pipe from the basement or slab to the roof means more work inside walls and more time on the roof. Steep roofs add time too, we use safety harnesses and take it slow. Crawlspaces add a couple of hours because we have to lay the pipe under the house and seal the vapor barrier.

The test is the bottleneck. Short-term tests need 48 hours minimum. We don't rush that step. If we pull the test early, the result might not be accurate, and you'd be stuck wondering if the system works.

Weather can push things. Heavy rain means we can't safely work on the roof. Freezing temps can affect the sealants. We build a little buffer into the schedule. If we say we'll be there Tuesday, we usually finish Wednesday.

Common questions about the Radon Mitigation process

Frequently Asked Questions