What radon level needs mitigation?

The EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. Because no level is known to be safe, it also suggests considering a fix between 2 and 4 pCi/L. For comparison, the average American home sits around 1.3 pCi/L and outdoor air around 0.4.

Who can install a radon system in Kansas?

Only a certified radon mitigation technician. Kansas law bars anyone from doing radon mitigation, or advertising it, without certification from KDHE. Testing has its own certification, and the state requires the post-mitigation test to be done by a certified measurement technician. The Kansas Radon Hotline, 800-693-5343, keeps the list of certified contractors.

How do you know a radon system is still working?

Watch the system monitor, which most systems include, and retest. The Kansas Radon Program says to test at least every two years and again after any significant alteration to the house. Keep the first post-mitigation result so each new test has something to compare against, and call the installer if the number climbs.

How much does it cost to run a radon fan?

Not much. HomeGuide says a radon fan draws about as much electricity as a 60-watt light bulb, which works out to roughly $70 to $80 a year. The fan runs all the time, since the system only keeps radon low while it's operating.

Radon Mitigation in Topeka, KS

Typical cost: the Kansas Radon Program puts the average fix at about $1,200, with most between $800 and $2,000.
Action level: the EPA says to fix a home at 4 pCi/L or higher and to consider it between 2 and 4.
Kansas results: about one in four radon tests in the state comes back above that action level.
Retest window: test again no sooner than 24 hours and no later than 30 days after the system starts.

Topeka Expert Foundation Repair points your call to a contractor who can look at your test result, your foundation type and where a vent pipe could run. Kansas requires state certification for radon mitigation, so ask the contractor for that number before you sign.

Radon Mitigation Systems by Foundation Type

PVC radon vent pipe rising from a sealed hole in a basement floor, with an inline fan mounted on the pipe outside the house wall and the pipe running up past the roof edge

Sub-slab depressurization

This is the most common system for basements and slab houses. A pipe goes through the floor, a fan pulls soil gas from under the slab, and the pipe vents it above the roofline. The Kansas Radon Program says these systems usually work within 24 hours and hold levels down as long as the fan runs.

Typical system: $1,200 to $2,000 installed, and $2,500 or more for larger homes.
Drain-tile suction: $900 to $1,800 where a perimeter drain is already in place, using the drain as the suction point.
Block-wall depressurization: $1,800 to $3,000, drawing gas out through a block foundation wall.

Crawl space covered with heavy sealed plastic sheeting, with a PVC pipe fitted through the plastic and running up to a fan on the floor joists

Sub-membrane systems in crawl spaces

Crawl space houses get the same idea under plastic instead of concrete. A sealed sheet covers the dirt, and the pipe and fan pull from underneath it. When a house has a basement under one part and a crawl space or slab under the rest, the Kansas Radon Program says a combination of methods may be needed. The membrane overlaps with encapsulation; crawl space encapsulation covers the liner and its cost.

Basement sump basin with a clear bolted airtight lid and sealed pipe penetrations, next to a floor crack filled with gray sealant

Sealing sumps, cracks and floor drains

Radon can get in through the gravel around a sump pit and through cracks and gaps in the floor and walls. Sealing the sump and fitting an airtight lid runs $900 to $2,500, and sealing cracks makes the fan system more effective. Sealing alone isn't a fix, though. The EPA doesn't recommend it by itself, because it hasn't been shown to lower radon reliably.

Radon fan mounted on a PVC pipe on the outside of a house, with a U-tube pressure gauge on the pipe inside the basement showing a difference in liquid levels

Fan replacement and retesting

The pipe in a radon system lasts 20 to 50 years or more. The fan is the part that wears out, usually needing repair or replacement after 5 to 10 years. Most systems have a monitor that signals when service is needed. A fan swap is a sensible time to run a fresh test.

Laser level on a tripod in an unfinished basement, a gloved hand holding a measuring rod and a stair-step crack in the block wall behind

Why Topeka homeowners and property owners call Topeka Expert Foundation Repair

The call and the inspection request cost you nothing
Your details go to one Topeka contractor, never a lead list
Ask for piers, anchors and price on paper before any digging
Method explained first: piers, anchors, straps or mudjacking

Radon Testing in Topeka Before and After Mitigation

Test before you price a system and after it's running.

Do-it-yourself kit
most Kansas extension offices sell kits for about $10, and the test takes about four days.
Where to test
in the lowest lived-in level of the house, not a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or hallway.
Professional test
$125 to $400, including the device, placement, pickup and lab fee.
After mitigation
between 24 hours and 30 days after the system starts. Kansas requires this test to be done by a certified measurement technician, and the Kansas Radon Program suggests an independent one.

KDHE reports elevated radon in every Kansas county. Its 2014 statewide map counted 31,539 measurements at or above 4 pCi/L, and it warns that the map can't predict any one house. The homepage has the state's estimate for homes, but your own number only comes from a test.

Kansas Radon Certification and Topeka's Building Code

Kansas certifies radon work through KDHE. Nobody may perform radon mitigation or advertise it without certification, and testing needs a separate certification. Ask for the contractor's certification, a written diagram of the pipe route and fan location, and whether the warranty transfers to a buyer.

Topeka's building code adopts the IRC's Appendix AF, Radon Control Methods, with its testing section left out. If you're building an addition or finishing a basement, ask the contractor how that appendix applies to the permit.

See French drain installation when an interior drain is going in anyway and could double as the suction point.