Woodford Bros., Inc. on Radon Defense

https://www.localsyr.com/bridge-street/radon-mitigation-with-woodford-brothers/

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency- nearly one in three homes checked in seven U.S. states had dangerously high levels of radon. 

Radon is an invisible gas that comes up from the soil and is the result of uranium breaking underneath the ground. It is important to know if your home has radon and how you can get rid of it because radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. President and Vice President of Woodford Bros Incorporated Tom and Mike Woodford say radon is very common in Central New York, specifically Onondaga County, which contains the highest level of radon.

The Woodford brothers also said the stack effect is common in CNY. The stack effect causes radon to enter and travel throughout the home due to a crack or a break in a seal in the bottom  level of a home. When the house is heated, the air rises, which then allows the radon underground to travel up into the home. Approximately 99 percent of radon in homes comes from the soil.

Homeowners who are concerned about radon should check New York’s EPA map of radon zones. All homes should be tested regardless if they are on the map in an area with elevated radon levels or not. Mike Woodford said that according to the EPA, people should remove the radon from their homes if their radon levels reach 4. The World Health Organization’s limits are even lower at level 2.7.

Radon Mitigation Options

The most common way to get rid of radon in a home is a depressurization system. There are three types of depressurization systems; Sub-Slab, Sump-Pit, and Sub-Membrane.

• Sub-Slab Depressurization involves drilling one or more penetration points into the concrete foundation floor and attaching PVC pipe from those points to an in-line radon fan.  The radon fan runs 24-7 pulling the radon gas to these extraction points and exhausts the harmful soil gases up safely outside.   
• Sump-pit depressurization is just like Sub-Slab depressurization, except the radon professional utilizes the soil water drainage system and sump pit as the extraction points.
• Sub-Membrane Depressurization is used for a dirt crawlspace situation.  The crawlspace is encapsulated and sealed with a reinforced plastic liner.  We then connect the radon systems PVC pipe and in-line radon fan to this liner and pull the radon gas out from under the liner and vent it safely outside.  

In addition to depressurization, homeowners can also get rid of radon in their homes through air filtration and ventilation.

• Air filtration – of radon’s decay products is another effective strategy to protect against radon induced lung cancer. This technique uses air filtration technology installed in the central heating and air conditioning system to filter the very small radon decay products as they circulate throughout the house.  
• Ventilation is another strategy for reducing radon exposure. The Ventilation strategy efficiently draws in and conditions the fresh outside air. At the same time poor indoor air containing radon and other indoor air contaminants is exhausted outdoors, thus replacing poor air with clean air.

https://www.localsyr.com/bridge-street/radon-mitigation-with-woodford-brothers/