January is radon awareness month in Michigan. How do I know? Because I just had one of my buyers perform a radon inspection on their potential brand new house . . . . and guess what? The levels were at 15.7 which is almost four times the legal limit.
What does this mean? It means the builder will have to install a system of venting the gas out. It is a relatively easy fix but it MUST be done. Much like your furnace that emits carbon monoxide and is vented out, the radon gas can also be safely vented out. Check out this cool animation that explains radon and how it is vented out HERE.
Many don't even know what radon is. Simply put, radon is a gas by-product of the breakdown of uranium. The gas gets into the soil and it comes up through the foundation of a home. Be aware that radon could care less if your home is 100 or newly built. Every home should be tested before purchase. If you have never done a radon test on your home, HERE is a list of agencies who provide the kits for free.
Take radon seriously. The EPA estimates that 21,000 people per year die from lung cancer caused by radon gas. Would you allow your furnace to run and emit that CO2? Of course NOT!! So if your test comes up positive, just get it taken care of! So how do they do it? This website HERE has some great pictures that explain how the venting system works.
My clients asked an interesting question with regard to radon that I had never heard asked before. How does radon effect your water if you have a well? Hmmm good question I had never thought of. What did cross my mind right away was the fact that radon is a gas so I didn't think it would have anything to do with it. But I want to watch out for the best interest of my client and my thoughts on the this matter don't really count! I wanted to talk to a professional on the subject!
So my first call was to the Kent County Health Department. I talked to sanitarian specialist, Steve Petrides who told me that in some areas of the world, radon is a concern in the water--Michigan is not one of them!!! He went into a long explanation which was way over my head but what it came down to was that the concentrations are extremely small. For further explanation you would need to call him!
Here are some more Radon Links
Disclaimer: This blog is written by a real estate agent and is no way intended to be used to make serious decisions regarding radon. It is recommended you call your health department and speak to them directly.
Pictures used by permission of RadonGrandRaids
Radon is such a scary thing and most people do not fully understand it's hazard.
Tami, Kind of frightening that they're finding it in new construction; I would have thought to have a potential new home checked but I would have also thought that somehow new construction had to be "cleared" for these things. I guess now. Great post.
Best Spot - You need to put your name in your tag. Radon is scary! But it is prevelent here in Michigan especially in the Rockford area.
Carole - Radon doesn't care if the home is new or old. Radon is in the soil. Currently there are no required radon tests in our area but I always encourage people to do it. Costs $100 and I think it is well worth it. The system to fix it is anywhere from $1000-$1500. Well worth your $100 to have it tested.
People really don't understand much about the problems with radon.....you have some great links here that should help.
Enjoy what's left of the weekend!
Hi Tami, How are you, my friend? Thanks for the good and helpful links. A representative for Protech Enviromental (a local radon mitigation company) told me that it doesn't really matter if the house tests at 5picl or 100. The fix is the same. A fan is installed to create a vacuum under the basement floor slab. Any 'radon daughters' (from naturally occurring uranium) are sucked up then vented outside where they do no harm. An added benefit is that moisture that may be present under the slab is also vented out. So you have a healthier and drier home!
When will radon detectors become a requirement such as smoke detectors in regards to construction building codes.
We're fortunate that radon is not a concern here in San Diego. Don't know whether it's because of the sandy soil, the beaches, or the weather -- LOL.
Thanks for the great post.
Most people do not know this, but radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is believed to be responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths per year. Accoding to the CDC, more than 600 of those are projected to occur in Michigan.
According to the EPA, one in eight Michigan homes is expected to have an elevated indoor radon level, and in some counties more than 40% of the homes are expected to have a problem. The only way to know if YOUR home has a problem is to test.
If you are a real estate professional, radon and indoor air is something you should know about. It is a serious health risk, but there are simple and inexpensive ways to test for it and fix it if necessary. Like any health risk today, it is something that more and more people know about either through a home sale or through the media.
I'm in the process of preparing a continuing education course exclusively on radon for my online continuing education school (www.123ConEd.com). The course will inform Michigan real estate professionals all about radon and what they need to know in order to properly advise buyers and sellers.
Ann - I am glad you found the links helpful!
Marian - I didn't know about the advantage of sucking out moisture!
Marilyn- I don't think there is a need for a constant monitoring but I think it is something that should be tested for on a regular basis!
Russel - You are lucky because it is a major concern here.
Jason - That sounds like a great coned class!
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Planking occurs in convenient pertaining to extremely thin fillets of water fish, this sort of since perch, which in turn can certainly sink while outdoor bbq grills. Whenever it's done preparing food, the fish bbq grill smoker is good straight out of the cedar.Aluminum foil likewise helps out lining the particular bbq grill grates and also generating packets to get fish.
While with regard to the time to barbeque grill fish, Adler charcoal smoker grill as well as Fertig advise a very simple "10 minutes of the inch of thickness" rule, turning over at the particular halfway point. A good salmon fillet that calculates 3/4 -inch-thick will likely barbeque smoker grill need to barbeque grill about 7 to 8 minutes, or simply bbq grill approximately 4 minutes upon each side over high, direct heat.Nearly every type of fish and also shellfish may be
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