Radon Be Gone                                                                                                                                     Central New York Radon Solutions

Pictures of some recent radon jobs we have done.

 4 inch pipe goes up through the soffit and penetrates the roof.

 White PVC pipe goes up gable end of house and extends above roof line. 

 This installation was limited to the back corner of the house, pipe extends above the roof line, this system vent pipe meets the mininum requirement of being at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 to the side of an opening window.  

 This radon system is hidden behind the chimney, see photo below.

 This fan and pipe is hidden behind the chimney from the road, see above.

 We usually try to run the pipe up a gable end if possible, but sometimes as with this house we were limited to an exit point from the rear of the house.

 Due to a finished basement on this house we had to put the pipe in front of the chimney so it can be seen from the front of the house.

     On this house the home owner did not want the pipe to go up and around the eve or through the roof, so we terminated on the wall about 15 feet above the ground and well over 10 feet to the side of the second floor window on the same wall. Notice a 45 degree angle on the top of the pipe to direct the air out away from the wall and soffit to prevent mildew.

Some Unsafe Radon Jobs and Some Not Done So Well

  You can see above the vent pipe the black mildew growing on the wall, from the moist air blown on it. The air pulled from under the basement floor by the radon fan can have incredible amounts of moisture in it. This vent should either have a 45 degree fitting to direct the air away or extend to above the roof line. 

 Here a radon fan is mounted horozontally which can allow moisture to pool on the bottom of the fan casing and could damage the fan. The vent is a plastic insulated duct designed for a furnace, totally unsuitable for a radon vent, and attached with electrical tape. Nothing about this installation is safe or permanent.

 You can see the condition of the above plastic vent that was removed from the radon fan. This will not hold the radon gas very well and is not a safe vent material even if it was not torn.

 Here a furnace heat duct booster fan was used to vent radon gas using a plastic dryer vent. This fan housing is not designed for radon and is not air tight in any way. This plastic duct in not safe or in any way suitable for radon.

This radon vent is in an unsfe location right on a deck where people could be standing. The vent should always be 10 feet above ground or where people are standing.

    The two home made fittings on the left are not suitable for radon systems, a proper factory made fitting on the right is many times stronger and when properly glued  an absolute air tight fit. The picture on the left was a radon system with home made fittings. Pay a few extra dollars and do it right, plus using the correct fittings will save time.

 This is a fan mounted inside the living area of the home, in the basement. This is not considered safe because if the fan or any fitting inside the house developes a leak or comes apart or is damaged this fan could pump extreamly high levels of radon into the house, at levels many times higher than before the system was installed. All radon fans should be installed in non living areal such as attics or on the exterior of the home.

These are some radon system components.

 This is a fire collar (red fitting). When exposed to fire, PVC pipe will burn and leave a hole where it penetrates the wall or ceiling allowing fire to move into another room. When exposed to the heat of a fire the fire collar contains special foam that will expand and fill the hole which maintains the fire rating of the wall or ceiling. These are primarily used when radon pipes pass through an attached garage. I have seen many homes where these have not been installed. They are expensive at about $25 to $45 each depending on size, but fire code and common sense requires that they are used.  

 A radon vent pipe uses a common roof flashing for roof penetrations. This pipe is labled to identify it as a radon vent.

 This is a manometer. When the fan is running it pulls the red or blue oil up on one side. If both sides are at the same level it is a warning that the system is not operating and you should call for service.

 A sealed sump pump cover, made of black plastic and sealed with silicone caulk. To service the sump pump cut the caulk around the perimeter and lift the cover. Recaulk when finished.

 This is a clear lexan cover used to seal the sump pump. It cost about 3 times as much as the black plastic but it is nice because you have a full view of the sump and pump. Again it is sealed with silicone caulk for a good seal but easy to remove for service.

 A radon system to remove radon gas from water.

 This is a radon system hooked up to remove high radon from well water.

          Radon Be Gone, Making Homes Safe in Central New York

Call for a FREE estimate to PERMANENTLY fix your home's radon problem: 
1-800-931-9972
8455 E. Seneca Turnpike, Manlius, New York    Phone: (315) 439-1103 or (607) 216-9025     Fax: (315) 682-7601    

Email: tom@RadonBeGoneCny.com