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Testing Procedures

Precision Home & Property Inspections LLC uses state of the art electronic testing equipment from Radalink. We are a NEHA-NRPP certified test provider.

Radon testing is a very simple test to have performed on your property. However it does require some assistance on the part of the current home owner and occupants in the home.

The test will last approximately 48 hours. We say approximately because there are a few reasons that the test can stretch out longer than 48 hours that we will discuss later. The EPA testing rules are as follows for a "Short Term Radon Test".

Closed House Conditions
Prior to the test beginning the home must be closed for a minimum of 12 hours. To meet the closed house requirements all windows and doors should remain closed as much as possible only to be used for normal entry and exit of the home.
- HVAC units should be operated as normal. No change in your heating or cooling operation should be performed.
- If closed house conditions are not met the test start time can be delayed by 12 hours to meet the EPA required closed house conditions. This will extend the test length by an addition 12 hours to a minimum of 60 hours.
Test Location
In the case of real estate transactions, the test device must be placed in the lowest area of a home that is "suitable for occupancy." Brokers and agents must discuss this point with their clients and customers so a decision can be agreed upon, based upon the future use of the dwelling by the buyer. [For example, if the house in question has a finished basement that has not been used by the seller but may be used by the buyer, this would be the best location for the test.] Crawl spaces are not appropriate test locations. Areas in the home with high humidity levels and increased ventilation are also not good locations (such as bathrooms and kitchens). A test device must be placed at least 20 inches above the floor, in a location where it will not be disturbed.
Mitigation Systems
If a radon mitigation system is installed in a home, the EPA recommends that follow-up testing be performed no sooner than 24 hours nor later than 30 days following completion and activation of the mitigation system. To avoid the appearance of conflict of interest, the EPA requires that the post mitigation test be completed by an independent testing firm.
Radalink Radon Monitors:
All Radalink Monitors utilize our pulsed ion chamber technology. Ambient air passively diffuses into the chamber in which the radon atoms (as well as the subsequent polonium decay products) disintegrate, emitting alpha particles.
The alphas (positively charged ions) create bursts of additional ion pairs by knocking electrons from surrounding air atoms. Negative ions will pulse to the positively charged probe; positive ions will pulse to the negatively charged cylinder wall. The pulses are counted by the electrometer and stored hourly by the computer. Detector efficiency is computed by exposures to known radon concentrations to determine the pulse counts per hour per pCi/l.

Unlike open-cage ion detectors that can record spurious counts and severely bias the measurement, Radalink’s ion chamber is specially shielded to eliminate interference from vibrations, electrical line noise, cellular phones and microwave energy.

This is the most accurate representation of the yearly average radon levels in the home with a short term test. Specialized equipment is used to record real-time continuous measurements of radon gas. Air is either pumped or diffuses into a counting chamber. Radon counts are processed by electronics, and concentrations for predetermined intervals are stored in the instrument's memory. They are typically left in place for 3 to 7 days

Long-term tests should be left in place for a minimum of 90 days. Compared to short-term tests, long-term tests provide results that reflect the average amount of radon in the home during the year. The best way to estimate a year-round average is to test for a full year.