FEATURE— January 2017
24
This is a very good checklist for comparing
contractors.
http://www.nrpp.info/how_to_select_a_profession-
al.shtml
Most mitigators will recommend an Active
Soil Depressurization (ASD) system, unless you
have marginally elevated radon and other air
quality issues in the home. In that case, they may
recommend a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV)
that is specially designed for radon reduction.
These HRV systems designed for radon reduc-
tion come with an energy penalty and ongoing
maintenance costs.
By far the most economical and commonly
recommended ASD system (about 90%) is a
Sub Slab Depressurization (SSD) system. SSD
systems depressurize the soil under your slab,
stopping the radon from coming into your home
and putting it outside where the radon was trying
to go anyway.
Acceptable design of SSD radon mitigation
methods in Canada and the US are very differ-
ent, so be careful of whether you are getting
U.S. or Canadian information off the internet if
you are researching what design is acceptable
for your building.
Bob Wood is the Past-President of the Canadian
Association of Radon Scientists and Technolo-
gists (CARST). He is a U.S. (NRPP) and Canadi-
an (C-NRPP) Certified Radon Testing Specialist
and a Mitigation Specialist. He owns and oper-
ates Mr. Radon Inc. He is also the lead instruc-
tor for Mr. Radon
®
's online training program for
Canadians who want to become certified Radon
Measurement Technicians.
follow the directions completely, as a radon test
that is improperly conducted and gives you a
false low result would be worse than not knowing.
I got my test back and my reading is elevated
—what now? Who do I call? How do I know
they are reliable?
First you should use a Certified Radon Mitigator;
they have had the classroom and field training
experience and have passed a very comprehen-
sive exam.
In the U.S. there are two certifying agencies
for radon mitigators, and in some states the state
certifies mitigators as well.
http://www.nrpp.info/radon_mitigation_service.shtml
http://www.nrsb.org/find_a_professional.asp
Pick your state from the drop down menu and
find a few local mitigators; you may want to check
an adjoining state as well, if you are close to a
state line.
In Canada:
http://www.nrpp.info/C-NRPP_List/cnrpp_crmt.html
Scroll down through the list to your province
and find local mitigators.
Before you settle on a mitigator, make a few
calls to get references, ask for a copy of their
contract, and ask if they are insured. Check out
their websites. Who are you most comfortable
with? Lowest price will quite often result in lowest
quality workmanship and materials.
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