Radon is a natural radioactive gas that can be traced both in outdoor and indoor environments. While outdoor levels may not pose a serious health hazard, prolonged exposure to high indoor radon levels has been proven to cause lung cancer. Ensuring radon mitigation is crucial for indoor safety.

The only way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from the effects of radon gas is to conduct radon testing. However, with the many radon test kits and low-cost uncalibrated digital units in the market promising you quick results, deciding whether to test radon yourself or hire an expert may weigh heavily on your mind.

In our expert opinion, working with a radon measurement professional has more benefits than doing it yourself.

These benefits are:

1. Accurate Results

When testing for a deadly gas like radon, the test results must be reliable and accurate. A professional radon tester offers far more reliable results than a DIY kit or Digital unit.

The radon testing expert will consider many factors including your home’s foundation type, the right testing methods, where to place the test, and the weather conditions during the testing period to ensure they give you the most accurate results.

Without considering the variables above, a DIY kit or Digital unit may not give you the accurate results you need.

2. Professional Testing Service

Radon testing experts have the training, experience, and specialized annually calibrated  tools to guarantee that testing your home for radon is done right the first time. They rely on their expertise to give you customized service that provides effective results.

For instance, testing for radon in an older home may require different methods from a new construction. Additionally, radon experts stay up-to-date with new best practices and testing techniques to guarantee quality services.

3. Speedy Results

The professional contractor lets you know the results as soon as the test is completed. When you test your home’s radon levels yourself, you need to send the kit to a lab and you may have to wait several weeks for the results, or using one of those digital units bought from a Big Box hardware store, they are not calibrated to get accurate results.

If you require radon testing for a real estate transaction, a radon testing professional typically uses the continuous radon monitor to ensure you get accurate results within 48 – 72 hours.

4. Hassle-Free Testing

DIY radon testing may save you some money. However, as we stated earlier, it’s only accurate if it is not contaminated or that  you use it correctly. You need to follow all the instructions precisely which takes time and effort.

Leaving the testing and interpretation of the results to a licensed professional takes less time and is less stressful than doing it on your own.

5. Effective Radon Mitigation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends installing a radon mitigation system for homes with radon levels from 2 – 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter pCi).

If the test results show high levels of radon in your home, you would require a licensed mitigation expert to help you reduce the radon levels. We have professional Mitigation company’s we can recommend.  

Keep in mind that a company that tests for radon and also installs mitigation systems is a conflict of interest. Your mitigation system should  have a post-mitigation radon test to unsure the system is working properly.

Please contact Tracy at Quality Environmental Testing Inc. to schedule your Radon test at 708-243-5945