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Testing for Radon in Water in Michigan

One may care about radon in water not because of the direct effects, but because of off-gassing that may occur when the water is agitated or aerated such as during laundry, dishwashing or showering. The rule of thumb is that 10,000 picoCuries per liter (pCi/l) of water translates into about 1 pCI/l average concentration in air.

The EPA Citizen’s Guide to Radon flatly recommends testing water whenever both these conditions are met:

  • The house is supplied by well water, and
  • The radon concentration (in air) is 4 picoCuries per liter or more.

We would be happy to conduct such a test for you, but cannot in good conscience recommend it in southern Michigan. In 1993 Protech’s founder thought he would get rich by becoming the first person in Michigan to be EPA-trained for radon-in-water. The venture was half-successful. He dutifully attended the course at Rutgers, and since then has never found a problem home in southeast Michigan, not even in areas known as radon hotspots.

It’s interesting to watch the intramural battle at EPA between the indoor air and drinking water factions. The issue is acceptable risk. Water regulations have traditionally been set to achieve at most 1 in 100,000 lifetime fatality risk, leading to a standard on the order of 300 picoCuries per liter of water (roughly equivalent to 0.03 pCi/l in air, or less than 10% of typical fresh air radon content). The indoor air people say this is, well, silly.

Have A Question About Radon Treatment?

Radon

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Sarah Worsham a year ago
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Super quick and efficient service of installing a radon mitigation system in the house we were selling. The installers were very knowledgeable and explained the system and the information to pass on to the buyer's. Definitely would recommend.

By regulation, radon fans must be located outside of the conditioned space of the home.
The regulation stipulates that the exhaust must extend above the roofline. The idea is to keep the exhaust gas from coming back into the house or impinging on patios, walkways, play areas, etc. There are three basic requirements: The exhaust must be

(a) at least ten feet off the ground,
(b) above the eave (not necessarily the edge) of the roof, and
(c) either ten feet away from, or two feet above, windows.
As long as the system is running, the air exiting the pipe keeps rain and bugs out. The system exhaust must be vertical, and upward. The rest of the system is designed so that it pitches back down toward the suction point, so that any water in the system drains back into the soil. Caps and other diverters can cause freeze-up problems from condensation when it’s cold out. Did you know: radon systems can expel hundreds of gallons of water vapor each year?
PVC piping is the most suitable material for the job. Metal downspouts are not intended to be used for gas exhaust applications, and the joints cannot be permanently sealed (they require frequent re-sealing). Downspouts also tend to ice up in the winter, disabling the system just when you need it the most.
Our standard sump covers are transparent, so you can shine a flash light into the sump pit to verify that the sump is working.