Mitigation is the formal name for steps taken to eliminate radon from home air.

Radon enters homes through cracks and entry points in basements and lower levels of buildings. It is sucked in from the soil surrounding the house by the lower inside air pressure.

Fixing radon entry involves identifying the entry points and reducing or eliminating air entry. Radonmatters has floor drain valves and sump pit valves that will allow proper flow of water out of your home without allowing air to flow into the building.

floor drains

The drains in our basement floors that allow water to escape are a common source of radon entering our homes. Often this air contains radon. An easy test to see the flow of air from these drains is to put a kleenex on top of the floor drain. The air will lift the kleenex slightly with the in-coming air. Our floor drain seals cement in place and allow downward flow of water and then seal to prevent upward flow of air.

Sealing of radon entry points is moderately successful in reducing radon levels. When radon levels exceed the Canadian national guideline by more than 50%, more aggressive mitigation techniques are required.

sub-slab depressurization

Reduction of significantly elevated radon levels requires an engineered solution called "sub-slab depressurization". A pipe is put through the basement floor, connected to a fan and conducted out of the house. The fan operated continuously to remove radon. Radonmatters has the fan kits available for the sub-slab depressurization system and Radonmatters has experience in consulting with contractors to install this type of system.

For crawl-spaces with earth or gravel floors, a variant of the sub-slab depressurization is used called “sub-membrane depressurization”. Radonmatters has the fan kits available for the sub-membrane depressurization system and Radonmatters has experience in consulting with contractors to install this type of system.