Radon and Thermal

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What is Radon?

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that you can't see, smell, or taste. It is found everywhere in the world. Uranium naturally decays into radium that further breaks down into radon gas.

How does radon enter your home?

Because radon is a gas, it can seep up through the soil and enter buildings. Once radon enters a building, it is easily dispersed through the air, and will typically be at its highest concentration in the lowest level of the building. Radon gas itself is relatively harmless. It is the decay product of radon gas that release damaging energy particles leading to lung tissue damage when inhaled.

There are many different ways for radon to enter your home. Some of the ways include:

Cracks in solid floors
Construction joints
Cracks in walls
Gaps in suspended floors
Gaps around pipes
Cavities inside walls

Radon is a health hazard with a simple solution.
Testing is the first step. Luckily, radon testing is easy and low cost. There are many kinds of do it yourself radon test kits.

Short-term tests (2-90 days) and long-term tests (91 days - 1year) are most commonly used to test for radon. Both types of test kits are usually found at your local hardware store or can be ordered online through organizations like The American Lung Association of Oregon.

What your test results mean:

EPA recommends you begin with a short term test for more immediate results. If your result is 4 pCi/L or higher, take a follow up test to be sure.

Depending on the results of your first test, follow up with either a long-term test or a second short term test. If your first test results are 4 to 8 pCi/L follow up with a long-term test. If your first test results are 8 pCi/L or above, follow up with another short-term test. If the average of your two short-term tests is 4 pCi/L or above, or the result of your long-term test was 4 pCi/L or above, fix your home.

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We use infared camera technology as another tool in every inspection to help find potential problems.

Infrared thermal imaging cameras can spot small, but key changes in temperature in different areas of a home, identifying potential problematic areas a visual inspection could only hypothesize. Areas of a home will show up as hot, cold, or somewhere in between as we scan the house with a camera sensitive to infrared radiation.

What infrared imaging can reveal during inspections:

Moisture issues can be revealed during these inspections which includes hidden sources of mold, roof leaks, and posts that indicate termite nests.

Electrical problems are also revealed as well as heat and energy loss, foundation cracks, structural concerns, missing insulation, ventilation glitches and rodent infestations.