In this episode, Richard Comeras (aks “The Crackman”) discusses the things you need to understand about radon and its threats to the occupants of a home. Listen and enjoy!
Narrator: It’s time once again for the “Crack Man Podcast” hosted by A1 Foundation Crack Repair. We’re here with the Crackman himself, Rich Comeras. Rich has 30 years of experience in the construction industry and over 20 years’ experience as the founder and president of A1 Foundation and Crack Repair Inc. His podcasts provides expert basement water proofing, concrete repair, and preventative maintenance tips for homeowners and businesses. A1 Foundation’s excellent insight will help avert a disastrous flood within the basement, health problems associated with water infiltration within the basement, and protect your biggest investment….your home. The topic for today’s podcast: Everything You Need to Know about the Radon Threat in Your Home.
So Rich, let’s get started with what radon is.
Crackman: What radon gas is, is an odorless gas that’s caused by metals breaking down in rocks, soil, and water. It’s actually radioactive.
Narrator: All right, so, is radon created from a bad food night or rather from some place that we need to know about? Crackman: Well, as I said it comes from the soil, the rocks, and water breaking down. It’s mostly the minerals in the rocks in the soils breaking down then leaching into the water or soil. This gas comes up in houses. In fact, statistics show that one in 15 houses in the United States has elevated levels of radon in the house. We’ve been getting calls recently with this heavy, heavy, rain that we’ve been having. People are hearing a gurgling sound coming from a pipe that goes up. What that pipe is, is a radon mitigation system. The pipe goes below the cement floor and it comes up usually above the roof. There’s a fan towards the bottom that sucks the air that has the radon in it and brings it up and out of the house. We’ve been getting this call quite often from gurgling sounds in radon mitigation systems.
Narrator: So, who installs radon mitigation systems? Is it someone like you, is it some state agency, how does that work?
Crackman: First of all, it’s privately held companies that are licensed in the states in order to do the work. Also, what you need to do before you even think about having one put in, you need to have a test done. Tests can be done by getting a test kit from Home Depot and sending it in for evaluation. If there is radon in your house, there are things you can do. You can increase the flow of fresh air within the house, you can seal up any cracks within the home’s walls, and the home’s foundation. You can seal pipes and cracks in the floor. All of these things will help stop radon from coming in. We’ve been installing radon-proof sump pump basins to counter this problem. With all the cancers that is happening, radon is causing lung cancer in 25,000 people in the United States. So it’s wise to have your home checked our for radon using a simple test. Narrator: All right, just to summarize, the radon threat is real and a licensed agency will have to come in and install the radon mitigation system. However, The Crackman is able to fix some of the other ways that radon can get into the house like through wall cracks, foundation cracks, or leaks through the sump pump. Correct?
Crackman: That is correct.
Narrator: All right, Rich. Thanks for giving us practical information on radon in the home and what can be done about it. If you have a basement water problem and think you need a professional, or, if you’d like more information on foundation repair and waterproofing topics, please visit A1FoundationCrackRepair.com or call Rich at (866) 929-3171. Or you can email rich at info@a1foundationcrackrepair.com. Thanks for listening and keep that basement dry.