This is a radon map of Illinois. This map shows by county where the average highest radon measurements are located. The red areas are the highest.

So your buying a home and your questioning if you need a radon measurement with your home inspection or not.  Today I will help you with deciding  if a radon measurement is needed.  Iwill be using a home inspection I performed in Downers Grove, Illinois as my test subject.  I’ll really be speaking about the metro area in Chicago, Illinois but you can see maps that can help you in your area of the United States.    

The first thing that always comes up is the cost of the radon measurement.  The standard price for a radon measurement is between $175.00 – $225.00, depending on where you are in the Chicago area and if you are getting a break on the price because you are getting a home inspection.  In Illinois a radon measurement must be done with a continuous radon measurement device.  We are not allowed to use charcoal canisters in real estate transactions.  These monitors are plugged into an electric outlet and they take a sample of the air every 15 minutes.  We generally put these monitors in finished basements or  rooms above crawl spaces.  Sometimes we may have up to 5 monitors for one home.  The Downers Grove home inspection had 2 monitors because there were two different types of foundations.    

If your in Illinois and your wondering if you need to spend $175.00 on this measurement go to http://www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com/images/stories/pdf/2008datahigh.pdf and see how your city or village rates with past radon measurements.  We measure radon by Pc/l.   This is a standard guideline that all can understand nationwide.  Radon can only be found by the measurements that we employ due to the fact that radon gas is colorless, tasteless and odorless.  This gas can cause cancer from its alpha and beta particles that implant themselves into your lung fibers.   

So you want to remove the radon.  How much will it cost?  This depends on multiple factors and a radon mitigator can go over that with you and your family.  Mitigation systems can cost between $1200.00 – $2000.00 and more if there are multiple foundation areas that the mitigator will have to work with.  You can see other items that are related to radon measurement and mitigation at http://www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com/our-services/69-radonmeasurement.html.  This seemed to be very helpful for my clients of the home inspection in Downers Grove, Illinois.   

If you have any questions about radon and how they can affect you and your family please contact me through ~ http://www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com/about-jim-kolke.html.   

Thanks for stopping by.  Jim Kolke

Typical radon installation.

In Illinois  a law was enacted for the real estate sales industry that was developed to protect home buyers against radon.  Basically, the home owner has to sign a document that  certifies their knowledge of the radon levels in their home.  The bad news is that most people do not test for radon when they buy a home.  This means that for a homeowner that did not test for radon,that they would not know the level of radon in their home.  We were hired to perform  a home inspection in Deerfield, Illinois and we do offer a radon measurement service for all of our inspections.   

The problem we seem to have is that some clients think it is expensive.  Aradon measurement tests cost $225.00  and if you are getting a home inspection we give you $50.00 off.  So, if you are getting a home inspection with radon measurement the cost will be betwwen $550.00 and up depending on the size of your home.   The home inspection in Deerfield did choose to get a radon measurement and that was a smart decision on their part.  

Radon is measured in picoCuries.  The lower the number the better.  The national average in homes is 1.3 pCi/1  and levels under 2.0 pCi/1 are ideal.  Radon measurements that come at 4.0pCi/1 are noted for mitigation. These readings are taken by a continuous electric monitor that takes measurements evry 15 minutes for 48 hours with closed home conditions.  In the case of the home inspection in Deerfield, the radon measurement number was above  11.5 pCi/1 .  This is a very high number and we suggested a radon  mitigation system be installed in the home.  

Radon mitigation systems generally start around $1200.00  and up depending on the type of home you have, foundation material, finished basement, how many floors the home has, cracks in foundation floor, sump and ejector pits.  In the case of the home inspection in Deerfield, the client said the system was $1900.00.  

Radon is odorless, colorless, tasteless radioactive gas that you cant sense without the proper equipment.  I know money can be tight when buying a home,but the money your spending is like an insurance policy to protect your family from the possibilities of lung cancer for the cost of a dinner out with the family??  

If you have any questions about radon and need help with the possible cost with systems please contact us at ~ www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com  Jim Kolke