It’s the news you didn’t want: your home has high radon gas levels, and you’re going to have to take action.
You may feel nervous and may have a lot of questions: Why is this happening? Do I need to make drastic changes to my home? Is it going to cost me a lot of money?
The good news is that high levels of radon can be managed, and with the right treatment, the problem can be fixed and made safe.
In this article, we will guide you through what happens after a high radon test and what you should do.
What a “High Radon Level” Actually Means in the UK
Radon levels are measured in becquerel per cubic metre of air (Bq/m³). The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for all health security in England, and it has both a recommended level of radon for when action should be taken and a target level of radon to meet following mitigation work.
Those levels are as follows:
- Action Level - 200 Bq/m³: The agency recommends that action is taken if a UK home’s average radon level is above or at this figure.
- Target Level - 100 Bq/m³: This is the government’s ideal outcome for both remediation works in existing buildings and protective measures in new buildings.
To be clear, these levels are not mandatory, but are recommended by the government to keep you safe!
How To Respond to a High Radon Test: Step-By-Step
Step 1: Confirm Your Radon Test Results with Test Kits
Before going forward with measures to reduce radon in your home, it’s crucial to confirm your results are accurate to avoid unnecessary costs.
Radon levels can vary by season - they’re at their highest level in the winter and their lowest in the summer - so it's recommended to test your home for radon in the winter, as this is when you’re particularly vulnerable.
Passive Radon Test
Using a passive 3-month radon test kit, you can assess levels of radon in your home over multiple months to determine your overall home exposure to radon.
- The test uses two radon detectors, with one in a living room and one in a bedroom, as these are the two places where you’re likely to be most of the time.
- It is recommended to carry out the test for three months, because radon can vary greatly day-to-day and is influenced by weather conditions.
- This test averages out short-term fluctuations in radon levels.
Real-Time Radon Test
Should you opt for a real-time option, results can be issued in under 4 hours, and a report and recommendations can be published within the next 3 days.
- An expert will visit a property and place multiple real-time radon sensors at important locations.
- While the sensors are in place, they will conduct a property survey to determine any mitigation measures to be taken if the test suggests they are needed.
- After determining the result, a report and recommendations will then be issued, which include a prediction of the radon levels over the next three months.
Learn more about our real-time Radon test
Step 2: Understand How Radon Gas Is Entering Your Home
Radon enters the home through a process called ‘ground gas infiltration’.
In this process, gas moves through the soil to the ground’s surface and is then able to enter homes through cracks in their structure, such as in floors, walls, or pipe gaps.
To be clear, opening windows to let radon out is NOT a viable solution; radon is constantly being produced in the ground, and so there’s a constant supply to the ground’s surface and into homes.
Step 3: Choose the Right Mitigation Strategy
Ventilation Improvements
Fixing a radon problem isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution: it depends on a building’s construction, layout, flooring and initial radon levels.
Therefore, you must pick the best radon mitigation strategy for your specific situation.
Two different types of ventilation improvements can be made, though these do rely on homes being in either a certain condition or having enough space.
Positive Ventilation
This brings fresh air into a home and dilutes radon. A fan is installed in a home’s roof space, which is connected to a vent in the ceiling, and a filter ensures the air is clean. Note: this works best in draught-free, well-insulated homes.
Under-Floor Ventilation
In many homes, there’s space underneath a suspended ground floor. If there is, radon concentration can be reduced through appropriate ventilation of the space. This can be through either natural under-floor ventilation, or if that isn’t possible, active under-floor ventilation:
- Natural Ventilation: To improve natural ventilation, airflow needs to be improved, and vents need to be cleaned. Therefore, vents will be cleaned and obstructions cleared, plastic vents with bigger openings to walls will be installed, and there will need to be vents in at least two opposite walls (if this isn’t the case already).
- Active Ventilation: In this method, a fan is installed to extract air from the under-floor space, or to continuously blow air into that space. Either method can work, and this can be switched if one method doesn’t work. A fan can be fitted under the floor, within a wall, within a loft space or on the outside of a home.
Radon Sumps & Sub-Floor Systems
An active radon sump is the most effective way to reduce radon levels and can work under solid or suspended floors. Powered by an electric fan, an active sump draws radon and air from under the floor up a pipe on the side of the home, where it’s then released outside.
An active sump can be installed as follows:
- From outside, a small hole (big enough for a 110mm pipe) is made beneath ground level in an exterior wall.
- Enough material should be removed to create a space just below the floor slab.
- A pipe is then installed from the space through the wall, usually up the side of the house to the roof level.
Note, there’s also an option to install a passive sump. However, these don’t use a fan and are less effective - a passive sump is best for homes with lower radon levels.
Sealing Entry Points (NOT a Standalone Fix)
When combined with other measures, simple work such as sealing loft-hatches, floor cracks, service pipes and gaps can help to reduce radon. However, this isn’t effective on its own, and it’s difficult to seal everything - radon could easily find alternative routes into your home.
Learn more about our ventilation and sump extraction systems
Step 4: Address the Bigger Indoor Air Picture
Radon is a known risk, but elevated levels often indicate wider underlying issues, as it rarely occurs in isolation.
It’s common for homes with radon issues to also struggle with:
- Poor ventilation
- Presence of damp and mould
- Airborne pollutants
Therefore, if you’re struggling with radon, make sure you take action to check the general conditions of your home.
Learn more about our damp and mould expertise
Step 5: Get Expert Support & Avoid Common Mistakes
Common Pitfalls
It’s really important you get the support you need to deal with radon and other resulting issues to ensure your home is safe and healthy for years to come. This will ensure you don’t experience common pitfalls, including:
- Relying on DIY fixes alone
- Choosing the wrong system
- Ignoring long-term monitoring
- Treating symptoms, not causes
Make sure you bring an expert to lead an assessment, and don’t be afraid of tailored solutions, as this is a subject where one size doesn’t fit all.
At Better Indoors, we work nationwide as a trusted, expert-led leader in UK home air quality.
What Happens Next: Monitoring & Peace of Mind
Following an assessment and any resulting work, post-mitigation testing should be conducted every 2-5 years.
Furthermore, vents should be cleared twice a year, and the sump system needs to be checked every six months.
Focus should also be placed on maintaining a healthy indoor environment, such as ensuring good air quality and making sure the home is regularly cleaned.
You’re Now in Control of the Solution
Remember, it’s imperative you take action after a high radon test, as prolonged exposure is unsafe and could affect your health - it has strong links to lung cancer and is the second leading cause of the disease after smoking.
But also remember, taking action works: there are clear mitigation strategies to solve your situation, and it’s easy to seek advice and take appropriate steps today!
How Better Indoors Can Help To Reduce Radon Levels
Get in touch with Better Indoors to discover how we can help you tackle your radon problem and protect your home in the long-term.
Featuring expert-led services, Better Indoors is an award-winning and trusted company that specialises in improving your air quality.
Our two proprietary technologies - Positive Pressure Ventilation and Sump Extraction Systems - are leading retrofit mitigation solutions that can reduce your radon levels!
