Radon-Resistant New Construction
1.
What is the best way to avoid high indoor radon levels in a new house?
Having the soil where the house is to be constructed tested for radon to see whether it is feasible to build there.
Install a passive radon reduction piping system during construction.
Only build a house over a crawl space so there is a air space between the soil and the floor so that radon is eliminated.
2.
Qualified methods of determining the potential for radon in a building by testing the site before construction have not been developed.
False
True
3.
When running the suction (exhaust) pipe for a radon depressurization system the pipe should.
Always be kept level.
Always drain toward the exhaust point.
Always drain toward the suction point.
4.
Covering the aggregate with 6-mil poly-ethylene sheeting prior to pouring concrete for the slab is necessary because
The poly sheeting prevents air movement upward and is an effective method of radon control.
The poly sheeting prevents the concrete from entering the void spaces in the aggregate base material and blocking air movement.
The poly sheeting over the aggregate makes it easier and quicker to work the concrete and assures a better finish on the concrete as well as a stronger, sturdier floor.
5.
Most builders use schedule 40 three or four inch PVC pipe for a radon reduction system, however, sometimes three or four inch pipe just will not fit in some spaces. In those situations
Find a different route the smallest pipe that can be used in a passive system is three inch schedule 40 PVC pipe.
You may use two inch to get through a tight spot if not over 18 inches of two inch PVC pipe is used.
For the sake of economy, schedule 20 PVC pipe can be used such as inside a wall chase or attic as it has a smaller outside diameter than schedule 40.
6.
Passive systems
Rely soley on the convective flow of air upward in the vent pipe for sub-slab or sub-membrane depressuriation. The system consists of one vertical vent pipe routed through conditioned space from the suction pit to 12 inches above the roof.
Are designed for the installation of a vent fan and may consist of multiple vent pipes. This includes vertical and angled runs that are not necessarily routed through living space that may be joined and have a single termination above the roof or may be terminated separately above the roof.
May be a system with one straight vertical pipe with one vent or multiple pipes with multiple vents as long as no fan is installed to activate it.
7.
When installing a passive or skeletal system, care should be taken to route the pipe through an area of the attic that
Provides sufficient head room for a 5 foot 10 inch person to stand and work comfortably.
Close enough to the attic entrance to make working in the attic safer and more convenient.
Has a sufficient length of pipe in the attic to enable the system to be activated by installing a fan.
8.
The pipe for a passive or skeletal system is installed prior to the slab pour and should have a "T " fitting or equivalent on the end of the pipe that will be below the slab because
This ensures that the suction end of the pipe remains within the sub-slab permeable material.
A "T " has twice the square inches of opening that a straight pipe has, which enhances the air movement.
The "T " adds more weight to the end of the pipe and helps keep it from "floating " out of the slab.
9.
Poured concrete walls are better than concrete block walls for radon control, because
A New Jersey study found that houses with poured concrete walls had lower levels of radon than concrete block walls.
If radon is found to be a problem a block wall depressurization system may need to be installed in addition to a sub slab depressurization system which will increase the cost.
Being solid concrete a poured wall will prevent the entry of radon much better than a hollow concrete block wall.