Due to varying circumstances, not all homes can have a proper ventilation system. Even if you’re inside your own home and don’t see any specific health hazard lurking around, doesn’t mean that you’re completely safe. In fact, a hazardous tasteless and odorless gas known as radon can unnoticeably harm your health through entering your home.
What is Radon and How am I exposed to it?
Chemical elements aren’t naturally stable. For instance, uranium, a naturally-occuring element in the Earth’s crust, due to instability, will break down into radon in water, soil, and rock. Radon found in the ground will slowly move up through the cracks and crevices on your home’s foundation. Because of air pressure differences, your home can draw in radon content surrounding your home.
Take note that radon is a radioactive gas rated as class-one carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent that attaches into an individual’s lung tissues. Since uranium is unstable and has broken down into radon, this radon will eventually break down to other elements, while inside your lungs, thus increasing more health risks other than cancer.
While you can’t completely remove radon inside your home, you can reduce the amount and severity of its effects. If you live around Colorado Springs where radon is present in moderate to high amounts, it is necessary to find radon mitigation Colorado Springs services, through the following tips and considerations:
Check Their License or Any Proof to Operate
Radon mitigation is a serious task that can put your health into a compromising situation when conducted incorrectly and unofficially. Before agreeing to any radon mitigation contractor or company, ask for their license and other proof that they’re presently allowed to operate. You can ask for two documents: their company license and own personal license number of assigned personnel.
However, the challenge in confirming the legitimacy of radon mitigation contractors is that there is no national license specifically for radon contractors, but you can confirm it from Colorado if they have certain certifications or list of companies that are permitted to work on radon mitigation.
Moreover, Colorado doesn’t require any certifications for individuals conducting radon services, but it is recommended that they’re certified with a National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) certification. Another certification that you can try asking from the company should be issued by the National Radon Safety Board.
Ask Recommendations from Trusted People
Since you’re living in Colorado Springs, the best recommendations will come from your town people, including your neighbors, friends, relatives, and colleagues, who have residence in the same municipality. You can also widen your options to neighboring communities such as Cimarron Hills, Black Forest, Castle Rock, and more, which are approximately 52 miles from your location.
As much as possible, heed advice from those people who have actually availed the services themselves, and not just they know a certain radon contractor. You can get better advice and suggestions from people that you personally know, since you know their preferences well while they’re narrating their experiences.
Look for Online Reviews
The internet has presented people a platform where they can share their thoughts and experiences on specific services through reviews and feedback. Check for top rated radon mitigation services near Colorado and see if there are any reviews from certified customers. Join online communities around your location and try asking for any reviews and suggestions. In short, be as resourceful as much as you can.
Moreover, you can navigate through their website to have better information about the company. However, the website reviews can sometimes be misleading and biased, so be careful about those.
Confirm Their Insurance
Insurance is essential in any business operations to make sure that damage expenses will not come from your pocket. Before signing a contract with your chosen radon contractor, ensure that they have insurance. Radon mitigation is a risky job which can have short-term to long-term alterations to your home if the mitigators haven’t done the job appropriately. With the help of an insurance, there is 100% guarantee that you will not pay for any expenses created by the damage.
Make reading and double-checking a habit, thus make sure that their insurance is updated and officially issued by an insurance company.
See If They Have A Guarantee
Another important and a must-do when choosing a radon mitigation company is checking if they have a written guarantee of their performance. The Environmental Protection Agency suggests that radon levels should be lowered to 4 pCi/L and below to certify that a radon mitigation service was successfully installed. If your contractor is confident enough with their performance and has issued you a guarantee, then it is definitely a quality service.
On the other hand, if a contractor tells you that they don’t issue guarantees anymore because their services are already renowned and certified, never contact them any further.
Radon Mitigation Success Confirmation
A guarantee wouldn’t be a guarantee without confirming that their claims are completely true. Thus, radon contractors should also offer radon level testing after installing the radon mitigation system to see if radon levels have really dropped into the optimal and desired amount, which is 4 pCi/L and less.
Contractors should leave you with two testing options: they will provide you with a radon test kit for 48 hours and the results will be sent for laboratory analysis, or they will monitor the system continuously. Either way, they should be able to provide you a copy of the results.
Takeaways
Radon testing and mitigation is essential in many households, especially in Colorado which is located in the Uravan mineral belt. Nevertheless, some homeowners still don’t invest in these services and keep other home upgrades in their priorities. To make sure that your family is safe from radon and its detrimental effects, find a top rated radon mitigation near you and use these tips to find the best one.
