How to test your home for radon

How do you test a home for radon?

Buy a test kit or hire a certified tester. PA DEP says testing is easy and only takes a few minutes of your time. If you use a kit, make sure a Pennsylvania-certified lab analyses it.

Pennsylvania law requires anyone who tests radon for someone else to be certified by DEP. You can test your own home without a certificate. DEP says that if you're buying or selling a home, you can hire a certified tester to do it for you. See the certified testers serving York County.

Short-term or long-term?

Short-term tests stay in your home for two to 90 days, depending on the device. They're the quickest way to test. DEP says radon levels change from day to day and season to season, so a short-term test is less likely to tell you your year-round average.

Long-term tests stay for more than 90 days. DEP says they're more likely to give you your year-round average.

All radon tests should run for at least 48 hours.

Where do you put the test?

PA DEP gives these steps for a kit:

• Put it in the lowest lived-in level of your home. That's the basement if you use it often, otherwise the first floor.
• Use a room you're in regularly, like a living room, playroom, den or bedroom. Not the kitchen or bathroom.
• Place it at least 20 inches above the floor, where it won't be disturbed.
• Keep it away from drafts, high heat, high humidity and outside walls.
• Leave it for as long as the package says.

DEP also says that if you sell your home, the buyer will probably decide on mitigation based on the basement level.

How do you keep the house closed?

For a short-term test, close your windows and outside doors and keep them closed as much as you can. For a test of just two or three days, close them at least 12 hours before you start, too.

DEP says you can run heating and air conditioning fans that recirculate air. Don't run fans or machines that bring in air from outside. Don't run a two or three day test during unusually severe storms or high winds.

What happens after the test?

Reseal the package and send it to the certified lab on the package right away. DEP says you should get results within a few weeks.

EPA's steps, as set out in DEP's guide:

• Step 1. Take a short-term test. If it's 4 pCi/L or higher, take a follow-up test.
• Step 2. Follow up with a long-term test for a better idea of your year-round level, or a second short-term test if you need results quickly. If your first result is more than twice 4 pCi/L, take the second short-term test straight away.
• Step 3. Fix your home if a long-term result is 4 pCi/L or more. After two short-term tests, consider fixing if their average is 4 pCi/L or higher.

Then read what your radon number means.