Should You Hire a Professional for Radon Testing?
If you want to mitigate the presence of radon gas in your home or place of business, reliable radon testing is the first step. There are plenty of test kits on the market that you can set up by yourself at home, so why should you hire a professional for radon testing?
Ultimately, it depends on a few factors. Let’s compare and contrast home radon tests and professional testing.
Reliability of Results
Home radon test kits, when used according to the included instructions, do provide highly reliable results. However, a variety of factors can affect those results, such as where you place the canister and how much ventilation your home has.
Alternatively, professional radon testers have performed dozens—if not hundreds—of radon tests. They use tools that are more specialized than charcoal canisters, and they know how to read the test results properly.
Timing of Results
When you use a home kit to test for radon, the instructions will direct you to send the charcoal canister off to a lab for analysis. Many kits advertise speedy and reliable results, but what if your mail is delayed for reasons outside the lab’s control? You may end up waiting weeks to receive your radon level analysis.
Meanwhile, a radon testing professional will come to your home or office in person. Often, they’ll have results ready for you shortly after testing is finished. The time you save by hiring a pro can be crucial to your health and safety.
Customized Mitigation Advice
Using the DIY approach for radon testing can be more convenient for you depending on your circumstances, but what happens when you get your results back? Suppose your results indicate radon levels in excess of the EPA’s recommended action level of 4.0 pCi/L. It will be up to you to research your mitigation options and select the appropriate equipment.
Professional radon testers won’t leave you hanging. Should they discover elevated radon levels in your home or place of business, they can offer advice tailored to your unique situation. For example, if the professional walks through your basement and notices cracks in the foundation, they’ll recommend an appropriate radon concrete sealer to keep radon from seeping in.
Should you hire a professional radon tester for your home or office? If you’re depending on quick and highly reliable results, go with a pro over a home test kit. While those charcoal canisters do have their place in radon testing, hiring a professional will get you the answers you need more quickly.