During the winter we undertook a radon measurement of our house. We have two house 10m apart (one a kind of guest or retirement house the other is the main house.

Measurements:

Main house: 107 Bq/l
Cottage: 43 Bq/l

Here i Norway they said it should be under 100 Bq/l and for communal buildings and rented accommodation under 200 Bq/l

Whenever I try and google “radon” I just get bombarded by companies saying they will sort it out for a big price. Our house is old traditional wood log cabin sitting directly on a concrete wall. Natural ventilation throughout. In the creep celler there is soil (where I imagine the radon is coming from). My thoughts was to install myself a ventilation system in the floor of the lower rooms with a radon sucker in the celler and then a chimney through the roof to cast out the radon. Or just get ventilation in the creep celler (as its quite damp anyway) and hope that reduces the levels to a more acceptable level.

Question: Crazy idea? and does anyone have any links to do-it-your selv radon ventilation systems.

Reality check: Difficult to get a straight answer for what I can see the difference between say 43 and say 107 Bq/l in reference to long cancer is no very much. Anyway the misses saw the readings and now something has to be done :)

Thanks NIck,

Some really useful information there.

Thanks GG :)

I do not believe that polythene will stop radon, it goes through hundreds of meters of solid granite to get to a point under the house, it is capable of going through polythene, certainly it will still get into the house.

Safe levels are a myth, there are no safe levels and the longer you live with them the greater the danger of adverse impacts.

The advice seems to be sumps, ventilation and fans

Hydrogen exists as a molecule and radon is four times the size of helium both are atoms and both inert and don’t stick to other things easily.