Radon guides for your home
Written and reviewed by Bill Dahlstrom, Illinois radon mitigation license RNM2018212 · Updated
These guides cover testing, what your result means, how a radon system works, what it costs, and what to ask before anyone drills a hole. Radon is worth taking seriously, but it's not a reason to panic.
No result yet?
Get a test first
Start with a free county kit in suburban Cook County, an $8 kit in Will County, or a radon detector you keep. For a home sale, use an Illinois-licensed measurement professional.
Read testing guidance →Have a result?
What does my number mean?
What the units mean, whether the test was set up right, and what to do next.
Understand your result →System concern?
Send Bill a photo
Send a clear photo of the fan and the U-shaped gauge on the pipe. It helps Bill see what you have before you talk.
Send a photo to (815) 370-9682 →Understand the issue
Radon basics and testing
What radon is, why one home can test differently from the next, and how to read a result.
What is radon?
What radon is, how it gets into a home, and why to test.
Read the guide →Radon testing guidance
Where to get a test, when to expect results, and where to find a licensed tester.
Read the guide →Understand a radon test result
What pCi/L means, and what to do with a high, borderline, or changing result.
Read the guide →Short-term vs. long-term testing
When to use each one, and why the test setup matters.
Read the guide →What to expect during a radon test
How to get the home ready, keep it closed up, and avoid common mistakes.
Read the guide →Plan the fix
Mitigation systems and installation
How a radon system works, what changes the design, what a fair quote includes, and how to get ready for install day.
Radon mitigation services
New systems, crawl spaces, sumps, passive pipe activation, repairs, and tracking down problems.
Read the guide →Radon mitigation cost guide
Our price ranges, and what in your home can change the price.
Read the guide →What to expect on installation day
Getting ready, where the pipe goes, cleanup, and the test afterward.
Read the guide →How to choose a mitigation company
Twelve questions to ask any Illinois radon company.
Read the guide →Test before finishing a basement
Plan for radon before the drywall, ceilings, and floors go in.
Read the guide →How long mitigation usually takes
What gets done in one visit, and what can add time.
Read the guide →Illinois mitigation installation guide
Licensing, the parts of a system, testing afterward, and what to expect.
Read the guide →Already have a system
System care, repair, and changes
A few simple checks you can do yourself, and when to have a fan, a passive pipe, or the whole system looked at.
Is my radon system working?
How to check the fan, the gauge, the pipe, and the sump lid.
Read the guide →Fan replacement and system repair
For a fan that's loud, shaking, quiet, dead, or just old, even if another company put it in.
Read the guide →Passive system activation
What the builder's radon pipe does, and when to add a fan.
Read the guide →Existing-system inspection
We look over the fan, the gauge, the pipes, the sump lid, and whether the system is pulling.
Read the guide →Relocation and pipe rerouting
When a finished basement, addition, patio, or other project puts the pipe in the way.
Read the guide →Customer care and warranty
Caring for your system, warranty help, and what to send Bill if something looks wrong.
Read the guide →Homes changing hands
Real estate and property guidance
Help for buyers, sellers, agents, landlords, and investors dealing with test results, deadlines, and systems already in place.
Buying or selling a home
What each side needs, and how to keep the radon part of the sale on track.
Read the guide →Guidance for realtors
Quotes, paperwork, and scheduling for buyer's and seller's agents.
Read the guide →Guidance for landlords
Radon systems in rentals with tenants living there, and systems already in place.
Read the guide →Guidance for property investors
How to check for radon on each home you buy or renovate.
Read the guide →Why your home needs its own plan
Radon can be different from one house to the next, even next door. A good plan starts with your foundation, sump, crawl space, finished rooms, any passive pipe or fan already there, and your test results, not an answer copied from another home.
American Radon Systems works in the south and southwest suburbs. Bill looks at your home himself before he designs the system and gives you a price.
Not sure which guide you need?
Call Bill with your address and what you're trying to figure out. You don't need to know what the problem is first.
Call Bill (815) 370-9682