Radon mitigation & testing in Brookline, NH

Buying or building a newer home on a private well in Brookline

Buying or building a home in Brookline? A newer house is not automatically low in radon. The EPA says every new home should be tested for radon as soon as possible after occupancy, even if it was built to be radon-resistant. (EPA)

What radon-resistant features look like

According to the EPA, a home built to be radon-resistant includes a gas-permeable layer (often 4 inches of clean gravel) under the slab, plastic sheeting over it, sealed below-grade openings, a 3- or 4-inch gas-tight vent pipe running to the roof, and an electrical junction box in the attic so a fan can be added later. (EPA) If you are having a home built, the EPA suggests asking your builder whether they use a recognized approach, such as IRC Appendix F or ANSI/AARST RRNC 2.0. (EPA)

The EPA also says including these features during construction is typically less costly than mitigating the home afterward. (EPA)

If the test comes back high

A passive system is only a vent pipe. If your result is 4 pCi/L or more, the EPA says a vent fan can easily be added to make it an active system. (EPA) Ask a certified mitigator to check the existing pipe and quote the upgrade. NH requires radon-in-air mitigation designers and installers to be nationally certified. (NHDES) You can check names in the NRPP directory. Retest after any fix. (EPA)

Testing the air

Place a test in the lowest lived-in level: the basement if it is used often, otherwise the first floor. (EPA) NH residents can order a free state test kit. (NHDES) For a home sale, NH DHHS describes a two-device test with an averaged result. (NH DHHS)

Private wells

NHDES says radon is common in water from bedrock (drilled) wells, while dug wells and point wells tend to have little or none. (NHDES) If your Brookline home has a drilled well, NHDES recommends testing the water for radon at least twice, about a month apart, and recommends treatment at 10,000 pCi/L or more (possibly between 2,000 and 10,000 pCi/L if indoor air is 4 pCi/L or higher). (NHDES) Radon-resistant construction does not address radon in water. See our guide to radon in well water in NH.

Nearby

See Hollis, Milford and Amherst.

Well pump or pressure trouble? Our sister referral site, NH Well Pump Help, connects Brookline homeowners with local well pump pros.