Mitigation System Overview

New England Radon Control's Low Maintenance Approach

Our experience cleaning up underground oil and chemical spills has allowed us to provide our clients with a low maintenance design. Our Superfund experience has shown us that the operation and maintenance costs are what make a cleanup project expensive.

Many people just look at the cost of installation and not the cost of maintaining a mitigation system. For example: Opening the basement windows will reduce the stack effect of the building and provide dilution air for the building; potentially a free fix. Think about how much additional fuel oil, gas, or cordwood will be needed to heat the home throughout the winter. How inexpensive is the "free fix" now?

There is an overabundance of activities to keep a house in good order. Mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, and house cleaning are just a sliver of the weekly chores. We understand your family's health is important but why add to the already high household workload? Our efficient systems require no additional maintenance from the homeowner other than visually checking the U-tube to be sure the system is running and paying your electric bill. In order to minimize any additional effort, we place the U-tube in an area that people will frequently pass.

System Overview

The mitigation system begins with one or more holes being drilled through the basement floor to accept a section of PVC pipe, known as a drop pipe. The drop pipe is cemented to the floor and run up to the overhead floor joists. All drop pipes are manifolded together and a single exhaust pipe is run up inside the house to the attic. If an internal pipe run is unavailable the pipe is run outside the house. An internal run is preferable for aesthetic and insulation considerations.

If run internally the exhaust pipe is run up through closets, existing pipe chases and in certain cases a custom built chase. The pipe is placed into an area of the closet that will not impede the usefulness of the space. Whenever possible, the pipe is placed into a corner so normal use of the closet will camouflage the pipe. Sometimes, as in the picture, the pipe cannot be placed into the corner. In this case we put the pipe as close to a wall as possible to keep the most usable space.

Once into the attic, the pipe is attached to the radon removal fan. We use a rubber mount to mate the fan to the pipes and this mount reduces vibration and facilitates easy repairs to the system. The exhaust stack is run through a flashing in the roof and from the outside appears to be another septic system vent. The overall system is designed to blend into the house and not be a neon sign proclaiming the existence of a mitigation system.