Menu
Did you know the radon levels in your home fluctuate throughout the year? This is why it’s essential to test your home for radon every two years. Keep reading to understand the various reasons for radon level fluctuation so you can keep your loved ones safe and test at the correct times.
When cold winter weather rolls in and snow coats the ground, less radon can escape into the air outside your home, resulting in more radon rising from the ground to the air inside. Additionally, the warm indoor air can create pressure changes that pull more radon out of the soil underneath your home. Combined with more time spent indoors in the winter, this is a recipe for prolonged radon exposure.
Alternatively, when summer rolls around and more radon can escape outside, your home’s radon level may be lower than in winter. However, energy-efficient homes tend to trap more radon inside no matter what time of year because they seal the air inside. Plus, when temperature changes drastically from day to night in the summer, your daily radon level can fluctuate daily.
Finally, natural disasters can change a home's integrity and create more cracks in your home’s foundation. Even small cracks in a foundation can let radon in, and the shifting ground from a disaster like an earthquake can shift the flow of radon and how it escapes.
Similar to earthquakes and natural disasters, remodeling can impact the structure of your home. From drilling to cracks, construction inside your home can change how much radon comes in on a daily and year-to-year basis.
Due to the circumstances above, it’s important to test your home for radon every two years. Even more, you should alternate the season you test in between winter and summer every time you perform a test. If you remodel your home or plan to sell it soon, it can also be a good idea to perform an extra test after the remodel is complete or before you sell it, even if that is sooner than the two-year window.
To request a free radon test, click here.
