Radon gas enters a home when warm air rises and leaves the upper floors and attic. This creates a vacuum in the lower levels that pulls air and trapped radon through pores and cracks in the foundation.
Most people in Oswego, Yorkville, Naperville, Aurora and Plainfield have an idea of why it’s important to keep radon levels low. If you test for radon at your home and the results are elevated (4 picocuries per liter of air or higher), the EPA recommends that you reduce it to help protect your safety and health.
You can achieve this by having a radon mitigation system. Should you need to install one, you’ll want to know how much a mitigation system in Illinois costs. Let’s review some of the cost factors as well as possible prices.
Radon Testing
Before you install a mitigation system, you will of course test (or have tested) for radon first. If you choose to check for levels yourself, you can usually find a radon test kit at a home improvement store for between $20 and $50. This will give you a starting idea of your home’s radon level.
To ensure the most thorough and accurate results, you can have the test performed by a certificated professional using a sophisticated radon detector. A professional radon test will range from $150 to $800 depending on the home’s size and configuration.
System Labor and Equipment
Your radon mitigation system’s cost will be the total of the labor and the equipment needed to install the system.
The following are a few factors that could potentially increase the labor expense:
- Home larger than 4,000sf
- Basement larger than 2,000sf
- Home built in 1988 or earlier
- Foundation including stone or cinder block
- Building height requiring special ladder or lift
- Excessive floor cracks in the basement
- Floor drain not trapped
- Sump pump needing service or not working
- Size and height of a gravel or dirt crawl space
- Presence of asbestos siding or insulation
The equipment cost will be related to the type of mitigation system you install. An active suction system removes radon with a fan that creates a vacuum under the foundation. A passive depressurization system removes it by means of a pipe and the property’s naturally rising air. A lower-level pressurization system seals the lower levels of the home and blows air into them to counter the naturally rising air containing radon.
In some cases a homeowner might have the basement sealed as a form of mitigation. While this may help reduce levels slightly and prevent new seepage of gas, sealing typically works best when combined with one of the systems mentioned above.
Approximate System Cost
Depending on the factors we’ve discussed, installing a radon mitigation system in the average single-family home in Oswego, Yorkville, Naperville, Aurora or Plainfield will typically range from $1,200 to $1,700.
If the home is particularly large with complex configurations or multiple foundations, the cost can range between $2,000 and $3,000.
Activation of an existing passive system (builder-installed skeletal system) can range from $700 to $800.
Your Local Resource for Radon Solutions
Trinity Electrical Services and Radon Mitigation specializes in radon testing and mitigation for the West Suburbs, including Oswego, Yorkville, Naperville, Aurora and Plainfield. If you have further questions about how much an Illinois radon mitigation system costs, we will be glad to answer them based on our extensive experience in the area. Simply contact us at (630) 499-1492.
