Radon test

If you expect someone to drive out to your house, wait for you to answer the door, put in the canisters, spend time in obligatory radon-related and non-related chit chat, then come back again later to take them away, wait at the door again, chit-chat again, then send them to a lab and pay the lab for whatever it does, and then call and/or write you after they get the results back, you got to pay for all that. They wouldn't do this if they couldn't make a living at it.

Who's to say if they should live like migrant farm labor or like Rockefeller or where in between?

The DIY version is not like making Chippendale furniture. You don't need to go to school or have years of apprenticeship. You open the package, read the instructions, and put what's inside somewhere. Then after the proper amount of time, you take it and mail it, probably to the same lab the local inspection company uses. I'll bet you they didn't say they did more than they actually do, but personal service costs money.

IIRC, I set my detector on the bottom horizontal part of the I-beam that holds up half of my first floor, but there are other places to put the thing. The instructions say where.

Reply to
mm
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Hello, What is the going rate for a professional radon test in your area? I know I could get a $20.00 test at the borg, but I was thinking of a professional testing place to do it. I live in New England. . I know there are all sorts of prices, etc. Just trying to get a general idea. thanks.

Reply to
JohnnyC

Hi,

I went for the cheapest solution for a test. In New York, there is a subsidized test kit from New York State. The laboratory you send the cansiter too is also "OK-ed" by NYS. The New York State test is I thin $US 6.75 per carbon canister. Includes the canister, lab costs and postage.

Maybe your state also has such a radon testing program.

Best Mike.

Reply to
hobbes

Where do you get the NY State kit?

Reply to
RBM" <rbm2(remove

on 10/9/2007 6:53 PM RBM said the following:

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Reply to
willshak

This all sounds very reasonable. . A local inspection company wants to charge me $150.00 for a two canister test. That seemed a little steep, no?

Reply to
JohnnyC

On Tue, 9 Oct 2007 15:49:54 -0400, "JohnnyC" snipped-for-privacy@jc.com wrote Re Radon test:

Why go for the cheap when your life and the lives of your loved ones are at stake? Get the best, not the cheapest.

Reply to
Caesar Romano

If you don't want the $20 DIY kit, you have to pay for a pro. $150 is well in bounds for what is done. Why not try the $20 test and see if you get a positive first then decide if you should spend more?

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

On Tue, 9 Oct 2007 21:43:43 -0400, "Edwin Pawlowski" snipped-for-privacy@snet.net wrote Re Re: Radon test:

If the cheapo test reads "acceptable", how will he know it's correct? To verify he will have to get a pro.

If the cheapo test reads "unacceptable", how will he know it's correct? To verify he will have to get a pro.

Skip the cheapo and go directly to the pro.

Regards, Caesar B.S. Nuclear Engineering 1970 M.S. Environmental Science 1971

Reply to
Caesar Romano

I think we ought to step back a bit. Radon is not a major killer, though proven to be a killer. Kits used by the user that are left in the appropriate place for an extended period of time can be helpful. Short term tests of less than a week can lead to ambiguous results. It is not asbestos in the workplace (recognising sadly those that have suffered from this form of exposure)- which has cost many dearly as a result of the scaremongering, but is an issue in its own right that we should address appropriately.

Reply to
clot

Depends on your level of paranoia. Personally, I'd skip the test altogether. If the cheap tes was a zero, I'd sleep well. If it was marginal, it may be time to get a pro.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I agree. I don't see why anyone expects that just because they pay someone to come do the test, the accuracy is going to be any better than the kit you can buy at HD. This isn't rocket science. The kit is just a canister you put in the basement that absorbs radon and then gets measured at a lab. Absent any investigation or proof of certification of the lab, there is no way to know that the lab the $150 guys sends it too is any better than the one the HD kit goes to. In fact, it could be the same one. And I'm sure you can find info at the test kit manufacturers website that explains the test, the company, and their qualifications.

A lot of these tests are just done by home inspection companies as part of a pre-sale inspection. And that's kind of funny, because they put the canister in the basement. How does the buyer know the seller doesn't just take the thing and move it to outdoors for a week?

Reply to
trader4

Ahh, then the seller knows something that he/she is not revealing? Tampering with an inspection? If caught, the seller may lose a sale, or possibly be sued?

Reply to
Phisherman

Thank you to all who took the time to answer my question. Final resolution...Professional company dropped off the canisters this morning. $155.00 for the test. As a control test(more for curiosity), I also am doing a borg test I bought to see how accurate those are as well. . Thanks again.

-JC

Reply to
JohnnyC

Sure it's unethical and and they could be sued. I'm just pointing out that it's very easy to do and there are plenty of unscrupulous sellers out there that just might do it. And if you sued, if all the evidence you had was that a subsequent test showed radon above an acceptable level, I don't think you'd have a very good case without any additional evidence that the seller either knew about a radon problem or proof that they interfered with the test.

Actually, I'm surprised for home inspections they don't have a canister that can be chained to something to keep it from being moved.

Reply to
trader4

Please let us know how the results compared.

Reply to
trader4

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:26:40 -0400, "JohnnyC" snipped-for-privacy@jc.com wrote Re Re: Radon test FOLLOWUP:

Please report back the results.

Reply to
Caesar Romano

May I be the third to ask that you post the result, please?

Reply to
clot

I will post the results. I should have them all in a couple weeks. Thanks again to everyone who participated in this thread.

Reply to
JohnnyC

I'll be the fourth to ask, although it would just be out of curiosity, since your reading would have no significance for any of the rest of us, unless we live in your neighborhood. Someone here said that Radon was not a major killer, but a proven killer. Well, It is only the second major cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. When you, or anyone in your family, are personally affected by any toxic or dangerous material, it becomes "very" major.

Reply to
willshak

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