The Wife and I have a contract on a house where the inspection just showed a radon gas level of 13.1 picocuries/liter. Mind you, that's in a house that has been unoccupied for a few months after a foreclosure, but still, over three times the EPA's limit of acceptable risk tells me mitigation is in order.
Before I go on, let me address the naysayers: go away! I've already done the research and made up my mind and your ranting about a money- grabbing or government conspiracy serves no purpose here. I am convinced of the hazards of radon gas in recent homes because we make 'em so damned air-tight that the gas builds up, unlike my old home built in 1952 which was better about venting this stuff (and cost more to heat and cool as a result).
Anyway. I have two concerns I hope the group can address:
(1) the active sub-slab depressurization requires an in-line fan that runs 24-7-365, which is gonna increase my electric bill by a bit and then some, I'm sure. Does anyone know of effective alternate-energy systems such as a solar-powered fan or some such?
(2) How loud are these fans? If I'm on the back deck and the venting pipe is around the corner of the house, am I going to hear it? What about at night? Will the neighbors hear? (Might want to see if any of the neighbors have systems, too...)