Before measuring for radon in your home, decide whether to use a radon detector or a digital radon instrument. There are pros and cons to both options.
Radon detectors provide accurate long term radon measurement
A radon detector does not show radon content in real time. However, by placing radon detectors in several rooms for more than two months, an annual average value for the entire house can be attained. That value can then be compared with the national limit value for radon in indoor air which is expressed as an annual average value. This determines whether you need to implement a radon reducing measure by mitigating. For the United States the dangerous is limit is 4 pCi/L and for Canada the limit is 200 Bq/m3. This measurement is also important if a buyer asks about radon levels during a house purchase. Therefore, it is a good idea to use radon detectors if you have never measured for radon before in your home.
Choose the radon test kit that fits your measurement time frame. For a fast radon screen test, the QuickScreen can be used by deploying the kit in your home for two to four days and then returning to the lab for results. The Rapidos is a more sensitive alpha track radon detector that requires 10 to 90 days of measurement time. The most sensitive radon detector, the Radtrak3, is used for measurement periods of 90 days to one year.
A digital instrument can estimate radon levels in individual rooms after mitigation
If you have already measured using a radon detector and obtained an annual average value near or above the limit value, we recommend that you buy a digital instrument to measure for radon levels in individual rooms over a shorter period of time. The digital instrument can also be used to check how well a radon mitigation procedure has worked.
Choose a digital radon instrument that shows the actual radon content
There are several digital radon instruments where the focus is on the aesthetics of the device and how it displays radon levels, either in an app or on a display. However, the most important thing is to check how safely and accurately the radon instrument detects for radon gas. Measuring radioactive radon gas is much more complicated compared to other gases. This is because the radioactive decay from radon gas is odorless and colorless and must be analyzed reliably. It is important to be aware that cheaper radon instruments do not show radon levels in real time. Instead, they only show an average of the radon level over a 12-hour period. With this type of instrument, it is not possible to get a sufficient overview of how radon levels vary during the day. This prevents you from seeing any short-term effects of changing ventilation, opening windows, etc.
Digital radon instruments for home use, such as EcoQube, have the ability to show the variation throughout the day. The advantage is that this type of instrument can show radon levels based on an hourly measurement, which enables you to see how radon levels vary in a single room over a 24-hour period. If you decide to invest in a digital radon instrument, the recommendation is to choose EcoQube or an equivalent instrument. They are affordable and provide accurate data about variations in radon levels.
About Radonova
Radonova is the laboratory of choice for numerous government radon surveys, as well as other public, and private sector large-scale measurement contracts around the world. A truly global laboratory, Radonova is active in over 50 countries and has performed millions of measurements.
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