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“ In Canada , people who choose to address radon issues aren ’ t happy with 3.9 pCi / L . They want to get as low as possible ,” said Colin Dumais , a C-NRPP certified radon measurement and mitigation professional and trainer in Calgary , Canada .
Not surprisingly , mitigators get paid more in Canada ; after all , they are typically providing a more complete and regulated service . And certainly some mitigators in the US have managed to carve out a similarly profitable niche by educating consumers about the process while garnering referrals and impressive reviews . Jesse Green of American Radon Mitigation , Inc . is one of them .
Dumais , founder of Radon West LTD , a radon mitigation and consultancy firm , is quick to point out that the Canadian and US markets differ . According to Dumais , radon mitigation in Canada is perceived more as a “ building science ” and building codes and standards are in place to help ensure that mitigators are performing mitigations in a consistent and professional manner .
“ The latest Canadian mitigation standard ( CGSB- 149-12-2017 ) requires that diagnostic measurements and reporting such as that provided by the PFE Diagnostics Kit is the minimum requirement for all residential mitigations – not just the tricky ones ,” added Dumais .
No such mandatory standard exists in the US . However , it is very common to include radon testing as part of a real estate transaction in the US .
Many would argue ( including Dumais ) that because radon mitigation in the US is mostly real estate driven , homeowners are there more vulnerable to unskilled mitigators . Invariably sellers and their real estate agents are enticed to hire the least expensive mitigator to facilitate the home ’ s sale , and little if any followup occurs to ensure that radon levels remain below the 4 pCi / L threshold . This has made 48-hour radon testing commonplace in the US , despite the fact that the EPA clearly states that short-term test results ( which may be as little as two days and as much as 90 days ) are less likely than a long-term test to accurately predict year-round average radon levels .
“ Most companies guarantee below 4 pCi / L . My goal is always to get it as low as possible – preferably below 1 . Our average post mitigation radon test comes back at 0.4 pCi / L . I ’ ve used pitot tubes made by Kansas State University and a shop vac to get there . But the problem with this method is that most shop vacs max out at 90 CFM , so I can ’ t handle jobs that require higher flows . The PFE Diagnostic Kit can do those flows . Plus , it has a lot of other cool features ,” said Green .
Green works almost exclusively with homeowners and homebuyers and typically charges anywhere from $ 3000 to $ 6000 for his services . He says that mitigators ask him how he can charge that much .
“ I tell them that I explain to the homeowner the value in achieving the lowest possible radon levels . I usually spend 90 minutes educating customers , explaining that the key to achieving the lowest radon levels , is to get vacuum under their entire home . We do this by taking the time to test and measure so that the system we engineer works the first time .”
Green sees the value in the PFE Diagnostic Kit not only as an educational tool but also a way to provide a fully engineered solution with less time and effort .
“ The PFE Diagnostic Kit process mirrors what Canada ’ s guidelines are , so Fantech hit upon the same pathway toward [ true ] mitigation , which is great ,” said Dumais . “ It demystifies radon mitigation design and shows it is a real thing . That gives the homeowner assurance beyond the word of a contractor they may or may not trust .”
“ It definitely makes it easier and faster .” fantech