RADON TESTING
You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it.
Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps up out of the ground and collects inside houses. It’s the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, and the only way to know whether a house has a problem is to measure it.
WHY IT MATTERS HERE
Mountain houses are built on the rock that produces it.
Radon comes from uranium breaking down in soil and bedrock, so geology matters — and so does how a house sits on it. Crawlspaces, daylight basements and houses cut into a slope all give the gas more ways in.
The EPA’s position is simple: every home should be tested, whatever the map says. Elevated levels turn up in low-risk areas all the time.
READING THE RESULT
What the number means.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter — pCi/L.
Under 2.0
NO ACTION NEEDED
2.0 – 4.0
4.0 and up
Thresholds are the EPA’s, not mine.
HOW THE TEST WORKS
STEP 01
I set up the test
On the lowest livable level of the house, away from drafts and exterior walls. Usually set during the inspection so it’s one visit, not two.
STEP 02
The house stays closed
Windows and exterior doors stay shut while it runs, so the reading reflects how the house actually holds air rather than how it was aired out.
STEP 03
You get the result
The measured level, what it means for this house, and whether it needs anything done about it.
WHEN TO TEST
Most people test during a home inspection, while there’s still time to negotiate. But it’s worth doing on a house you already own too — especially if you’ve finished a basement, changed the HVAC, or never tested at all.
Add radon testing to your inspection.
Call and I’ll tell you what it costs for your house and set it up with the inspection.
CALL 828-557-6393
NORCIA HOME INSPECTIONS LLC · NC LICENSE #5562 · 828-557-6393 · norcia.inspections@gmail.com
Hiawassee GA
Hayesville NC
Blairsville GA
Murphy NC
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