A Ranch, a Radon Surprise, and a Plan

After years of peaceful living on their scenic acreage, the homeowners were surprised to learn their ranch-style house was reading 12 pCi/L for radon. With four basement chambers, an old sump pit, and a sunroom crawlspace sitting on dirt, it was clear this home needed a customized solution.

The sump—unused but ready—became the first extraction point. The second would go 15 feet away under the porch slab. The third, tucked in a southwest storage closet. Two fans would carry the load: one exiting by the front AC unit, the other discreetly placed behind the home with access from a bedroom closet.

The family had weathered storms with buckets before. Now, with a sump pump, sealed slab, and fully designed radon system—peace of mind is back.

We have two options with the soffit and exhaust pipes. This customer preferred the external exhaust fan with a soffit penetration aesthetic and roof boot in McCook, NE.

A Client's Radon Dilemma

Meeting Judy and her boyfriend Ron was lively. Despite being elderly, they were full of questions and stories, curious about every detail of the radon mitigation plan. Their basement, with levels of 17, felt damp and musty, while readings upstairs ranged from 5 to 7. Health concerns loomed large. The basement, half finished, had a small sump pit, and the sump pump shared space with a toilet and floor drain. Plans included adding plexiglass and two extraction points: one in the corner and another near the drain. To minimize noise, the vent would exit near the bathroom, away from Judy’s bedroom. With Judy’s severe allergies, the team also offered options of filtration with Breathe EZ regardiless of their numerous air purification units. They were happy about that option and had it installed. 

When mitigating radon gas from the home, we look for every possible entry point. This customer had high radon levels in the home, and two exposed sump pits side by side. In order to seal the sump pits properly, we installed custom covers with the radon mitigation system in order to reduce the radon levels and make the home healthy.

A Hidden Danger Beneath

This client's ranch home, with its finished basement and dirt crawlspace, harbored an invisible threat: radon levels of 13. The only unfinished area was a small HVAC room, with no sump pit, just a wastewater grinder. The client, already facing a lung mass, needed swift action. Plans were made to install a sub-slab extraction point by the water heater, routing into the crawlspace. The joists could have worked for venting, but the insulation, held by chicken wire mesh, complicated things. Instead, two cores would be drilled through the foundation walls. The client would clear out debris beforehand, and we’d encapsulate the space, setting a second extraction point to vent through the soffit. Everything worked out as planned.