Radon in Well Water
Being a quick understudy is important as a real estate agent and when I am asked what do I know about radon in well water I need to think fast? I should have good, knowledgeable answers to that question. Being informed and knowing the right well water radon mitigation companies to call is what gives the buyer and the seller the comfort level they need in this process. Being in an area with higher levels of radon in the air and sometimes in the water, North Kingstown homes for sale, if on a well, should be tested for both in any home inspection for a buyer in RI.
In a particular recent residence with well water that was in agreement, the buyer and sellers tested the water twice (double duty) by two different companies to be sure of the readings and the tests revealed that they were significantly over 5000 pci/l which is my state’s limit (state of RI does not have a formal number however) for an acceptable water radon level. So the installation of a radon well water mitigation system was agreed by both parties as needed.
Due to the higher nature of the radon water level, an aeration system (versus a charcoal filter system) is required which is suppose to take out 99% of the radon from the water. Since radon is considered to cause cancer, mitigation of one’s well water is necessary when readings are above the 5000-10,000 pci/l levels used by the northeastern statesl. Believe it or not every time you turn on the water, radon, if present, will be released into the air and becomes a health hazard.
The Air Raider system that was installed is near the well tank inside the house in the basement and takes up a good 5 feet by 3 feet area…it really is a complicated looking system from the homeowners viewpoint. Storch Radon Services from MA was the installer and stands behind their work(a company my homeowners have been very satisfied with). The well water radon mitigation system needs no customer intervention except a changing of a micron filter periodically to remove pebbles (if any) and such that come up from the well. Also, I would recommend some sort of enclosure around it because it can be quite noisy at times when it is aerating the water. It is a system like all others that should be monitored by the homeowner to ensure it is in good functioning order.
The aeration system works for mitigating well water and a post installation check is always done to ensure it is removing the radon the way it is suppose to for the homeowner. So next time the buyer wants to test for radon in the well water you will have a better idea of what it is all about when they say, what do you know about radon in well water?
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Ginny Lacey Gorman lives in North Kingstown RI and knows the geographic area, schools, happenings, important tidbits of information and businesses well. If you are looking for someone to guide you through the home buying process, she is a licensed top selling RI real estate agent and would be happy to assist you.
