Your house was built in the 50s. Very little chance of any buildup with some major renovations to address all the air leaks that were tolerated back them. In the old days, cold meant turning up the heat not adding insulation.

My husband is well educated on radiation dangers because of his job, and he was totally comfortable putting in an offer on a home with a mitigation system in place.

I will echo the PP who advised not relying on a single reading. When I moved into my house, I did a reading and it was well within limits (something like 1.4 or 1.9) but I would do a periodic check and noticed that the readings would be higher depending on the seasons or how the weather had been. Cost was less than $1000 and was simple. Did a few sample tests, and now it is always within limits.

Used Radon Abatement Services (John Swett is the owner). Feel free to negotiate where you put the system. They will suggest the easiest path, but that is not always the most aesthetic, so I had it installed behind the water heater and the pipe goes along the ceiling in the basement so it is less noticeable.

Worth it for peace of mind.

Our house was built in the 40s, is plenty drafty and yet the readings were high enough that the previous owners installed a remediation system.

Btw DC offers free test kits, maybe other states do the same.
https://doee.dc.gov/radon
We tested after buying and our levels came back undetectable, should probably test again since it’s been a few years.

if your house is old, chances are there is no radon as it will likely get more draft. more of a worry with newer houses; if you have windows open them and sure you can get it tested.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get it tested. Don't rely on the continuous read meters from Amazon. Hire someone who will bring in a box and pick it back up- try All-Pro Services. Very easy and worth the piece of mind

Mitigation companies and testing companies are separate to avoid conflict of interest.

why not?

I’ve read long term readings are more accurate, but I would start with a short term one to see if you even have to worry about it.

Radon home here. Our reading "average" was within bounds, but the box recorded troubling peaks at regular intervals that were well above safe limits. We got the remediation system.

DO NOT rely on any single reading method.

First Alert Radon Gas Test Kit

You can get it off of Amazon. Easy to do yourself.

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone recommend a reputable mail-in kit?

I recently used a Health Metric kit from Amazon. It was around $20 and that includes return shipping and lab fees. You get an email with your results.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get it tested. Don't rely on the continuous read meters from Amazon. Hire someone who will bring in a box and pick it back up- try All-Pro Services. Very easy and worth the piece of mind

Mitigation companies and testing companies are separate to avoid conflict of interest.

why not?

I’ve read long term readings are more accurate, but I would start with a short term one to see if you even have to worry about it.

Can anyone recommend a reputable mail-in kit?

Anonymous wrote:Just get it tested. Don't rely on the continuous read meters from Amazon. Hire someone who will bring in a box and pick it back up- try All-Pro Services. Very easy and worth the piece of mind

Mitigation companies and testing companies are separate to avoid conflict of interest.

why not?

Just get it tested. Don't rely on the continuous read meters from Amazon. Hire someone who will bring in a box and pick it back up- try All-Pro Services. Very easy and worth the piece of mind

Mitigation companies and testing companies are separate to avoid conflict of interest.

First get it tested. You can buy a mail in kit or have someone do it for you. If it’s high, remediate. Nothing you can do about the past, move forward.

do you spend a lot of time in basement? where are you? some areas in DMV have higher radon levels than others - MoCo and west of MoCo for example. you can purchase a continuous monitor that measures radon level 24/7. remediation system is not too expensive. Less than 1000 in most cases.

I’ve lived in a house from the 50s for the last few years with young kids and have never checked for radon. I just saw another post of someone asking whether a high radon reading is a good reason to back out of buying a house. After reading all about radon to educate myself I’m freaked out that I’ve most likely been living in a high radon home given the prevalence in the area and age of the house. Ugh 😭 how horrible is it/how much risk is it assuming the house turns out to have a high degree of radon? I’m feeling really guilty for never having this on my radar