Does Radon Stay in the Basement, or Can It Spread?

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that forms underground as uranium and radium decay. As radon gas forms, it can enter your home through cracks and other openings in your foundation — which means it can accumulate in your basement.

Many homeowners wonder if radon stays in the basement or if it can move up into other areas of the house. Get the information you need to keep your home safe in this guide. 

Is Radon Only in Basements?

No, radon is not only in basements. Radon is denser and heavier than air, so it tends to be more concentrated on lower levels and in areas with less airflow, like basements and crawl spaces. However, radon’s density doesn’t mean it will stay contained in your basement. Radon can be found in higher levels of your home – provided it has a pathway to move upward or if your HVAC unit is drawing in air from beneath the house. 

How Can Radon Move Through a Home?

Radon in the basement can reach other areas of your house in a few different ways, but it mainly comes down to a few factors: rising air, ventilation, and circulation. 

Rising Air

If you’ve ever slept on a top bunk at sleepaway camp in the middle of the summer, you already know warm air rises. Once radon has entered your home, it can move from the basement to the upper levels of your house as warmer air rises. Having a temperature differential between your outdoor and indoor environments – think cold temps outside and warm air inside or vice versa – can contribute to the “stack effect.” This also means radon levels can increase in the winter as you heat the air in your home. 

Ventilation and Circulation

Air movement can distribute radon throughout your house. This movement can occur naturally through airflow as convection naturally occurs,  or as air is forced to move mechanically, such as through your HVAC system. If treated air is moving from your basement or crawlspace to the rest of your home, it could carry radon and other soil gasses up along with it. 

Should I Test for Radon in the Basement?

Radon has no color or odor, so radon testing is the only way to detect its presence in your home. When testing for radon at home, you need to put the test kit in the lowest lived-in level of the home – or the lowest level of your home that is regularly used. For many folks, this means the basement. Whether your basement is finished or unfinished, if your family and pets spend time there, it’s the best place to put your test. 

If the basement is not frequently used, you may still want to put your radon test there to understand the potential for radon entry into your home. Ventilation and rising air can cause radon to spread through your home, and radon levels can fluctuate with the seasons due to the stack effect, so it’s better to know your home's overall potential risk. 

What If My Basement Has High Radon Levels?

Every home has some level of radon on it. Still, you should take action and seek out professional radon mitigation when your levels reach a 72-hour average of 4.0 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) or more. If you’ve discovered high levels of radon gas in the basement – above that 4.0 pCi/L threshold – you should contact a professional for radon mitigation services. 

Why Choose Radon Mitigation?

You can’t see it, smell it, or feel it. So why mitigate? Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and any time you spend in your basement means exposing yourself to the gas if you have high radon levels.

Even if you don’t often use your basement, you want to think about the chances of that gas rising to other levels in your home. Radon mitigation systems are designed to reduce the radon levels in your basement and throughout your home by preventing the gas from spreading to other living areas and directing radon back into the outdoors where it can dissipate 

Ongoing Monitoring

With a radon mitigation system in place, it’s still important to test for radon regularly to ensure the system continues to work as it should. Many folks are under the impression that a radon test only needs to be performed as part of a home inspection. However, the EPA recommends that those living in high-radon areas test as regularly as every two years. 

 A radon monitoring device can give you a quick snapshot of your short- and long-term radon levels at any moment for peace of mind – and ensure that you have a clear picture of your radon levels as the seasons change.

Fix Your Radon Problem with The Radon Guys

Discovered radon in your basement? It's likely present in the rest of your home, too. The Radon Guys offer thorough, whole-home radon mitigation services, including crawl space encapsulation, in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Give us a call today to learn more about our reliable solutions.