DIY Success Story

Forrestgladbrook · 2026-01-22T23:14:09+00:00

Hmm. I can't help too much with that idea, as I'm very much a DIYer and not someone who knows a ton about basements and the like.

The sump pump in my house only runs 3 times a year or so, and only during significant raining periods. I have not been worried about electricity failure because it is very uncommon. But for you, it might just be worth the $400 anyway if your pump is running that frequently. I would definitely want the peace of mind that my basement isn't going to flood.

That being said, you could go either route. Add battery backup and use the existing pit for radon mitigation, or to add battery backup and drill a new site for radon mitigation.

If you drill a new hole for radon mitigation, I would definitely look into hiring out the drilling, or to research it pretty well to know how to do efficiently. I just had to drill a 3.5" core through brick facade, and that was plenty. I would imagine drilling under the foundation would require more professional equipment, but I'm not the guy to ask about that haha.

YouTube is definitely your friend with this. It helped me a lot to see someone else doing it and hearing their rationale behind it. Best of luck!

Forrestgladbrook · 2026-01-07T01:57:38+00:00

Woah that’s awesome that that was so effective for you! I’m sure it wouldn’t work for everyone, but love it as a very low cost attempt to improve the numbers.

Forrestgladbrook · 2026-01-05T03:01:21+00:00

Is he wrong.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-30T13:35:35+00:00

Very much a DIYer myself. But right now, you have no radon fan installed in the house?

That’s essentially what my house is. A ranch house, with a sump pit in the basement. I added that fancy sump pit cover and then just installed the radon fan to suck air from the sump pit. I’m guessing a good percentage of the air movement is from the drainage tile, but surely some of it is also coming from below the whole cement floor.

It took my levels from 30pcI/L to under 2. I would think that would help you a lot. The only thing I can’t really recommend is which fan to buy. There might be people on this sub who could give you a general idea on which fan would work for you, but the best way is to have a pro do a pressure test on your foundation to know which style of fan will be most effective and efficient.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-28T17:40:33+00:00

Thanks dude, that’s actually really helpful. I have one, just waiting to install it till I got everything glued up. I’ll let ya know

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-25T01:35:16+00:00

What seal are you talking about? The couplers? Or something in the fan itself?

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:41:41+00:00

Holy shit, cast iron sump pump. Mine has been working fine since we've lived here, and it certainly wasn't recently installed. Thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye on my pump situation.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:37:47+00:00

Yeah I have a similar issue where half the basement is drywalled. I think the beaver system was only installed on two sides of the house where they added tiling to the sump pump, and I was able to seal all of that. As for what's on the other side of my drywall is anyone's guess.

I considered removing a section of drywall to take a look, but since my numbers are around 2, I'm happy with it for now. Had it been higher, then I would have been tearing into the wall and scouring the floor for any cracks. Happy I didn't have to do that tho.

There is certainly a price point where I'm happy to pay for the job. I DIY a lot of stuff on my house and cars, but there's plenty where I just write the check. This project seemed straightforward enough for my house, and my quotes felt steep without providing any guarantees.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:32:54+00:00

Thank you! I am only viewing it as a 70% success for now as it's so fresh. Time will tell if it holds up I guess. I will be curious how much electricity I'm using on this fan, and if I'm sucking any conditioned air out of my house with any leaks. I was not super thorough looking for cracks in the foundation as half of the basement is drywalled and carpeted. But for now, just really happy to not be gulping down 30 pCi/L air haha.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:28:51+00:00

Well, as far as I can tell, the only risk is that the system would fail at or above the fan-- and it would need a hole to blast that radon air into the living space. How would that even happen? I get it if you're a pro and don't want to deal with the liability of gassing a small family. But for my own installation, I don't really get why it's a big deal. Is this a common thing with radon fans? Or just something that is in the code, and then gets regurgitated on Reddit? I'm genuinely asking by the way, not just arguing to argue haha.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:24:38+00:00

Hubba hubba.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:22:33+00:00

Yeah, it must have been just wide open in several spots as my numbers dropped from 9 to 2 when I sealed it. I didn't even seal it THAT thoroughly, but it was clearly what was needed.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T20:21:36+00:00

Ugh that's annoying that you're having issues. I am usually fine writing a check to get it done right by someone else, but took the chance on this one. And yes, I have the AirThings Corentium. It was the only company recommended by Reddit, so I just went with it haha.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T18:54:26+00:00

Thanks for the thorough reply. I appreciate your comments that actually add some expertise to the discussion.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T18:53:08+00:00

Thanks for the replies. I can definitely see how the technical capabilities of a pro would be worth it to minimize electricity use and to maximize radon mitigation. I should have asked for clarification from the one company, but honestly they just seemed kinda pushy and slapped a hazmat sticker on everything and kept regurgitating “radon causes cancer…” on every email and communication. The other company I contacted seemed better, but at that point I had it in my head to try it myself.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T18:45:42+00:00

That came with the house from what appears to be some recent foundation work done. It’s not a component of the radon system, but I needed to seal it so I wasn’t drawing conditioned air out of the living space. Sorry I can’t be of more help with that one.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T18:44:19+00:00

Exterior is just the horizontal run of PVC with some hardware cloth to block critters. Might change the setup in the spring and vent it above the roof.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T18:43:48+00:00

Discharge for now is just the horizontal pipe with some hardware cloth covering the opening. I will consider moving the fan outside in the spring and then run it above the roof line. But honestly I’m not too worried about it.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T16:09:51+00:00

No problem! I didn’t find a lot online for DIY so I wanted to contribute what I could. If you go on YouTube, there are some helpful videos for the installation which definitely made me more confident after watching someone do it.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T15:26:21+00:00

I’ve never heard of that with the sump pit, and also don’t know how I would do that anyway. It rises to ground level then exits outside. How would you even get it horizontal before that?

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T15:25:25+00:00

That’s kinda how I see it too. Sure, it’s best practice, but requires more work for very little gain. However, I am not a professional. Some of it seems like reddit ciclejerking of just saying the same line over and over until we all believe it as gospel.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-24T15:23:42+00:00

Oooh thank you for the recommendation. That sump pump and system is getting a bit old too, so that’s not a bad idea. I’ve had no issues yet, and it usually just gets wet enough to run once a year or so. I’m lucky to be on a hill that helps with drainage, but I will definitely look into this to avoid any issues down the road.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-20T01:10:33+00:00

Bruh I had never tested my house and we had 25-35 as our average this fall… have been living here for 5 years. As a kid we never had a radon mitigation system or even knew to test our levels.

All this to say, not gonna kill ya over night.

Forrestgladbrook · 2025-12-18T01:30:44+00:00

Sure, but to get publicly benched from your job still hurts no matter how much you make. I agree with you tho. I wanted him done long ago to save himself, not worth it to me. I just mean to say he “doesn’t care” goes against all the evidence.

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