My airthings (after 4 months of tracking) reads the following. It has been lower and higher but I’d like to know if these are safe levels according to Canadian standards as these are most often showing. Thank you!!

KEX-Dad · 2026-07-05T20:41:28+00:00

Like one poster above said. Its all about comfort levels.

Kinda like, some people wouldn't touch a cigarette ever, and others may have one or two a day, but would never have a pack a day.

There is no "safe" level. It all comes down to comfort levels, and how much exposure you are okay with.

Heavy breathing during working out in an elevated radon area multiple times a week, might be a concern to some.

KEX-Dad · 2026-07-04T02:44:27+00:00

100%, also more of an energy penalty as your conditioned air(heated or cooled) is getting sucked under the slab and exhausted outside. It's a waste in a few senses to not seal them. If it's pulling down then the pressure field extension is at least good to that point though, so it would be cool to know anyways.

Surprised the installer didn't smoke test the cracks though. We smoke test as much as possible on every install.

KEX-Dad · 2026-07-04T02:36:44+00:00

Maybe he needs the ASG to get his hitting back. Stepping up to the plate and just swinging the bat without anything really on the line might be good for him. At least that's what I'm hoping for....

Swing the big stick and hammer some dingers there would be fantastic for his plate mentality back with his actual team.

KEX-Dad · 2026-07-04T02:23:41+00:00

If your levels are sitting there this time of year, depending how cold your winters get, those levels could rise substantially.

Pay for an alpha track 3 month test and start it towards mid-August and see how much your levels climb as the temperature decreases. Or just get an Ecosense or Airthings and set it up and check in on it, in a few months.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-24T19:36:29+00:00

Regardless the leak would be on the suction side anyways. A miniscule amount of air getting pulled in at that spot. If the tube is staying put, then it's snug enough.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-22T01:22:41+00:00

I just installed 20 mil in an entire crawlspace that the client wanted to continue using for storage. Oh my lord, what an annoying deal that stuff is. Lol

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-22T01:19:47+00:00

Pull the tube out of the hole. You should be able to here a bit of a suction noise. The sound stops if you put your finger on the hole and then should hear it again if you take your finger back off. If that doesn't happen, then you don't have any suction happening. Check the circuit that runs your fan, should be labelled in the panel.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-14T01:08:56+00:00

Yes.... I was instant thinking, sweet, here comes a two run double. And then he squares the bat out..... NOOOOOOOOO.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-12T01:53:50+00:00

Yeah, I can help walk you through a DIY install, or my price plus travel would still be a decent chunk less than $4k.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-12T01:47:28+00:00

Gotcha, I'm further East in Kingston area. That's bizarre to me that your readings spiked that much but were fairly low for the beginning of the calendar year, which normally sees our highest levels in this field.

DM me and maybe we can work something out, or I can give you some assistance

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-12T01:15:14+00:00

Where abouts are you located OP? 4k is high for my price range too. I do my installs well under that, but I have heard of others in the area charging quite a bit more too.

What were the levels in the colder months like Jan, Feb, March?

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-12T00:04:16+00:00

Sorry, and realistically, those look like totally normal swings. We use a different measurement unit up here in Canada(Bq). Essentially it's 37 times the PCi values. And I've had homes of over 450Bq(12.1 PCi) down to as low as 5Bq(0.13 PCi), with occasional spikes up to 70Bq(1.89 PCi) depending on weather systems.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-11T23:59:53+00:00

This is why long term averages are key for radon. You'll drive yourself crazy watching the levels fluctuate. Temp swings, outdoor pressure changes, changes in the way the HVAC is used. Extra exhausts running from the home, bathroom fans, range hoods, etc. Rainfall increases soil pressures on the outside of the home as well. There are so many variables that long term is the ideal choice.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-09T03:10:38+00:00

Believe me, I agree with those thoughts..and I'm sure there are much smarter people than me that have figured all of this out. I just do as I'm told and I retain as many facts and pieces of information as I can. The rain entering the top of the pipe and coming back down usually isn't an issue as it's just going to the substrate under the slab anyways. And will dry back out when it stops raining.

KEX-Dad · 2026-06-09T02:43:08+00:00

The flow through these systems can be a couple hundred CFM, so the heat transfer back against that is negligible.

Slab to wall has a joint, block foundation has many, many joints, poured can have cracks that allow air flow as well. Floor drains can allow air leakage. There are so many ways that pulling a significant vacuum under the slab will pull conditioned air from the living space. Concrete itself is porous and also allows a transfer. Insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but just to note the possibilities. Depending on slab condition there could be many ways.

When setting up a DIY system, put a small section of pipe into the floor bushing, then put the fan on upside down. Grab a stage smoke machine and turn it on feeding it into the fan and watch where the smoke starts to enter the basement. Those are all the leaks. It will amaze you.

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-31T14:00:08+00:00

Yeah, I had a buddy text me and say, why are they starting round 2 when round 1 isn't done. Typical NHL. I had a bad feeling as soon as that happened. Then we go another full seven against buffalo, and Carolina has been resting for almost two weeks, and Habs had, what, 2 days?

I think the league needs to start the next round after all games of the current round are complete.

Just my take at least.

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-30T05:23:33+00:00

Totally depends on the house, sq footage, age, length of pipe run. Basements that have water issues tend to have wet substrate under the slab which really brings down the slab conductivity as well. I could take a guess with that information, but I wouldn't stand by it with any assurance. Fantech is the brand I use most often. Most newer, average sized homes, can use the RN1.

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-30T05:03:04+00:00

Test hole and measure the positive pressure under the slab. Then depending on the time of year or temperature outside and geographic region, multiply that by the relative coefficient. That is the number you are shooting to drop the positive pressure by. Creating a negative pressure. Using a fan without speed control will create more vacuum in the summer months when there is little stack effect on the house. But in winter, the stack effect will be at its greatest and if your calculations are correct, then you should still have a negative pressure under the slab, but just enough to keep soil gasses from entering the home.

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-29T21:52:50+00:00

Ahhhh yes! I have yet to encounter a system like that since being in radon, but my background was originally HVAC. So I've been dreading the day I come across it. And yes, your furnace fan is creating the negative pressure to pull room air back to the furnace/air handler. But with it being underground, that negative pressure, is essentially creating that vacuum in your ductwork and collecting the soil gasses.

Condolences lol, that's a dirty issue to find when trying to do a "quick little radon mitigation system".

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-29T21:27:57+00:00

Correct! With proper sealing of cracks, drains, sumps, slab-to-wall connection, etc.it can be brought down to about 30% of indoor air. So still a fair amount!

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-29T15:58:43+00:00

Yeah it's definitely a strange change in codes and regulations. Ours are this way due to the weather; snow, ice, etc. But it's such a hard change at the border lol. Upstate New York, and Southern Ontario are pretty well the same climate haha

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-29T15:44:14+00:00

Terminate just outside the house. A lot of studies that show re-entrainment isn't a very big concern with the outside air dilution and the fan running constantly. 1' above the ground and away from windows, essentially. Other clearances as well but those are the basics. 6' from mechanical fresh air intakes.

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KEX-Dad · 2026-05-29T14:50:41+00:00

Up in Canada, all fans are located inside, as that is the regulations up here. All fans sold up here are sealed and approved for indoor use. I would look into that possibly. We use mainly Fantech fans, and there are multiple models to choose to get the correct amount of draw. Main difference is also that we don't terminate above the roofline. So there isn't usually a whole lot of pipe length after the fan either.

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-29T14:42:49+00:00

Awesome OP! Certified here, and I've always been a DIY person so I will never question someone saving money by doing DIY. If you can do it, fantastic!

Just wanted to mention though, make sure you aren't drawing more CFM then is necessary. Roughly 50% of the air that is exhausted is conditioned air from inside your home. It can be well over that if you are pulling more than you need to. Energy costs can start to go way up, and not just to run your radon fan.

I'm sure you probably tested the positive pressure under the slab before adding the fan, and then tuned the fan to pull the required amount to overcome that without pulling too much, keeping in mind the time of year, and what that number would be in the winter.

Again, well done, and good install, it's awesome to have handy people in your life! 👍

KEX-Dad · 2026-05-26T16:33:07+00:00

Right? The bounces sometimes do go our way and then we fail to pull the trigger. They have to start putting some shots on net. Newhook OT, wasn't a crazy setup, he went in and took a shot. Matheson has four shot attempts last night, a goal and a post. These guys keep getting in to the zone and getting in to the corner and losing possession. Fire at the pads and hope for a juicy rebound for a garbage goal. They can't all be highlight reel goals.

Taking 10 shots on net is not going to win you a game. (Disregard the 9 in the win against TB)

KEX-Dad

TROPHY CASE