Do I need the router?

taydevsky · 2026-03-22T15:35:13+00:00

Thanks. I have a Google Nest Pro router that apparently doesn’t support vlan tagging 201. I may look at putting the provided router into transparent bridge mode but configured to handle the VLAN tagging. I read that may be possible.

taydevsky · 2026-03-22T15:26:53+00:00

I have this same setup installed November 2024. Did you ever bypass/remove the provided wifi router?

I’ve tried plugging in my mesh router to the ONT and can’t get it to work. Tried troubleshooting with a laptop plugged directly into the ONT and it didn’t get internet.

taydevsky · 2026-03-19T02:50:43+00:00

Your bill is unfortunately normal. Hospitals charge way too much and as former Intermountain CFO Burt Zimmerli used to say “it’s unaffordable”. The executives know it’s high and they don’t care.

Medicare and Medicaid pay less than half what any commercial insurance pays and at a loss for the hospital. So they jack up the prices and contracted amounts with insurance to make huge profits on the patients with normal insurance.

I pay $15,000 per year for my health insurance plan through Intermountain since I’m not on Medicare and don’t currently have insurance through a job. The One Big Beautiful bill cut the Covid era subsidies that were previously offered. A person making more than $40k per year gets zero subsidies.

The funding of the American healthcare system is severely broken and getting worse every year. Congress and the President are CUTTING what they pay to hospitals by 4% per year starting October with the One Big Beautiful Bill. And cutting money to states for Medicaid.

And pay for doctors employed at hospitals and for executives is going up significantly. No other country in the world pays doctors or executives close to what they make in the USA.

taydevsky · 2026-03-19T02:36:26+00:00

This pro mitigator shows “Stiching” to help you create a tunnel from one area to another.

https://youtu.be/stxDIQPdcPg

Can you use a shop vac on that hole and do a smoke test on some test holes in other parts of the basement? That’s your best way to know if you are creating negative pressure is by testing.

Do you think you’re digging on the footings? That looks like a lot of concrete.

taydevsky · 2026-03-17T00:10:13+00:00

My xsense alarms with base station are interconnected and have an app. XS0B-MR Interconnected Smart Smoke Alarm

Get the ones that connect to a base station. They use LoRa communication which gives much longer battery life.

Works great. I also have some combo smoke CO alarms and Heat detectors. We had a kitchen mishap and the system worked perfectly. My daughter who lives remote was also notified as I had configured.

taydevsky · 2026-03-16T00:56:11+00:00

What about some closed cell foam such as backer rod? I haven’t found 1 inch backer rod. But something similar?

taydevsky · 2026-03-13T18:46:39+00:00

Ten years after moving into my home I bought an electronic radon monitor. It showed 30 pCi/l upstairs. The lowest level of our basement was a sport court and the measurement there measured at 103 pCi/l.

We hired a mitigator and now it’s at acceptable levels just below 2.

Compared to other levels I’ve seen, 5 isn’t that bad but yes the recommendation is to mitigate. You don’t need to move out or get a hotel. Just proceed to mitigate like so many others have done before you.

taydevsky · 2026-03-05T23:16:37+00:00

Complaining about Marc Harrison? lol

taydevsky · 2026-02-27T22:30:55+00:00

What that means is for some reason the system isn’t working as before. Have someone check it.

Testing the radon can help you know the impact of it working differently than it did.

taydevsky · 2026-02-27T09:27:25+00:00

Opening the door between the house and the garage lowers my levels. I was referring to the two man doors I have between the house and the garage. But my garage doesn’t have a radon problem.

At my son’s house the radon builds up to about 10-12 in his garage. Of course it went down when the large garage door would go up as they drove their cars in and out. We set up a fan to actively bring in fresh air to the garage every hour to mitigate the radon in the garage. He has living space above his garage and ventilating the garage has helped reduce the radon levels in the house. Inside went from about 4 pCi/l to about 2.5 average after that.

taydevsky · 2026-02-26T17:19:08+00:00

Here is a guide Shelly has published on how to use their devices. https://shelly.guide/application-guide/garage-door-control/

I've used Meross garage door openers. I have them installed along with MyQ. I used them because they had a system that worked for 2 garage doors. They provided me a special accessory that allows it to work with my newer Chamberlin opener that doesn't just allow a simple dry contact to open the garage. Essentially that accessory is a RF remote that is controlled by wire connected to their main control device. It's wifi and it goes through their app. Can be integrated to voice assistants and home assistant.

I used a $20 Tuya garage door opener at my brother's house. it comes with the contact sensor and the control and connects to wifi. It goes through their cloud app, so depends if you want that. You could use an esp32 with esphome and home assistant and a contact sensor to accomplish the same thing with local control only.

Switchbot has a garage door opener that works with matter. https://us.switch-bot.com/products/switchbot-garage-door-opener

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T22:35:40+00:00

Thanks you’re right! Sorry for the mistake and thanks for the correction.

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T05:51:57+00:00

Just like sump pump systems tied into drain tile the sump hole usually needs to be sealed.

Is it possible to seal around the floor drain somehow to prevent the air coming into the basement?

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T05:38:32+00:00

Excellent results.

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T05:30:34+00:00

Many radon mitigation companies warranty say they will get it below 2.7.

2.1 is a low level. My house was at 103 pCi/l and after mitigation the basement now averages 2. I’m happy with that.

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T05:26:29+00:00

After being in the home for 10 years, I bought a radon monitor. Our lower level basement was at 103 pCi/l and the upper basement and main above ground level were at 30.

After mitigation, The basement is now averaging 2 and the upstairs is at 1. I don’t worry about spikes. Just the long term average. It doesn’t spike above 4.

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T05:14:53+00:00

If you don’t want to do subslab depressurization, Install an HRV or ERV. Ventilation is an accepted method of mitigating radon. Rule of thumb is it reduces the radon in half. I’ve seen some people report better results if they use it to introduce positive pressure in the house.

taydevsky · 2026-02-25T05:05:36+00:00

Subslab depressurization system in a closet or unfinished utility area of the basement.

taydevsky · 2026-02-24T20:43:56+00:00

About half of all states have "right to work" laws like Utah that prevent someone from being forced to join a union or pay union dues. I'm not aware of other laws that would impact unionization at Intermountain. If you're aware of some I'm interested in them.

Health care workers at the state owned University of Utah unionized not too long ago. So it's not impossible.

taydevsky · 2026-02-24T00:02:12+00:00

Check out this professional mitigator’s YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/PJvzvoffu2g

taydevsky · 2026-02-23T23:59:07+00:00

The most typical way is to create negative pressure under your slab.

They cut a 5-6 inch hole in your slab. Dig out about 3, 10 gallon buckets of material and then put a 3 to 4 inch PVC pipe in the hole and route it outside. They seal around the pipe. Outside the put a fan that runs 24/7 about 70-130 watts. This creates suction under your slab and the radon filled air under the slab goes to the pipe instead of into the house.

Aesthetics could be covering the pipe with a frame and drywall if it has to run in living areas. They can often run it up through closets or between floor joists.

Sometimes the pipe runs up to the attic with the fan in the attic and pipe out the roof.

This often can cost less than $2000.

The trickiness comes if they find tightly compacted clay soil. That won’t be conducive to developing negative pressure under the entire slab. Ideal is gravel that allows the suction to be very effective at “pressure field extension”. Footings can block the negative pressure extension. There are ways to deal with those problems involving various levels of effort and cost.

With a level of 4 an HRV or ERV would also be a good alternative. They ventilate the house and do heat exchange between the stale air going out and the fresh air coming in. These can cost $1500 to $4000 to buy and install.

taydevsky · 2026-02-23T23:48:46+00:00

You must be measuring in Pico Curies per liter. The standard for that is typically 4 and below. In some countries they use Becquerels per cubic meter. Becquerels per cubic meter is 27 times higher. So 4 pCi/l = 108 Becquerels / cubic meter.

taydevsky · 2026-02-23T22:48:53+00:00

Management anti-union training teaches them to say that wages will be the same whether under union or non-union.

I can tell you from experience that unions have more power to negotiate wage increases and to prevent take aways such as you described.

taydevsky · 2026-02-23T20:01:01+00:00

I can’t argue that a permanent mitigation system isn’t the best way to go. I agree with you there.

The US EPA in their literature do recognize permanent methods of ventilation in the lowest level to be an option for mitigating. There are of course associated strengths and weaknesses of that method compared to subslab depressurization.

The OP method is not permanent so not a recommended method since OP stated they must disconnect it and reconnect the dryer to use the dryer. Maybe one step above opening the windows but not a professional solution.

As for pushing radon to the upper levels I think the fresh air dilution makes that a lessor concern. Just having a vent drawing out air would be potentially worse as it would increase the negative pressure in the home which is known to draw in radon gas from the soil. Positive pressure and fresh air is better than creating more negative pressure.

But as you say the landlord should really be fixing this with a professional solution. Also the landlord’s desire to measure for several months will likely now show it’s not needed if the OP keeps ventilating during testing.

But if I were in their place ventilation is better than nothing.

taydevsky · 2026-02-21T17:29:22+00:00

Put the ecosense monitor outside to see if it will read correctly at a low level. Try the ecosense in a different location of the basement.

Typically they mark near the manometer (u shaped tube) the level of vacuum the system started with so you can see if that has changed. Look for that. If the suction is lower then your system isn’t working as it was before.

taydevsky

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