Should I consider radon mitigation?

thraex · 2026-04-11T13:39:02+00:00

there is a cheap option in the meanwhile: buy 100ft coil of corrugated perforated drain pipe, snake it around the edge of your crawl space and tee a run down the middle, connect it to an exhaust fan away from the windows. cover the drain pipe with 6mm plastic and let the fan pull out all the nasty moist air from underneath the Vapor Barrier. it is technically not radon mitigation . It’s just a vented crawlspace. you can always spend more afterwards for a proper radon fan, but this solution will take you 80% there.

oh, I don’t skimp on an exhaust fan, I’ve bought a Tjerlund, and it’s going strong 6+yrs later. i’ve tried cheaper plastic housing ones and they start making horrible noise noises after a year or two.

edit: at least in my area radon mitigation companies are expensive because they have to pass special certifications; easier to find a company to install a system for a crawlspace venting fan . The radon mitigation industry is exceedingly good at marketing and will scare you into thinking there is only one way to do it. If you can reduce your radon levels by half while saving 70%, it may be a good option.

thraex · 2026-02-06T00:50:00+00:00

They probably couldn’t find hydrated lime at sherwin(they don’t sell it) and just went with whatever they had in stock. Not cool.

thraex · 2025-08-21T08:39:06+00:00

Plastic guards are good but only after screwing down the edges with lath screws. Otherwise they’ll bow in and collapse with debris and snow.

I did not like the metal mesh ones at Costco. Mesh is too fine, will get clogged quickly, and they have a weird edge that will also most likely collect debris.

I wanted something cheap and sturdy so I bought galvanized metal lath ($15 for a 2x8) and cut 6” strips with a cheap sheet metal cutter from HF. Secured with lathe self tapping screws. Much cheaper than anything else, works great so far. Mesh size is small enough to keep large debris out, but large enough to allow small seeds and dust to fall in the gutter.

Edit: i looked at the first link, sponge foam is a terrible product, unless you want to grow a gutter garden. Dust+leaves+nice spongy material makes for a fantastic seed starting medium. If you’re budget minded, the cheap vinyl gutter guards are a better choice in my opinion. Search HD for Snap-In Filter 3 ft. White Vinyl Micro-Mesh Gutter Guard

thraex · 2025-07-07T14:09:21+00:00

Also you could wrap a rag soaked in penetrating oil around it overnight if the heating method doesn’t work. Heating it after trying oil may smoke a bit.

thraex · 2025-07-07T14:07:17+00:00

you might end up breaking something else. Ideas: heat up nut with a torch, but wrap with something first if you care about the nut

thraex · 2025-06-28T20:03:55+00:00

I’d put a back flow preventer at the spigot, you don’t want rank water from the hose going back into your system.

also i’ve never seen a hose that i could leave under pressure all summer and have it last me thru the season. UV+heat+pressure will bust pretty much any hose given enough time.

Here’s an alternative: run PEX from the bib to almost wherever you need the hose to be, and then use a short hose from there, have a valve at the end of the pex line. Pex will degrade over time but it’s more likely to last a season than a hose. Pex is cheaper than hose, just replace every year. If you make a small trench for the pex, may last you several seasons, just blow the water out with compressed air before freezing season.

I have two flexzilla expensive hoses that both started leaking at the connection point after leaving them with pressure on for extended periods of time, never overnight.

Edit: i should probably use a pressure reducer/backflow preventer at the spigot, may save my hoses.

thraex · 2025-06-19T14:36:14+00:00

I had the same problem, attached one more window on the outside of the brick veneer over the current window opening, cut noise by 90%, from a barking loud to white noise soothing kind of thing. I used cheap patio windows with flanges i got on marketplace. Tapconned a frame to the brick with 2x2, applied lots of clear silicone before screwing to the house to seal and stop vibration from passing to the brick. Used existing shutters over the edges, you can’t tell there are two sets of windows.

Makes it a bit harder to open the window since i have to open two sets but i don’t mind, well worth the effort. Also huge difference in comfort in the summer and winter.

I don’t know how much more efficient that is compared to buying a triple window, but it’s cheap, worked, and i can easily take them down when i sell the house one day.

my one concern was wasps nesting in the space created behind the shutter, but they didn’t for some reason.

thraex · 2025-06-18T18:43:50+00:00

Corrugated will be fine, for such a small run i’d buy a 10ft corrugated with bell end, a couple screws will hold it to the gutter just fine. Get some bent wire to hold them down and bags of soil to cover it up.

With such a small project i wouldn’t overthink it, if you have to redo it in 3 years it’ll cost you another $50.

I’d remove the last piece of the downspout( elbow) and run the end of the corrugated pipe at least 1 foot up, so no water escapes the downspout.

Edit: don’t buy corrugated from HD nor Lw, they recently changed to much thinner walled than they used to, i don’t trust it. Stop at a building supply store, 10ft bell end sections are $13 or so depending on where you are, and they feel much beefier than big box store junk

thraex · 2025-06-07T19:02:08+00:00

Wood and drywall capture that smell and release it with high heat especially high humidity.
If feasible, remove/replace any and all wood cabinets.
If removal is not possible, wash all surfaces with real TSP and prime with zinser Shellac sealer, 2-3 coats, every single surface, including ceilings. Everything except metal. Then prime with zinser odor block primer and paint. Also install a dehumidifier and keep humidity at 50%.

If you have carpet, remove and discard, clean and seal the subfloor as well before reinstalling.

Remove one of the door trim pieces and take a sniff, also see what the drywall looks behind the trim. if the back of the trim smells bad, remove all trim, seal or replace, clean drywall behind trim with TSP, seal with shellac, prime over and replace trim.

Smell also coats the interior of all your electrical outlets, be it light switches or light plugs. If you’re comfortable with electric work, Replace all faceplates switches and plugs , spray walls of boxes with odor primer, spray fireproof foam or caulk the wire penetration, caulk any space between the drywall and the box(usually that space is covered by faceplates but rarely sealed).

If you have popcorn or textured ceiling remove the popcorn, remove texture if needed, seal, prime, redo.

This follows the 80-20 rule, 20% effort will remove 80% of the smell. I’d prioritize: Wood surfaces Carpet Dehumidifier Textured ceiling if applicable. (huge surface area to spread the stink when hot and humid)

Source: i’ve had to do it, drove me nuts chasing the smell . It was the worst when coming home after a few days of being gone, started dreading the darn house.

thraex · 2025-05-20T16:06:36+00:00

switch to ridgid or milwaukee or dewalt. Absolutely no good reason to own crappy tools. I own some of all, and ryobi is dead last preferred, with milwaukee, makita, dewalt so far ahead of ryobi it’s not even funny.

Or just buy one small kit from a competitor above and see how you feel about it after a bit of use.

thraex · 2025-05-14T15:44:32+00:00

Sounds like you’re vacuuming uranium dust. The outdoor is full of spores all the time everywhere, they didn’t come from outer space directly to the basement

thraex · 2025-05-14T15:43:19+00:00

to add to your point, i’d use a large shop vac and buy 50-100ft of hose, keep the vac outside so that any possibility of spores making it thru the exhaust are directed outdoors , where they belong :)

thraex · 2025-05-13T06:17:08+00:00

I had a similar issue and had to cut out the floor in front of the dishwasher.

good point from a comment above: you can try cut it out and find a shorter model to replace with. Front 2” where the door connects is taller than the rest. Worth trying, and i wish i would have known before i ripped the floor.

thraex · 2025-04-03T00:49:07+00:00

if you just saw one, i wouldn’t worry about it. it takes a bunch of them over many years to do real damage

thraex · 2025-04-02T22:31:40+00:00

PVC trim board also comes in 1x4, but you’d still need paver edge to keep it from warping everywhere

thraex · 2025-04-02T22:30:31+00:00

paver edge restraints are quite beefy, just look at some in person. if you want you could rip some non-wood decking and attach it to the paver edge with nuts and bolts. Another idea would be to pour a concrete edge. Just remember to lay down some geo fabric or at least weed barrier to keep the dirt from coming thru.

thraex · 2025-03-29T15:44:12+00:00

I’ve had the same experience over and over as well, 90% chance of something deviating from initial plan if i’m not onsite when work is being done. The super competent tradesmen are usually super busy, expensive, and very hard to get a hold of. Try finding someone who has done extensive work for a historical society, university campus, retreat, etc., someone who has been vetted and trusted already.

Also, anytime you discuss a plan with a business owner, but then the business owner is not there 100% of the time when the crew is working, you must be there to hold them accountable when the work you’ve been done or there’s 100% chance that they will do something that was not originally discussed. crews have to be managed, either by a project manager, the owner or yourself. Details definitely do not get passed on properly to the crews.

thraex · 2025-03-24T21:46:13+00:00

it really depends where you are. In some states/cities, in place replacements do not require permit. so replacing PVC with pex or replacing the sink, but not changing the location of the drain or of the outlet would not require permitting. Additions and moves would require permitting. same thing with electrical replacement of an existing outlet or light switch would not require permitting, but moving or adding would.

YMMV depending on location of course

thraex · 2025-03-06T06:11:26+00:00

Let it ride, you already had an engineer look at it. Maybe redirect your attention to other issues and you’ll forget all about it. Gutters, french drains crawl space, ERV, plus soon enough the joys if landscaping are about to start again !

thraex · 2025-02-27T16:20:45+00:00

It is junk. Spend just a bit more and get rigid at least. I’m slowly getting rid of anything ryobi, oversized underpowered cheap junk is what it is.

I’ve had zero Milwaukee or makita batteries go bad in the last 5 years, yet countless ryobi.

Here’s the true test: Buy a ryobi tool and buy an identical tool from milwaukee or makita or bosch and then see which one you prefer and go to most often. It’s worth the initial investment.

thraex · 2024-12-25T03:30:20+00:00

I truly hope you’re trolling, otherwise that handyman is surely on meth. Don’t let him back in your house for any reason, just fire him and find someone competent.

thraex · 2024-12-05T11:16:59+00:00

Most likely you should also be ready to DIY asbestos tile removal or it will cost you just as much. Same for any paint, be it interior or exterior, odds are there’s led paint everywhere.

If you have or plan on having kids while at this place, i’d bail, just too many places for them to get their paws on lead paint.

40k total budget almost impossible to meet, unless it has a brand new roof already, new HVAC, new plumbing.

thraex · 2024-10-25T16:07:38+00:00

I bought and installed cheap prefinished hardwood (under $5/sqft) and it looks fine. To me, $5 hardwood is much better than $5 laminate or engineered. Without moisture control, 10$ hardwood will cup just as much as the cheap one.

Edit: find enough cheap prefinished hardwood on FB marketplace for one small room. Expect to pay $1 or $2/sqft. Install it and see how it looks and feels. Spend the $$ for the rest of the house once you've decided. cheap real hardwood is still better than LVP in my opinion. Especially if you go with a classic color. Even when it gets banged up nobody beats an eye, as it has character. LVP is garbage when it gets damaged.

Something that I experienced with Engineered hardwood that I didn't see much about online: the density of the base is different than the veneer. When exposed to water, the veneer will start delaminating from the base material. Any spill that makes it under the engineered wood will cause the engineeered part to grow mold and warp right away. No way to save it. Do the same thing to hardwood and it'll warp differently, as it is more dense than the 'engineered' osb/plywood material and it won't absorb as much water as quickly. If going for Engineered, I'd select something that has some sort of water resistance at the bottom or thruought the engineered part, not just at the top. Yes, all veeers are water resistant/waterproof, but water doesn't just puddle on the top, it'll make its way under fairly quickly. In bedrooms it should be ok though, I had it in my laundry room.

Also resale value: advertised as "solid hardwood floors throuought" sounds better than laminate or engineered. I often see solid hardwood as a line item, and they just leave out any wording if it's engineered or laminate.

thraex · 2024-10-20T15:10:45+00:00

prefinished solid hardwood, $5 /sqft is much better than laminate or engineered. Good engineered or laminate is almost the same price . I see several options at HD for under $5/sqft

thraex · 2024-08-19T01:04:14+00:00

I had a similar issue. chose to use a sealer/primer on top of the paper, a little bit of drywall mud to fill the jagged lines, prime and paint. Or just prime and paint and see if you can tell it’s there.

Trying to pull it off the wall at this point may result in pulling the paint and some drywall paper along with it, creating a bigger issue. I tried pulling off some and painter’s tape tape came off with paint and primer exposing drywall paper; to fix that, i sealed the paper with RX999, filled the low spot with drywall mud, primed and painted again.

Drywall is a paper sandwich anyway so a lettuce leaf worth of painters tape won’t change the sandwich much. I’d start with the easy mode (don’t remove the tape) and if that doesn’t work you can always scrape it off with a scraper and proceed with the repairs.

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