Radon 101

For those building a LEED house in New England, radon abatement is a must. Back when we first poured the foundation, before we put gravel in we put a perforated pipe (perforations pointing down, please) along the perimeter of the foundation. On the west side, this pipe pops up so we can join it to an exit pipe which can then go up and out.

This week, the floor is being poured with concrete. So we just completed step two: covering the entire floor with heavy plastic (which is reused from our house panels) a couple of layers thick to be an air barrier between the gravel (with radon pipe underneath) and the cellar floor above it. In this way, if there is radon it will be forced into the pipe and up and out of the house without seeping into the cellar.