Radon Home Testing Devices & What You Need To Know

More than ever, it seems like so many of our clients and potential clients have jumped on the bandwagon with in-home radon testing devices. I mean, why not? For as little as $80 and a bit upwards, you can monitor your in-home radon levels. While these have proven to be powerful tools for radon monitoring, it’s important to understand what these devices do and what they certainly do not do!

These radon test devices such as Airthings and Corentium, to name a few seemed to have swept the consumer market almost overnight. With that being said, there is an overall lack of understanding on the use of these monitors especially when it comes to interpreting the data.

You have to dig deep, and I mean, they don’t make it easy deep, to read the full disclosure of these testing devices. Per Airthings’ website it states: “When you set up your view monitor, it does not require calibration.” Now keep going…They state they are factory-calibrated. But, there’s more…

Volatile Organic Compound detectors (VOCs) and Carbon Monoxide Detectors (CO2) need at least 7 days (nothing less) and it requires that after one week, you should expose the device to fresh air, and then continue monitoring so it can create a baseline.

Now let’s get to Radon levels. Per Airthings website: We advise you to measure for at least 30 days, and ideally several months. The radon sensor collects hourly air samples and is designed for long-term measuring. Even after 30 days of monitoring, they disclose approximately a 10% margin of error. **This data is exclusive to consumer/homeowner devices.

These are wonderful tools when having a proper understanding. Knowing your indoor radon levels is imperative to keeping you and yours safe.

***If you have found this article insightful, consider sharing it with your network of friends and family. Mary Anne Bice is the Business Manager for Guardian Radon, and long time Radon Advocate in the community