Radon Testing in Durango, Cortez and Southwest Colorado
About 1 in 4 homes I test comes back at or above the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L. You can't tell which ones from the street, the neighborhood or the age of the house. A 48-hour test is the only way to know.
Colorado licensed radon measurement professional, RME.0000058.
What six years of local tests show
Share of my tests that came back at or above 4.0 pCi/L.
The town tells you little
Four towns, nearly the same rate. The house matters more than the address.
The season matters
A house closed up for winter holds more radon. A summer pass close to 4.0 is worth retesting in winter.
Homes with a basement test higher
I always place the monitor on the lowest livable level. When that level is a basement, nearly half of homes come back high.
How results fall
The EPA suggests considering a fix between 2 and 4, and fixing at 4.0 or above.
How I test
- A continuous monitor, not a charcoal kit. It logs a reading every hour for 48 hours, so you see the whole pattern and not a single number.
- Tamper detection. The monitor flags movement and changes in conditions, so the result holds up in a negotiation.
- Set at a committed time. Add it to your inspection or set it up ahead so results land before your deadline.
- Results as soon as I pick up the monitor, with a plain report and a note on what your number means for this house.
- I test. I don't sell mitigation systems. You get a number with no sales pitch attached.
If your test comes back high
It is common here and it is fixable. A mitigation system is a fan and a pipe that pull radon from under the house and vent it outside. Mitigation is very routine here, and a high result can be a basis for negotiation with the seller.
Radon testing questions
Can you test if the house is occupied?
Yes. The people living there can come and go as usual. They need to keep windows and outside doors closed during the test, apart from normal entry and exit. The monitor records movement and changes in conditions, so I can tell if the test was disturbed. Instructions for the occupants are here.
Can I test for radon later?
Yes, radon can be tested at any time. A test during your inspection period is the one that lets you negotiate with the seller. After closing, the result and any mitigation are yours to handle.
The house already has a mitigation system. Should I still test?
Yes. A system only helps if it is working. Fans wear out and pipes get disconnected, and a test is how you find out.
The house next door tested low. Is a test still worth it?
Yes. Radon varies from one house to the next, even on the same street. A neighbor's result tells you very little about yours.
Is there a safe level of radon?
The EPA says no level is completely risk-free. It recommends fixing a home at 4.0 pCi/L or above and considering it between 2 and 4.
Every number on this page comes from my own radon tests in La Plata and Montezuma Counties since 2020. They describe homes I was asked to test, not every home.