I recently moved to a new house that has a radon mitigation system that was poorly installed. For example there was no pit underneath the foundation just some gravel. I know this because I had a plumbing issue and had to rip up the floor. The system is still running, as well as a ventilation fan to clear the air by the boiler but my numbers in my basement are still generally above 4.0. I don’t want to pay someone to fix this because I’m pretty handy and want to fix it myself. Has anyone done this or have any pointers for what I can look at to learn more about effective ways to mitigate radon in an older home?
You are better off paying someone to fix this.<p>But if you are adamant about DIY... This [1] is the study about indoor air quality that everyone cites but nobody reads.<p>If you actually look through the paper, you'll see how they design the houseplant system. It is not just dirt in a pot with a plant. The paper suggests that it should work to reduce radon in homes.<p>[1] <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077" rel="nofollow">https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077</a><p>I am curious though - how are you measuring such that you have frequent radon levels? Have you purchased equipment?<p>I am definitely not an expert, but all the systems I've seen when house shopping involve (in addition to the ventilation fan) a piece of plexiglass over the sump pump/ejection pit/etc with some silicone sealant. I think the idea is that it should be really easy to pull up to do maintenance or repairs and then to put it back down and re-seal.
I am all for diy in almost all situations but this one. I even roll my eyes at people warning about safety in high voltage projects. Don't do this yourself.