Our Review of
EPA's Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon
More Testing Tips

On this page: d. Length of Time to Test.

Because Radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, a short-term test is less likely than a long-term test to tell you your year-round average Radon level. However, if you need results quickly, a short-term test may be used to decide whether to fix the home.

There Are Two General Ways to Test Your Home for Radon:

Short-Term Testing

The quickest way to test is with short-term tests. Short-term tests remain in your home from two to 90 days, depending on the device. There are two groups of devices which are more commonly used for short-term testing. The passive device group includes alpha track detectors, charcoal canisters, charcoal liquid scintillation detectors, and electret ion chambers. The active device group consists of different types of continuous monitors.

Long-Term Testing

A long-term test result is more likely to tell you your home's year-round average Radon level than a short-term test. If time permits (more than 90 days), long-term tests can be used to confirm initial short-term results. When long-term test results are 4 pi/L or higher, EPA recommends fixing the home.

Whether you test for Radon yourself or hire a qualified tester, all Radon tests should be taken for a minimum of 48 hours. Some devices require a longer (minimum) length of time, e.g., a 7-day charcoal canister device.

Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon is a publication by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some parts of this multi-page review of the EPA Guide to Radon are with permission under public domain and creative commons. Usage: Category Education; License: Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed). By getting Radon detection and Radon mitigation, you can live more healthfully amidst the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

This series is provided to inform about Radon at Lake Tahoe and beyond. On each page, you can view more by clicking on one of the navigation links below.

Airthings gets our glowing review for its line of air quality detectors. In particular, we have used the Airthings Corentium Radon Detector, and like it! We purchased our Airthings Corentium over seven years ago, and it has been reliable and accurate for detecting Radon levels in our home and office. It's definitely recommended for monitoring Radon. Plus, if you ever need to install any Radon mitigation devices, this constant monitoring device can help you to know how well your system is working, in order to keep your home Radon levels down. Check it out on Amazon, where you can read other reviews and get your best price.

Home Air Quality Monitors

A Radon detector is only one home monitor that you can use to check the indoor air quality of your home at Lake Tahoe and beyond. Here's a handy link to home air quality monitors and other air quality products.

Navigation: More Radon Information