advanced work · Residential home, Wausau, WI
Is our basement air safe? — home radon test + mitigation-readiness plan — Wausau, WI
A family in Wausau, WI has never tested their home for radon despite living in a documented EPA Zone 1 high-radon-potential area and wants to know whether the air where their kids sleep and play is safe. Standard: EPA A Citizen's Guide to Radon (402-K-12-002); EPA 4 pCi/L action level; ANSI/AARST mitigation standards; HUD/CDC Healthy Homes (contaminant-free) Proof: household concerns + lowest-level occupancy + foundation/entry-pathway photos + GPS + EPA-protocol test placement + pCi/L result vs 4 pCi/L action level + mitigation-readiness plan — Real, Proven, One-of-one Method (Home radon test + mitigation-system readiness — guide a correctly-placed EPA-protocol radon test, record and interpret the result against the EPA 4 pCi/L action level, and where action is warranted scope a sub-slab depressurization mitigation plan (suction point, sump/drain-tile tie-in, fan + vent-stack routing, post-mitigation re-test) as a job spec for an NRPP/NRSB-certified radon mitigation professional. Observation, test-guidance, and planning only — never installs, seals, or drills., ~60-120 min): 1. Sit with the household first: what prompted the concern (a neighbor's result, a basement bedroom/playroom, a real-estate transaction, a known Zone 1 county)? Who spends time on the lowest lived-in level and how many hours — children, sleeping areas, and any smokers (radon + smoking multiplies lung-cancer risk)? Record any prior test and its placement. Capture their concerns in their own words. 2. Map and photograph the foundation and the lowest lived-in level: slab / crawlspace / full or walk-out basement, sump pit, drain tile, floor and wall cracks, and service penetrations — the soil-gas entry pathways a mitigation system would address. 3. Guide correct placement of the EPA-protocol test: lowest lived-in level, ≥20 in. above the floor, ≥3 ft from exterior walls/windows/doors, away from drafts, heat, and humidity; NEVER in a kitchen, bathroom, or laundry. For a short-term test, establish closed-house conditions (windows/exterior doors shut, normal HVAC) 12 hours before and throughout. Record the device type, start time, and duration. 4. Record the radon result in pCi/L and interpret it against the EPA 4 pCi/L action level. If the result is at or above 4 pCi/L, note that the EPA recommends a confirming follow-up (a second short-term test or a long-term test) before committing to a permanent system; if a continuous monitor was used, note the hourly variability. 5. Where mitigation is warranted, scope a sub-slab depressurization readiness plan as a spec for a certified installer — candidate suction-point location, sump/drain-tile tie-in, fan location and vent-stack routing above the eave/roofline, electrical availability, and the required post-mitigation re-test. This is a scope, NOT an installation; no drilling, sealing, or fan is fitted. 6. Assemble the plan with the household: the current radon picture, whether action is warranted, the mitigation scope with a rough cost band, and the NRPP/NRSB-certified-professional path. Note interim risk-reduction steps (increase ventilation, avoid using the lowest level as a bedroom for vulnerable occupants) for the window before mitigation. 7. Review the plan WITH the household so they own the result and the next step; enter photos, GPS/address, test placement + type + result, the action-level interpretation, and the mitigation-readiness plan; sign. The family's claim of safe air = this plan + this evidence — Real (tested and mapped), Proven (photo + GPS + result + signature), One-of-one (this home, this foundation, this occupancy). Equipment: EPA-listed radon test device (short-term charcoal / alpha-track kit or a continuous radon monitor), camera, tablet/clipboard with the EPA radon protocol + 4 pCi/L action-level reference + NRPP/NRSB certified-professional lookup, flashlight (foundation, sump, crawlspace, service penetrations), tape measure (test-placement height + foundation/entry-pathway mapping) Done when: Household's radon concerns and the occupancy pattern of the lowest lived-in level recorded in their own words; Foundation type and radon entry pathways (sump, drain tile, cracks, penetrations) photographed and mapped; EPA-protocol test placement documented (level, ≥20 in. height, ≥3 ft from walls, closed-house conditions, start time, device type/duration) and the pCi/L result recorded and interpreted against the 4 pCi/L action level; Mitigation-readiness plan delivered where warranted (suction point, fan + vent-stack routing, post-mitigation re-test, NRPP/NRSB-certified-installer path) OR a documented below-action-level retest-interval recommendation
How this work is done
A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 60–120 minutes. Method of record: Home radon test + mitigation-system readiness — guide a correctly-placed EPA-protocol radon test, record and interpret the result against the EPA 4 pCi/L action level, and where action is warranted scope a sub-slab depressurization mitigation plan (suction point, sump/drain-tile tie-in, fan + vent-stack routing, post-mitigation re-test) as a job spec for an NRPP/NRSB-certified radon mitigation professional. Observation, test-guidance, and planning only — never installs, seals, or drills.
Bring
- EPA-listed radon test device (short-term charcoal / alpha-track kit or a continuous radon monitor)
- camera
- tablet/clipboard with the EPA radon protocol + 4 pCi/L action-level reference + NRPP/NRSB certified-professional lookup
- flashlight (foundation, sump, crawlspace, service penetrations)
- tape measure (test-placement height + foundation/entry-pathway mapping)
Steps
- 1. Sit with the household first: what prompted the concern (a neighbor's result, a basement bedroom/playroom, a real-estate transaction, a known Zone 1 county)? Who spends time on the lowest lived-in level and how many hours — children, sleeping areas, and any smokers (radon + smoking multiplies lung-cancer risk)? Record any prior test and its placement. Capture their concerns in their own words.
- 2. Map and photograph the foundation and the lowest lived-in level: slab / crawlspace / full or walk-out basement, sump pit, drain tile, floor and wall cracks, and service penetrations — the soil-gas entry pathways a mitigation system would address.
- 3. Guide correct placement of the EPA-protocol test: lowest lived-in level, ≥20 in. above the floor, ≥3 ft from exterior walls/windows/doors, away from drafts, heat, and humidity; NEVER in a kitchen, bathroom, or laundry. For a short-term test, establish closed-house conditions (windows/exterior doors shut, normal HVAC) 12 hours before and throughout. Record the device type, start time, and duration.
- 4. Record the radon result in pCi/L and interpret it against the EPA 4 pCi/L action level. If the result is at or above 4 pCi/L, note that the EPA recommends a confirming follow-up (a second short-term test or a long-term test) before committing to a permanent system; if a continuous monitor was used, note the hourly variability.
- 5. Where mitigation is warranted, scope a sub-slab depressurization readiness plan as a spec for a certified installer — candidate suction-point location, sump/drain-tile tie-in, fan location and vent-stack routing above the eave/roofline, electrical availability, and the required post-mitigation re-test. This is a scope, NOT an installation; no drilling, sealing, or fan is fitted.
- 6. Assemble the plan with the household: the current radon picture, whether action is warranted, the mitigation scope with a rough cost band, and the NRPP/NRSB-certified-professional path. Note interim risk-reduction steps (increase ventilation, avoid using the lowest level as a bedroom for vulnerable occupants) for the window before mitigation.
- 7. Review the plan WITH the household so they own the result and the next step; enter photos, GPS/address, test placement + type + result, the action-level interpretation, and the mitigation-readiness plan; sign. The family's claim of safe air = this plan + this evidence — Real (tested and mapped), Proven (photo + GPS + result + signature), One-of-one (this home, this foundation, this occupancy).
If it does not match the plan
- Radon result at or above 4 pCi/L -> flag 'at or above EPA action level'; recommend the EPA-recommended confirming follow-up test, then route mitigation-system design and installation to an NRPP- or NRSB-certified radon mitigation professional; the survey never installs.
- Radon result at or above ~20 pCi/L (or a continuous monitor reading multiples above the action level) -> URGENT; advise the household to increase ventilation and avoid using the lowest level as a bedroom pending prompt professional mitigation, and expedite the certified-pro referral.
- Household's water is a private well AND radon is elevated -> radon-in-water can contribute to indoor air; route a separate radon-in-water test and treatment to a certified professional; do not fold it into the soil-gas mitigation scope.
- Suspected asbestos or vermiculite around the intended suction point / foundation (pipe wrap, old block-fill or attic insulation) -> do NOT disturb, drill, or scope through it; photograph intact, flag 'inspection required before mitigation', and route to a licensed inspector.
- Test placement cannot meet EPA protocol (no valid lowest-lived-in location, closed-house conditions impossible, severe drafts) -> do not report an invalid number; document the constraint and recommend a compliant retest or a continuous-monitor measurement.
What counts as done
- Household's radon concerns and the occupancy pattern of the lowest lived-in level recorded in their own words
- Foundation type and radon entry pathways (sump, drain tile, cracks, penetrations) photographed and mapped
- EPA-protocol test placement documented (level, ≥20 in. height, ≥3 ft from walls, closed-house conditions, start time, device type/duration) and the pCi/L result recorded and interpreted against the 4 pCi/L action level
- Mitigation-readiness plan delivered where warranted (suction point, fan + vent-stack routing, post-mitigation re-test, NRPP/NRSB-certified-installer path) OR a documented below-action-level retest-interval recommendation
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