Explained in one paragraph
Radon comes up out of the soil and into the house because your basement is warmer and lower-pressure than the ground around it. The house literally inhales through its foundation. A mitigation system reverses the airflow. A pipe is sealed into the ground beneath your slab, a fan in that pipe runs continuously, and the suction it creates means soil gas gets pulled out and vented above your roof before it ever reaches your living space. The industry name is active soil depressurization (ASD). It is the method the EPA recommends, and it's what we install.
Which type your house needs
Sub-slab suction (the Flint standard)
A hole about the size of a coffee can is cored through the basement slab, a suction pit is carved out beneath it, and the pipe seals into that point. This is the workhorse for the poured-slab-over-clay construction that dominates Genesee County, and it's what most local homes get.
Drain-tile and sump systems
If your home has perimeter drain tile or a sump crock, we can often use it as a ready-made suction network that reaches the whole footprint of the house. The sump gets a sealed, airtight lid with the pipe tied in, and your sump pump keeps working exactly as before.
Crawlspace membrane systems
Homes and additions over crawlspaces get a different approach: a heavy sealed membrane over the exposed soil with the suction pipe drawing from beneath it. Plenty of Flint-area houses are part basement, part crawl. Those get a combination, engineered as one system with one fan where possible.
What actually happens
- Walkthrough and diagnosticsWe confirm the suction point location, check slab openings and the sump, and pick the pipe route with you, not for you.
- Core and sealThe slab is cored, the suction pit is dug, and the pipe is sealed in airtight. Sealing is where cheap installs fail; it's where we're slowest and most stubborn.
- Route and mountThe pipe runs up through a closet, garage, or utility chase to the attic, or up the exterior wall, your choice on looks. The fan mounts in the attic or outside, never in living space, so a future leak in the pipe above the fan can never push radon into the house.
- Power and finishThe fan is wired, a manometer (a simple U-shaped gauge) goes on the pipe so you can see the system working at a glance, everything is labeled, and the work area is cleaned up.
- Verification testA post-install radon test confirms the number. The job isn't done until the result is.
Total time for most homes: three to five hours. One visit.
Will it be ugly? Will it be loud?
Neither, if it's routed with any care. Interior runs disappear through closets and the garage; exterior runs are schedule-40 pipe that paints to match your siding and reads like a downspout from the street. The fan is about as loud as a bathroom vent heard from the next room. Most homeowners stop noticing it inside a week. Operating cost is modest: a typical radon fan is rated at 60-85 watts, about what a light bulb draws, which works out to roughly $60-100 a year in electricity, or $5-8 a month.
Already have a system that isn't working?
We also service and repair existing systems: dead or dying fans (they last about ten years), manometers reading zero, unsealed suction points, and systems that passed inspection but never actually moved the number. If the original installer is long gone, that's fine. Bring us the patient.
The guarantee, again, because it belongs on this page too
Below 4.0 pCi/L guaranteed, designed for under 2.8, verification test included, and if the number isn't right we come back and fix it at no cost. Get the same commitment in writing from anyone else you're comparing us against. If they hesitate, that's your answer.
Frequently asked
Can I install a radon mitigation system myself?
Mechanically, a capable DIYer can put a pipe through a slab. What usually goes wrong is everything you can't see: picking a suction point that doesn't reach the whole footprint, under-sealing, undersizing the fan, and never running a verification test, which means a system that looks finished and doesn't work. If you DIY it, at minimum test afterward. When the test disagrees with the effort, call us.
Where does the fan go?
Attic or exterior, never in the basement or any living space. That's not our preference, it's the safety standard: everything below the fan is under suction, everything above it is under pressure, and the pressurized side has to live outside your envelope.
How long do radon fans last?
Around ten years is typical. When one dies, the manometer on the pipe drops to zero. Glance at it monthly and you'll never be surprised. Fan replacement is a quick, inexpensive service call.
Does the system run all the time?
Yes, continuously. That's by design. Radon doesn't take nights off, so the system doesn't either. The draw is small and the fan is built for it.