Reference
Radon
Alberta records higher residential radon than the Canadian average, most homes have never been tested, and the test Health Canada recommends takes three months — which is exactly what a vacancy provides.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by uranium decay in soil and rock. It enters buildings through foundation cracks, sump pits, floor drains and service penetrations, and accumulates in enclosed lower levels.
Health Canada identifies it as the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked, and publishes a guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. Above that, remedial action is recommended.
It is colourless, odourless and tasteless. There is no way to estimate it from a property’s age, price, community or appearance — it is measured, or it is unknown.
The encouraging half: an elevated result is a solvable problem. Mitigation is well established, usually completed in a day, and routinely effective.
- Your neighbour’s result says nothing about your house. Adjacent properties can differ by a factor of several.
- Health Canada recommends a long-term test of at least three months, during the heating season. Short-term tests are screening, not a basis for spending.
- Testing and mitigation should be done by a C-NRPP-certified professional — placement and interpretation both affect whether the number means anything.
Guides
The full picture
Radon Testing in Calgary
What radon testing involves in Calgary, why Alberta homes warrant it, and how a long-term test is actually carried out.
Testing a Vacant Home for Radon
A long vacancy is convenient timing for a three-month radon test — with one caveat that matters, and that most people testing an empty house never hear.
Long-Term vs Short-Term Radon Testing
Why Health Canada recommends a three-month minimum, what short-term tests are actually for, and why a two-day result should not drive a decision.
Radon, Buying and Selling
How radon comes up in a transaction, what a result does and does not mean for a property, and how estate and investment sales differ.
What Radon Mitigation Actually Involves
How sub-slab depressurisation works, what installation looks like, and why retesting afterwards is not optional.
Why vacancy is the opportunity
The obstacle to proper testing is three undisturbed months.
Long-term radon devices are inexpensive. What stops people testing properly is leaving something alone for a season in a house full of people — it gets moved, knocked, cleaned around or thrown out.
A property empty from October to April removes that problem, and lines up with exactly the heating-season window Health Canada recommends. Placement and retrieval happen during visits that were going to occur anyway.
There is one caveat worth knowing before you rely on the result, and it has its own page.
Worth doing at the same time
A vacancy is the easiest window in a property’s life for the assessments that need the building empty and undisturbed.
Testing a property that will be empty?
We coordinate placement and retrieval with a certified professional, and confirm the device is undisturbed at every routine visit.