What Is Radon? Lima & Allen County Radon Facts

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced when uranium in soil and rock breaks down. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, so you cannot detect it without a test. Outdoors it dilutes harmlessly; indoors it can build up to unsafe levels, especially in basements and lower floors.

Homes naturally draw air upward and pull replacement air in at the lowest level — the "stack effect." That slight vacuum sucks radon-laden soil gas in through foundation cracks, floor-wall joints, sump pits, and gaps around pipes, where it concentrates in basements and lower levels.

No. Radon is completely invisible and odorless. There are no symptoms of exposure in the moment. The only way to know your level is to run a radon test.

Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after smoking, and the leading cause among people who have never smoked. The risk builds with long-term exposure, which is why fixing an elevated level matters.

Radon is estimated by the EPA to cause roughly 21,000 lung-cancer deaths per year in the U.S. It is a long-term exposure risk rather than an immediate hazard, which is exactly why testing and mitigation are worth doing before problems develop.

Serious. Lima and all of Allen County are in EPA Radon Zone 1 — the highest-risk category — and local homes commonly test between 5.0 and 7.6 pCi/L, well above the 4.0 pCi/L action level. The cause is our geology: glacial till over fractured limestone lets radon migrate up into basements. Testing here is strongly recommended.

Not necessarily, but it raises the odds. Radon levels vary house to house even on the same street, depending on foundation, construction, and soil pathways. In a Zone 1 area like Allen County a neighbor’s high result is a good reason to test your own home rather than assume.

No. New and old homes, with or without basements, on slabs or crawlspaces, can all have elevated radon. Newer homes sometimes have a passive radon rough-in, but in a high-radon area that often is not enough on its own. Only a test tells you where a specific home stands.

Because you cannot see, smell, or taste it, and because Allen County is a high-radon area. Testing is inexpensive, and it is the only way to know whether your home is above the 4.0 pCi/L action level — for your family’s safety or for a home sale.

A short-term test measures radon over about 2 to 7 days; a long-term test runs 90+ days for a truer annual average. Continuous radon monitors record hour-by-hour and resist tampering, which is why they are preferred for real-estate transactions.

DIY test kits exist and are better than not testing. For a home sale, an existing-system check, or a result you want to act on with confidence, a professional test (especially a continuous monitor) is more reliable and provides documentation buyers and lenders accept.

Test if you never have, if it has been more than two years, before or during a home sale, after major foundation or HVAC work, and after any mitigation system is installed. If you have a system, a periodic re-test confirms it is still holding your level down.

The EPA action level is 4.0 pCi/L — at or above it, mitigation is recommended. Between 2.0 and 4.0 pCi/L the EPA suggests considering a system. There is no completely "safe" level, so the goal is to get as low as reasonably achievable; well-designed systems are built to reduce levels well below the 4.0 pCi/L action level.

Short-term tests can be affected by open windows, running fans, or moving the device, which is why closed-house conditions matter and why continuous monitors that log tampering are preferred for transactions. A professional test protects everyone in a sale.

A low result is good news, but radon can change over time and with the seasons. If you are below 2.0 pCi/L, re-test every few years and after major home or HVAC work. If you are between 2.0 and 4.0, the EPA suggests considering mitigation.

It is a fan-and-pipe system that creates suction under your foundation and continuously vents radon-laden soil gas up above the roofline before it enters your home. Because it captures the gas at the source, it protects the whole house permanently.

A passive system uses only the natural stack effect to move radon up the pipe — helpful but often insufficient in high-radon soil. An active system adds an inline fan for constant suction, designed to bring levels below the 4.0 pCi/L action level. Activating a passive rough-in is usually a quick fix.

If your home tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, the EPA recommends one. In Allen County, where homes commonly read 5.0–7.6 pCi/L, many do. Test first — the result tells you whether and how urgently a system is warranted.

A well-designed system is discreet. Piping is routed through an interior chase or neatly up an exterior wall, and the fan sits in the attic or outside. We plan the routing with your home’s appearance in mind, especially on the street-facing side.

No. Sealing helps a system work better, but on its own it cannot overcome the stack effect — the house keeps pulling and radon finds any remaining gap. Reliable results require active suction beneath the slab, with sealing as a supporting step.

Yes. According to the EPA, a properly designed sub-slab depressurization system can reduce indoor radon substantially — often well below the 4.0 pCi/L action level. The result for a specific home is confirmed with a post-mitigation radon test rather than assumed.

Very little maintenance — the fan runs continuously and the U-tube manometer on the pipe shows at a glance that it is working. Fans typically last several years of constant running before needing replacement.

Most Allen County single-family homes fall in the $800–$1,800 range for a complete system; larger homes, crawlspaces, and multi-point systems typically run $2,000–$3,500. Final price varies by home, so a firm written quote is provided first.

Installation is carried out on site, and in most homes you can stay put while the work is done.

A labeled, code-compliant system with a monitoring manometer, a post-mitigation radon test that measures the result against the 4.0 pCi/L action level, and documentation you can use for a home sale.

Radon work in Ohio is licensed by the Ohio Department of Health, which issues radon contractor (RC#) and specialist (RS#) credentials, and mitigation professionals are generally NRPP- or NRSB-certified. Ask any contractor to show their current license, certification, and insurance on the proposal — a legitimate one always will.

A radon system is judged on a measurable result. After installation, a post-mitigation radon test shows whether the home is below the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L — the honest check, since radon levels naturally fluctuate. Warranty and service terms vary by contractor, so confirm them on your written proposal.

Radon mitigation can usually be scheduled to fit a closing timeline. Tell us your closing date and the work — diagnostic, install, and a post-mitigation radon test that documents the result — can be planned around it, producing the report buyers and lenders need.

Yes. The post-mitigation radon test result and system documentation that buyers, agents, and lenders expect can be provided for the transaction. Put your deadline on the quote form and we will follow up.

Yes. We design multi-suction-point systems for larger footprints, coordinate testing across multi-family units, and activate passive rough-ins in new construction. Ask about batch scheduling for multiple properties.

In Ohio, radon mitigation is licensed work for good reason: fan sizing, suction-point placement, sealed routing, and code-compliant venting all determine whether a system actually gets a home below 4.0 pCi/L. A DIY system that does not perform is not a savings. Professional mitigation covers the design, the install, and the post-mitigation test that measures the result.