Are you testing for radon yet?

Free Air Chek Radon Pro-Pack for all NACHI members.

There are no hidden charges or strings attached. (A true $30.00 value.)

This FREE starter pack contains everything needed to conduct a professional radon test. Includes two (2) professional samplers and a **FREE **(pre-paid) Fedex return label so you get your results faster.
(Sorry, pre-paid Fedex not available in Canada.)

Orders placed before 3:00 PM (Eastern time, weekdays) shipped the same day. BTW, Standard S&H is always free at Air Chek.

Air Chek is the only lab where all professional samplers are analyzed **within two hours of sample delivery **to our lab, even on saturday and most holidays. You will receive your report via email and/or fax and will have access to your sample data at our web site: http://www.radon-pro.com Plus, we always send a copy by “snail mail” too.

Air Chek is one of the oldest and largest radon labs in the world. For over 20 years we have participated in and passed all National and State certification programs.

You want to try out the Nation’s fastest premium-level lab service? Click on this link and place your **FREE **order. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

BV Alvarez, Founder and CEO, Air Chek, Inc.
http://www.radon.com

PS, this offer may not available forever, so even if you are not going to add this to your list of extra services, use it to test your home or office. See how quick and easy radon testing can be using our system.

Yes. I use a continuous monitor from Radalink. Accurate results and no complaints.

Thanks for your input.

I did not mention it earlier, but Air Chek also has a blind CRM program. We use femto-Tech blind monitors. One of the biggest differences is our 24/7 totally automatic reporting system sends a color PDF file to the HI, which he can print out or forward to the closing agent. (See attached sample report.)sample_crm_report.pdf (21.3 KB)

And for each CRM test conducted, we supply a free Air Chek charcoal sample that is exposed along side the CRM. Why? We like to “cross-check” both the CRM and our charcoal samples in real world conditions. Been doing this since 1994 and now have 18,000 matching sets of test results in our database, showing excellent correlation.

Thanks, BV Alvarez
http://www.radon-pro.com

Mr. Alvarez,

How does one do their QA with only (1) CM Unit, In a real estate transaction you are required to do (2) as with your units 6" apart as we are now going to be doing.

Was interested on YOUR take on using cont. use monitors for real estate transactions…would you not need (2) monitors to do this…sounds quite expensive versus just using the AC ones that you sell…

I believe someone bought that up to me awhile back when i was looking into going with a Cont. Use Monitor…but only planned on getting (1) unit to TEST personally before buying a second unit…as my brother always did the Radon for our company and he used AC as well…so “branched” away…but have since decided to go with your devices…simply for cost and ease of use…

But would like your comments on the Cont. Use models for Real Estate Transactions.

Paul, we agree with you that using our charcoal test kits simplifies things for the Professional Home Inspector and that proper Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) is difficult with a single continuous radon monitor (CRM). Thus, we DO NOT endorse using only one continuous monitor because they have all been known to have problems at some point in their usable life and you’ll need a mechanism to identify if and when things start to go wrong.

There are no national or local regulations that require the exclusive use of a continuous radon monitor during a preliminary radon screening test; however, because of the more detailed reports that some CRMs provide, some local marketing pressures have lead others to believe it is a better system than anyone’s passive test, including those similar to our charcoal testing kits. Some real estate agents will demand the electronic equipment because of a misconception that they are always accurate and fool-proof, but just because it prints an hourly number doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the correct number. Activated charcoal kits require QA/QC too, but the most difficult part falls on our shoulders. Users of continuous radon monitors (CRMs) have a little more work on their end because they are solely responsible for the accuracy of the device and the reports handed to the closing attorneys.
Essentially, a CRM is a portable radiation laboratory that needs to be treated as such. Not only do they need to be calibrated once per year, the EPA states that a CRM needs to be operated beside another recently calibrated monitor every 6 months. The easiest way to accomplish this is to have two of them with calibration schedules staggered by 6 months. In addition, you need to run frequent cross-checks with either another CRM or any other approved device at least every 10th test. These instruments are electronic in nature and since things can go wrong with them a solid QA/QC program, a Professional Home Inspector will notice that something is wrong sooner rather than later. Unfortunately many inspectors are fooled by the same misconception that as long as the unit continues to print that everything is OK.

Because there is a real need for electronic monitors with a QA/QC component, we worked with CRM industry leader femto-tech to develop a continuous monitor “blind” program, which we’ve offered to our Professional Home Inspectors since 1995. This program takes away some of the Inspector’s headaches because we act as the laboratory. Instead of having to come back to the office and print the data, inspect the hourly data for unusual conditions or fluctuations, try to identify tampering, etc., you simply plug a live phone wire into the modem and dump the data right to our computers over a toll-free phone number. Within minutes, you’ll have your 3-page PDF report, complete with color graphs, in your e-mail inbox. (A sample report can be downloaded from this link: http://radon.com/CRMrpt.pdf)

Our program exceeds everyone else’s QA/QC programs because we also provide free activated charcoal kits to be placed beside the blind CRMs EVERY TIME it is used. That way we help you by looking for problems with your device so you don’t have to. When problems are spotted, you’ll get a message from us to expedite the charcoal kit to us so we can evaluate the CRM test properly. We are the ONLY LAB offering this complete program. We have always done this because we use it as a “back-up” in the event the continuous monitor has a glitch, be it caused by tampering, electrical noise, or unusual weather.

As for the QA/QC procedures for using 2 passive tests, you’ll need to keep the kits in a dry storage area, place them according to EPA measurement protocols, and follow our test kit instructions of course.
Once you’ve done that, the accuracy falls onto the shoulders of our laboratory. Since you are certified, you will have to follow EPA guidance on QC measurements such as duplicates, spikes, and blanks. Duplicates are identical, side-by-side measurements, which you’re already doing because of the real estate requirement to use two kits. We both keep an eye on them to make sure that they agree. About every 10th house, you send in a blank (an unexposed device that is marked like a real one) to make sure we don’t see any radon. Then once a year you can send 3 of them to a radon chamber, such as Bowser-Morner, Inc. in Ohio, who will put the kits into a known amount of radon and you’ll send them to us without our knowledge. Bowser-Morner will give you the known level and then we can calculate the % error. Its not a free pass, but you don’t have nearly as many duties on your end, which is nice for the many busy Inspectors out there. We are often asked “why do we have to do QA/QC, doesn’t the lab do that for us?” We do a ton of the work, but we cannot mimic the field conditions that our inspectors encounter around the country. We need to make sure that everything is in order, so the only way to know is the perform the QC measurements from both your end and ours. Labs need that outside component, another point that inspectors don’t always realize. You also need to verify that the lab is doing there part because as a Professional Home Inspector, you are expected to provide accurate test results. If one’s lab isn’t dialed in very tight, couldn’t it come back to bite them some day.
QA/QC protects the Professional’s rear end, so it is a necessary part of doing a good job.

I hope this long reply did not make you sleeply. Thanks,

BV Alvarez, President
Air Chek, Inc.
http://www.radon-pro.com

Our state requires a seperate, very high priced and difficult to obtain and keep license.

There are many very good Radon companies who specialize in this and do not charge a great deal and market themselves as subs to home inspectors.

As a guy with an M.S. in Physics, Health Physics specialty, former Asst. Radiation Safety Officers at U of I and U of C, It just don’t pay.

Thanks anyway.

Will,

Several states have regulations which require individuals and/or companies performing radon services to maintain state or national certification. In those areas, the fees that Professional Inspectors charge are often higher to cover the additional overhead and time. Some states charge a lot more than others and almost all of them have a different set of requirements depending on the type of radon devices used. For example, Inspectors using the activated charcoal test kits have be trained, take exams, pay a nominal fee, and renew with continuing education credits every 1 or 2 years. However, when Inspectors use equipment that forces them to play the role of a laboratory (e.g., devices such as continuous monitors or E-Perm systems), then the requirements are increased as well as the costs. In those areas, you will find radon-specific companies that are often sub-contracted for radon testing.

That is a choice that has to be made by each Home Inspector. You have to weigh the initial investment and determine if and when the investment will be repaid. The type of equipment affects the amount of the initial investment, which is why so many new inspectors or experienced inspectors who are just beginning to add radon services often start with passive devices like our charcoal kits. They want to see how things will play out. Sometimes they find the added work to be too much of a pain and will go back to subbing it out. Others, however, like the additional income and will often diversify and offer radon testing with different types of equipment.
Initial certification will set you back between $500 and $1000. Our kits sell for less than $10 each and with sufficient quantity, will drop to ~$5 each. EPA protocols require 2 per house, so you’re looking at an average of $20-$25 per house (this includes overnight delivery to the lab…with results sent to you within two hours of arrival at the lab).

Prices vary for professional radon services in each local, but if you charge, say $125, then there’s one Ben Franklin in your pocket. If you put a hundred dollar bill in your pocket for each job, you might have your investment back in a couple months. This is the reason why so many inspectors who go through the initial investment are often glad they did. However, for very busy inspectors who already have enough headaches, subbing out to the radon professional might be just what they need.

By the way, if you think IL is tough, look into how much it cost in time and $$ to do business in NJ. For a lab and business you had better figure the cost to provide your FIRST test result is almost $4,000.00…and then it goes up from there.:shock::sad: (I could not find one for pathetic!)

Air Chek, Inc. ( http://www.radon-pro.com ) participates is all National, State and local programs. Plus, we are one of the few National labs that fully participates in the Bowser-Morner QC program. http://www.bowser-morner.com/radonlab

Thanks for you comments and interest in offering radon testing for your clients.

BV Alvarez, CEO
Air Chek, Inc.
http://www.radon.com

Just to make it clear, for my fellow Illinoisians. A Home Inspector cannot, legally, do Radon inspections or place Radon sensors or charcoal cannisters or have anything to do with Radon (other than referring to a licensed Radon specialist). To do so would be a violation of law and, quite probably, could get his HI license revoked for good.

This is the opinion of my lawyer, who is well versed in Illinois HI law.

Please, make sure that you know the laws before you buy into someone’s service. Just good business practice.

http://www.state.il.us/iema/radon/pdf/32ilac422.pdf

Looks like pretty clear legislation Will, and a bit of an investment to become qualified to take samples in IL.:smiley:

Just din’t want any new guys jumping into this without checking and finding themselves loosing their HI license.

Go get 'em Will.

Come on Will, sometime thinning the herd is a good thing.:wink:

Will, what am I missing here? Are you telling everyone that a home inspector cannot become a licensed/certified Radon Specialist (or whatever you want to call it) in IL? Your well versed lawyer told you this? If that is the case then I suppose all these guys in your county are breaking the law Illinois Emergency Management Agency - Office of Homeland Security (in the scroll down box select Cook or your county.)

As far as we know, all those who do send us samples have applied for, paid the fees, and been licensed/certified to do radon testing in IL…and they also are NACHI or ASHI (or whatever) certified for Professional Home Inspections.

If you know of any who are acting illegally, let us know and we will cut them off and buy back all their unused inventory at full price.

We have always tried our best to stay away from sleazy outfits and/or individuals. Not always possible, but it has been company policy since 1985.

Sincerely,
BV Alvarez, CEO
Air Chek, Inc.
http://www.radon-pro.com](“http://www.radon-pro.com”)

You totally misunderstand me.

It is possible (but hard and very expensive) to be licensed to be a Radon Tech, a guy who just places and retrieves the sampling devices (even more so for a professional). Sure, some do it. But it requires special licensing, over and above and totally seperate from the HI license. You know this, because the site you link to is the Illinois state site and they wouldn’t be listed there if theu did not have the license. My point was to make clear that a seperate license is needed.

If the HI is not licensed and is doing this (as in somebody (certainly not your company :mrgreen: ) and does not have the state training and certification and license, they are breaking the law.

I know of a couple of guys (NACHI members) who were not aware of this and were told (by a nameless vendor) that they could just get the carbon cannisters, place them, retrieve them and just mail them to the vendor and get the results and make good money. I explained the law to them and they ceased (all except one, who shall remain nameless).

I just want to make sure that all the HIs in Illinois who you may be contacting know that they must be specially licensed to do this. Are you sure that your company clearly informs their clients of this? I am sure it does, but one never knows.

No offense intended. Just trying to help.

Thanks Will,
Vendors have one thing in mind $$$$$$$
Lets start a 4 point inspection NACHI website for Illinois.

Hey guys,

I just noticed something…I may have stepped out of line with my last post. Pardon me, but as you can see I’ve only been here 22 times. (Or does this make it 23?)

It appears on first glance that some of you spend a lot time here and, of course, you know all of the etiquette and protocols. So I apologize if I have not conducted myself properly.

I signed up and started posting here because of a personal invitation from the big Guy himself, Nick. You see, Nick back in the late nineties, was a really BIG customer of ours, using over 1,000 of our radon samplers per year, back when he owned his HI business. Thanks Nick for your long time support.

We only offered this Free Air Chek Radon Pro-Pack to show the NACHI members the high level of service we can provide for the members (and hopefully some day, they may become our customers too).

Trust me on this one thing…no other lab can match our prices and service. We offered this free package just to prove this, to those who MAY WANT TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS. That is all we were trying to do. You do not have to become a licensed/certified radon professional to do a “dry run” using this totally free, complete Professional Radon Testing package.

For those who don’t get it…I say why don’t you just use the free package to test your own house or office. That is not illegal in any jurisdiction except maybe New Jersey. (Where gambling and all sorts of other questionable activities are legal except for testing you own property for radon.)

It’s getting late here in the East and I had better head back to the ranch…else I’ll get into more trouble there too.

Again, I hope I did not offend anyone,

BV Alvarez, CEO
Air Chek, Inc.
http://www.radon-pro.com

BV Alverez, I believe your post is ok. I also believe Will was just looking out for the guys in IL. No harm no foul. From my limited understanding of IL law regarding radon homeowners would be allowed to use your services directly.

Yeah it’s like offering free Brink’s or Dish Net stuff.

No harm, no foul, BV.

it is important to realize that this is a National (and international) association and site. With 50 states, each having their own laws, rules and policy, it is very hard to have a ‘one size fits all’ marketing policy.

As you say, an individual homeowner has no problem with personal Radon testing in this state (and I won’t speak to the others, because I don’t know).

Please remember, ther are many new HIs and many are not sure, quite yet, of the rules, laws and methodlogy in their own areas.

As was previously posted, just looking out for my own.

Please give me a call, if you have any questions, problems or suggestions.

Hope this helps;

Linas, if that is how you folks who post here feel…if most of you are going to put me and my small company in the same category as the above mentioned…then I’ll withdraw my offer of free trails of our service and I’ll say goodbye to this whole message board.

I’ll mention again, I only made the offer and started posting here because Nick, who treated me like an old friend, asked me to.

More than anything, I’m really very, very sorry that I have placed our eight fine employees in such an embarrassing position, (that’s right, there are only eight working folks here). Go to http://www.radon.com/radon/corp_info.htm You can read about the whole bunch…except that Dr. Joe and I have, more or less, not been of much use the past few years. I only show up every now and then to sign a few checks and make sure nothing has broken. (By the way, Nancy who has answered the phone most every time since September 1986 is retiring soon. So those of you who know her, may want to wish her good luck. She will answer the phone from 8:30 to 5:00 every day for the next month or so. Call 800-AIR-CHEK (247-2435) and press zero (0).

As for our service, we haven’t heard many complaints from the customers that ordered 256,457 test kits last year, and not that many from the other 5,298,355 customers during the past 21 years, so maybe some of the folks here are doing their job and treating the customers fairly.

We don’t charge much for our service. The price has been the same since 1987. How? We’ve just worked harder to adsorb all the postage and other increases. And unlike some other famous ones, none of us ride around in big fancy cars. In fact, I drive the fanciest, a four (4) year old Ford 4-door pickup truck. And it runs just fine, thank you.

The folks working here are just honest hard working people who show up every day five to six days each week (and most holidays) to make sure our client’s test devices are processed. The good folks here work for their keep and don’t ask for any handouts.

And we, for damn sure, are not a big frigging corporation looking for a way to screw the little guy.

Thanks for your input and a damn good lesson,:mad:
BV Alvarez, Founder and Owner
Air Chek, Inc.