I’m going to try this here. I didn’t get much traction on other platforms…
'm struggling here. I want to provide Radon inspection/testing but being in an EPA Zone 3 area I’m worried about the veracity of the test and needing a CRM vs a charcoal canister. A report from lung.org
says
The county with the most tests is Tulsa County with 306 pre-mitigation tests and an estimated mean radon level of 1.8 pCi/L. (I’m in Tulsa county)
Oklahoma has an estimated 1,749,464 total housing units with 814 tests during the study period. Overall, Oklahoma has an estimated mean radon level of 2.1 pCi/L.
I’m wanting err on the side of charcoal canisters until I can prove the need. Which brings another concern - which lab to use?!?! There are several, but I don’t even really have anecdotal feedback on all of them. (I did get one response that said Radon tests are rarely requested in Tulsa.)
Good guidance on general radon testing, thank you. I did see these. Several of those are aged and none were specific to OK. I’m trying to get updated and directed information relevant to OK. Perhaps I didn’t target the audience narrow enough. Thank you for the guidance.
None of your three questions are OK specific.
I have posted many, many times about Charcoal Canisters, which answer all three of your questions.
I posted the link to all the Radon subject threads on this mb for you to peruse, as I don’t have the time to search for something that isn’t important to me, so… have at it.
Although I am a proponent of CRMs’, I wouldn’t invest in them if you are only going to do a few tests a year. Yearly calibration is approaching $200 for most models, and you need a minimum of two units. But I would suggest having at least three units as each one will be unusable for a few weeks a year.
So for three units, you are looking at roughly $600/year operating cost, plus the initial purchase price.
Go with the canisters until you can verify the number of tests you will be able to get. I don’t have any recommendation for suppliers, but do a Google search for “professional charcoal radon test kits.” Pick a few suppliers and start a spreadsheet to compare costs, pros, cons, etc.
As to what type of test you use is a business decision only you can make. Personally we’ve only used CRMs, but you may consider canisters as a cost saving method, at least until you start doing a lot of tests.
As for who to use, I would check the link that @jjonas posted above and use Google.
Make sure you follow ANSI/AARST MAH-2023 Standards for Radon Testing. You need tamper safeguards as one of many components of your Quality Assurance Plan. How are you going to assure charcoal canisters are not tampered with? How do you know the homeowner did not open the windows after you left? How do you know if closed house conditions were maintained? How do you know that you are getting a reliable reading when placing your test device in a home where the homeowner is your adversary; he wants a low test result, you want an accurate one. How do you protect your liability in this adversarial atmosphere?
Consider Radalink to lease CRM devices. They also take care of all your paperwork, duplicate, and crosscheck tests. Disclosure: I do not use Radalink and am not associated with them.
Don’t waste your time or energy.
Being a newby with Radon testing, you won’t know the difference between the junk that is constantly being pushed to Home Inspectors, (low cost, high profit to the manufacturers), and the Professional Canisters that are available, (and often used for in-field QC tests)!
Note: The cheap crap is nothing more than a “sponge” that you hang from the ceiling, (NOT actual charcoal canisters)!
Go straight to RTCA. https://rtca.com/
Note: while researching, remember that ANY pricing shown on their websites are RETAIL, and not your true cost… which is typically half the listed price. CALL THEM directly for more info!
I’ve also used their competitors products, (EMSL), and they are an average product (lower quality canister), but more expensive and a longer TAT.
Again… all this info has been discussed many times in the threads I linked to.
Good luck.
Good call out - sorry for the confusion. /I/ knew it was OK specific. The original question was based on Zone 3 suggesting lower radon exposure. In reviewing the question, I specifically did NOT say OK - my apologies.
So yes, I’m working to find out what inspectors are seeing in Oklahoma to help determine if I want to spend the $$ on a CRM or leverage good old fashion charcoal canisters…
Find a certified Radon Measurement Professional and sub out this ancillary service. You can upcharge for the service and eliminate the burdensome QA requirements and costs of maintaining the equipment.