Decision support
My Radon Test Came Back High — What Should I Do Next?
An elevated radon result is a reason to plan, not to panic. Radon exposure risk is described in official guidance as a long-term, cumulative issue — the appropriate response is a considered sequence of steps, starting with understanding the number you have.
1. Enter your test result
Radon Result Interpreter
Enter the number from your radon test report. This tool explains how that number relates to published EPA action guidance. It does not estimate personal health risk and does not replace an assessment of your specific building.
2. Understand the number
A radon result is expressed in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) and represents the average concentration measured by that device, in that location, over that period. Before drawing conclusions, check three things on the report: the measured value, the test duration, and the placement of the device.
Levels fluctuate — with weather, with season, with how the house is being operated. That is why guidance distinguishes short-term snapshots from longer measurements that better represent a year-round average.
3. What EPA and Pennsylvania guidance say
| Result | Published federal guidance |
|---|---|
| 4 pCi/L or higher | EPA recommends fixing the home. |
| Between 2 and 4 pCi/L | EPA says homeowners may want to consider fixing the home. |
| Below 2 pCi/L | Below the range where a fix is suggested; EPA notes no level is considered risk-free. |
4. Should you retest first?
Whether to confirm the result before committing to mitigation depends on the number, the test type and the situation. A short-term test used in a real-estate transaction is a different decision context from a long-term test in a home you already own.
- Very high results are often acted on without waiting for a long-term measurement.
- Borderline results are the ones where an additional measurement most often changes the decision.
- A device placed in an unusual location, or a test conducted with windows open, may not represent normal conditions.
Read the testing guidance before repeating a test, so the second measurement is usable.
5. When mitigation is evaluated
Mitigation is evaluated on the building, not on the number alone. A professional looks at foundation construction, sub-slab material, existing piping, drainage, available routing paths and electrical access before proposing a design.
Two homes with identical readings can need very different systems — and that is what makes site evaluation the step you cannot skip.
6. Your foundation type shapes the system
| Foundation | Typical approach | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Basement | Sub-slab suction | Basement mitigation |
| Slab on grade | Sub-slab suction | System types |
| Crawl space | Sub-membrane depressurization | Crawl space mitigation |
| Mixed | Possibly multiple zones | Multi-zone systems |
7. If the home already has a radon system
An elevated reading in a home that already has a system is a different problem from an unmitigated home. The question shifts from "what should be installed" to "why is the installed system not achieving the reduction it should".
Existing system not working · Fan replacement · Passive system activation
8. Typical mitigation approaches
Most residential mitigation uses active soil depressurization. Variants include drain-tile suction, sump-hole suction where a pit connects to sub-slab drainage, and sub-membrane depressurization in crawl spaces. Sealing openings supports a system; on its own it is not treated as a reliable solution.
9. What it may cost
Cost follows scope. Rather than quoting a single figure, plan around the drivers — foundation type, number of zones, existing piping, routing and electrical work — then compare written quotes that describe the same scope.
10. Choosing a Pennsylvania professional
Check certification status with the Commonwealth before you compare prices. Ask each professional the same questions: proposed suction location, expected number of zones, routing, fan location, how the system will be monitored, and what post-mitigation testing is included.
11. Post-mitigation testing
Installation is not the end of the process. A follow-up test after the system is running is what documents the result in your home — and it is the only honest answer to "did it work".
12. Request quotes for your project
Share your test result, foundation type and project details. We pass your request to independent radon professionals — we do not perform the work ourselves.