Radon Testing in Northern Utah

Should you test your Northern Utah home for radon?

Every Northern Utah home should be tested for radon, because this invisible gas rises out of the ground and a test is the only way to know how much of it is inside. Radon is a recognized risk in Northern Utah homes, including houses in Box Elder County and Cache Valley. You can't see it, smell it or taste it. It seeps in through the foundation and collects in basements and lower floors, most of all in winter when the house stays shut. Long-term exposure to high levels is a known health concern, which is why federal health guidance says every home should be tested. Our radon testing measures the level where your family spends time and gives you a clear answer. If that level comes back high, we can talk through radon mitigation with you and put it in place. For dust, humidity, fumes and other indoor air problems, see our indoor air quality testing or the full list of indoor air quality services.

Radon has no warning signs, so test at these times

Nobody has ever tested the house

If the home has never been tested, or you don't know whether the last owner tested it, you have no way to know your level. A first test sets your starting point.

You are buying or selling a home

Radon often comes up during a home sale. A recent result gives buyers and sellers a real number to talk about instead of a guess.

The basement became living space

Radon is usually highest on the lowest floor. If a basement is now a bedroom, an office or the place the kids play, test there, where people actually spend their hours.

You made big changes to the house

New windows, extra insulation, foundation work or a new heating system can change how air moves through a home. That can push radon up or down, so retest after a major project.

How radon gets into Northern Utah homes

Uranium in the soil and rock

Radon forms naturally when uranium in soil and rock breaks down. The gas moves up through the ground until it finds a way out. Under a house, that way out is often into the house.

Openings in the foundation

Cracks in a basement floor, gaps around pipes, floor drains, sump pits and dirt crawl spaces all give soil gas an easy path indoors. Even a well-built foundation has some of these openings.

The winter stack effect

Warm air rises and leaks out near the top of a heated house. Air gets pulled in at the bottom to replace it, and some of that air comes from the soil. Our long, cold winters keep that pull going for months, and Cache Valley inversions keep windows closed even longer.

Homes that are sealed tight

A tight house saves energy. With less outside air coming in, though, radon that does get inside has fewer ways to leave, so it can build up between air changes.

What to expect from a radon test

Call us or schedule online, and we will pick a time during business hours. Starting the night before and all through the test, keep windows and outside doors closed, apart from normal coming and going. Run your furnace or air conditioner as usual, but leave whole-house fans off. These closed-house conditions give a fair reading.

Our technician sets the test in the lowest level of the home that you use, such as a finished basement or a ground-floor bedroom. It goes off the floor and away from drafts, outside walls, heat sources and damp areas like laundry rooms. Most homes start with a short-term test that runs for a few days. Longer tests run for months and show how the level shifts with the seasons, and we can tell you whether one fits your situation. You know the price of the test before it starts.

When the test is done, we go over the result with you in plain words. We explain what the number means, how it compares with the level the EPA uses as its point for action, and whether a second test makes sense. If your result is low, we can suggest when to test again. If it is high, we can help with the next step, which is radon mitigation.

When your radon level comes back high: radon mitigation

Radon mitigation is work on the house that lowers how much radon gets inside. When a result comes back high, we can discuss mitigation with you and install it. We start with how your home is built, including the basement, any crawl space, the sump pit and the openings in the foundation, and we talk through the options that fit it. You get the price before any work starts. Once the work is done, test again so you know where your level stands.

Radon testing is separate from yearly equipment care. To have your furnace, air conditioner and plumbing looked over every year, see our VIP Maintenance Plan. It costs $240 a year and includes one 2-hour visit a year covering an 88-point HVAC and plumbing inspection, a 1-inch filter replacement and a written report. Plan members also receive 10% off repairs and priority scheduling.

Radon testing across Northern Utah

We test homes from our base in Brigham City, in three parts of the region.

Box Elder County. Radon is a known concern here, and we have a page on radon testing in Brigham City, our home town. We also test homes in Perry, Mantua, Willard, Corinne and Tremonton. Learn more about our work in town on the Brigham City page.

Cache Valley. Read about radon testing in Hyrum, or see our pages for Hyrum, Logan, Nibley, North Logan and Smithfield. Valley homes sit closed up through long winter inversions, which is when radon tends to build.

Weber and Davis County. Ogden, North Ogden, South Ogden and Layton mix older homes with basements in established neighborhoods and newer, tighter houses in recent subdivisions. Either kind can hold radon, and only a test will tell.

Related services

A full indoor air quality assessment looks at humidity, dust, ventilation and fumes. Our ventilation systems bring in fresh air and send stale air out. If water collects in your basement, see sump pump installation and repair.

Schedule a radon test

Call (435) 730-2536 Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, or schedule online. Your Comfort Heating & Air is licensed and insured. If the test is part of a home sale, tell us your dates so we can plan around them.