My radon level in my living room is 3.0. How concerning is this?

A radon reading of 3.0 pCi/L sits below the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L, so you are not required to fix it. But 3.0 lands in the EPA’s consider-fixing range of 2 to 4 pCi/L, so it is worth taking seriously. Most homes can get pulled down to about 2.0 pCi/L or lower with an active sub-slab mitigation system, which runs $900 to $6,000, and most homes land around $1,950 to $2,250 in our area.

Here is the plain picture. Radon is a gas that seeps up from the ground through your slab, your floor wall joint, and any small gaps in the foundation. You cannot see it or smell it. The EPA sets 4.0 pCi/L as the line where it strongly recommends action, and it asks homeowners to think hard about anything from 2 to 4. Your 3.0 is right in that middle band.

Why does the number show up in a living room? Radon collects in the lowest air of the house and works upward. A living room on a slab, or right above a basement or crawl space, can read higher than a bedroom upstairs. The reading also moves with the seasons. Cold New Hampshire winters seal the house up tight and pull more soil gas inside, so a 3.0 in spring can be higher come January.

So is 3.0 concerning? It is a yellow light. You do not have an emergency. You have a number that is worth keeping an eye on and, for a lot of families, worth fixing for peace of mind. If anyone in the house smokes, or if you spend long hours in that living room, the case for fixing gets stronger. Radon plus smoke is the worst combination for the lungs, per the EPA.

A few things drive the cost of a fix. The size of your slab, how the foundation is built, and where the fan and pipe can run all matter. A standard finished basement on a poured slab is straightforward. A dirt or fieldstone crawl space is more involved, because that needs a sub-membrane system instead of a simple sub-slab pipe. Either way, you get a free inspection and a free estimate before any work, and a quote within 24 hours.

You may not need a full system at all. If your reading were a clean 1.something across two tests, we would tell you to skip it and just retest down the road. We would rather tell you to wait than sell you a fan you do not need. At 3.0, a fix is reasonable, but it is your call, and the EPA backs that up.

How a mitigation system works is simple. We seal the obvious entry points, then run a pipe through the slab to a quiet fan that pulls the radon-laden air from under the floor and vents it up and out above the roofline. That is active sub-slab depressurization. For a dirt or fieldstone crawl, we lay a sealed membrane over the soil first, then depressurize under it. Our radon work carries a 10-year warranty. We do not guarantee a specific radon number unless that promise is put in writing.

One more thing on testing. Before you spend a dime on a system, it helps to confirm the number with a second test, since a single short reading can swing. We can run a test for $50, credited toward the job if you move ahead if you want a clean baseline. After a system goes in, the retest is the homeowner’s job, and it is a good idea to confirm the drop.

Branden runs our radon work. The crew calls him B-Radon, and he has put in plenty of these systems across New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. 603 Basement Solutions is licensed and insured, BBB A+ accredited, and rated 4.9 across more than 250 Google reviews, with over 5,000 New England homeowners served. Our state radon certification is RMS-113966.

If your basement or crawl is also damp, that often travels with radon, since the same gaps let in both water and soil gas. You can read more on our radon mitigation page, our basement waterproofing page, and our crawl space services page. Every job we do is backed by the 603 guarantee.

For the official guidance, the EPA radon program and NH DHHS radon both confirm the 4.0 action level and the 2 to 4 consider-fixing range. [verify] the exact deep pages before linking those.

Want a real read on your living room? Call us at 603-610-1770 or book your free inspection and we will walk the house, confirm the number, and tell you plainly whether a fix makes sense. No pressure, no scary sales pitch.

Related questions

Is 4.0 the level where I have to fix radon? The EPA action level is 4.0 pCi/L, the point where it strongly recommends mitigation. Below that, anything from 2 to 4 is a consider-fixing range. Above 4, we would recommend a system.

Will a radon system lower my 3.0 reading? Yes, usually well below 2.0 pCi/L. An active sub-slab system pulls soil gas out from under the slab and vents it above the roof. We carry a 10-year warranty on the work, and a system runs $900 to $6,000, and most homes land around $1,950 to $2,250.

Does radon get worse in winter in New Hampshire? Often, yes. Cold weather seals the house tight and draws more soil gas indoors, so a spring reading of 3.0 can climb in deep winter. That is one reason a single test is worth confirming.

Can radon come up through a dirt crawl space? Yes, and a dirt or fieldstone crawl is a common path. For those, we install a sub-membrane depressurization system, a sealed cover over the soil with a fan pulling the gas out. See our crawl space services page.