Radon System Inspection & Repair in Saint Augustine, FL

A radon system that is switched on is not necessarily a radon system that is working. Fans wear out, pipes get knocked loose, seals fail, and slabs get cut into for renovations years after the system went in. The only way to know is to look at the manometer and then retest.

The thirty-second check you can do yourself

Find the U-shaped manometer tube mounted on the pipe. If the fluid levels on the two sides are offset, the system is pulling. If they have settled level with each other, it is not — the fan has failed, the pipe is blocked, or a seal has let go.

A level manometer is not an emergency, but it does mean the house has been unprotected for however long it has been that way, and it is worth a call. Most owners never look at it, which is why we find failed fans on systems the owner believed were fine.

What we check

• Fan operation, draw, and noise — bearings usually announce their own failure.
• Manometer reading against the pressure recorded at commissioning.
• Pipe runs for cracks, sags, disconnected joints and blockages.
• Suction point seals, and any slab cracks or penetrations opened since install.
• Exhaust termination — height above the roofline and clearance from windows and intakes.
• A confirmation radon measurement, because everything above is inference until you test.

Mandatory retesting: schools and licensed facilities in St. Johns County

This is a genuine legal requirement that applies here and that almost nobody in the county knows about. Under Fla. Stat. 404.056 and F.A.C. 64E-5, radon testing is mandatory for public and private school buildings serving grades K-12, and for state-licensed, state-regulated, state-owned or state-operated 24-hour care facilities and licensed day care centers in covered counties. St. Johns County is covered.

The structure of the requirement is worth knowing:

• Testing must be performed twice, separated by five years.
• After both required tests, no further testing is required unless a triggering event occurs.
• Triggering events include significant structural renovation, a change in facility operation equivalent to a structural change, or the facility legally becoming a new facility.
• Measurements must be performed by a state-certified radon measurement business.

If you manage a day care, a school building, or an assisted living or nursing facility in St. Johns County, the questions to answer are whether both tests were ever completed, whether the results were submitted, and whether anything since has legally reset the clock. Renovation is the one that catches people out.

When to retest a residential system

• Every two years as routine, and any time the manometer reads level.
• After any work that cuts into the slab — plumbing repairs, a new bathroom, an addition.
• After a significant HVAC change, which alters how the house is pressurised.
• After a fan replacement, to confirm the new one achieves the same result.
• Before listing the house, so the number in hand is current.

How this works

We are not a contractor and we do not do the work. What we do is put Saint Augustine homeowners in front of local radon mitigation contractors, and give you enough of the picture beforehand that you can tell a fair quote from a padded one. Call (904) 395-5498 or send a few details and we will connect you.