Radon Mitigation by Mechanical Ventilation
Dilution and Pressurization
Mechanical Ventilation will reduce Radon both by diluting it and by pressurizing the breathing zone to “push back” against radon entry from “radon reservoirs” and “radon fountains.”
How Does SmartVentilation Control Ventilation and Prevent High Indoor Relative Humidity and Mold?
Our Humidity controller precisely measures humidity second-by-second. Should indoor humidity rise above 59.9% it immediately suspends fresh air delivery until humidity drops to 59.5% or lower. It will never allow an air conditioner to be overloaded with moisture
Our Flow Rate Controller may be precisely adjusted to deliver sufficient air to achieve the desired radon level but without delivering excess humidity to overload the air conditioner’s ability to dry it. The digital meter aids in very precise adjustments with a jeweler’s screwdriver
How Do Other Radon Mitigators Commonly Control Ventilation and Prevent High Indoor Relative Humidity and Mold?
The radon system may be turned off and on by a table lamp timer many times a day to prevent too much hot, humid air from overloading the air conditioner. Setting 48 little tabs to avoid mold risk and to adjust radon levels involves a lot of estimation and guesswork . And the need changes as the seasons change.
This radon mitigator has supplied a light switch to turn the radon system on and off. His oral advice was, “If humidity gets too high or you start to smell mold, just turn the radon system off with this switch.”
A Super-Reliable Mold and High Humidity Prevention Device. Miniscule, home made air Filter quickly loads with dirt, blocks airflow unless serviced every 60-90 days. No cleaning, no hot, humid air, no high humidity, no mold. Little or no warning of required filter service, and sticker warnings are often placed out of sight. Filter service is frequent, tedious, unpleasant and easily overlooked/avoided
It is alarmingly common that homeowners almost never service homemade filters. Should homemade filters be serviced every 60-90 days, mold is likely to become a problem. “Yes, Our radon system never caused a mold problem.” But they never serviced their homemade filter either. And Radon Remained High, but they just did not know it. They relied on the blue oil-filled U-tube manometer that lied to them for years. And they did not perform follow-up radon tests every two years as suggested. Their radon system quit working properly within three months after installation, and they never knew it. WHY? Because a blue oil-filled manometer that they trusted had lied to them for years
But What About Increasing Indoor Humidity and Mold?
There are serious consequences to adding hot, humid outdoor air into a home. Building Scientists tell us that in south Florida, to add ten cubic feet per minute of outdoor air for 24 hours will add 16.2 pounds of water to the air conditioner’s dehumidification load every day. If the air conditioner doesn’t remove it, the water soaks into everything, every day until the material becomes wet enough or a “Mold Farm” to start producing damage and inhalable spores.
We have seen radon mitigators install fans that delivered 100 to 240 cubic feet per minute of hot, humid outdoor air into a breathing zone. And when high humidity mold problems occurred it was blamed upon air conditioner failure and the need to install a new air conditioner or an expensive new dehumidifier. As you can imagine, air conditioner repairmen love to see mechanical ventilation radon systems installed.
So How Much Outdoor Air is Required?
We have learned that in many cases, a precise 19-23 cubic per minute of filtered outdoor air can solve most radon issues without creating new humidity and mold problems
But What if the Air Conditioner Fails but It Continues to Cool Without Dehumidifying? (Which air conditioners occasionally do.)
If that occurs, the Automatic Humidity Controller will automatically shut down Daisy operation until the air conditioner is repaired. The Daisy Ductless will not cause high humidity and mold regardless.