Radon System Reduces Humidity in Wisconsin Homes

Can a Radon Mitigation System Reduce Humidity?

The answer is, yes.

Though, radon mitigation systems are designed to effectively reduce in home radon levels, there is a great byproduct of mitigation radon. One of the primary byproducts of a radon mitigation system is its ability to reduce moisture in your basement and/or overall humidity throughout your home.

How Fast can a Radon System Mitigate Moisture?

There are all sorts of variables as to how fast a radon system can dry out your home's basement and noticeably reduce the relative humidity. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performed a study on three different homes over the course of 12-18 months to determine just how effective a radon system can be at reducing moisture.

The primary finding of the EPA's project has been that radon systems caused statistically significant and beneficial reductions in moisture levels and dampness in the basements of three homes in non-summer months. During the warm and humid summer months, when dehumidifiers are typically needed, overall changes in the building moisture with the radon system operating were slightly smaller due to elevated levels of humidity.

From the time a radon mitigation system is installed to when most of our customers state they’ve noticed lower levels of humidity tends to be a few months. The biggest indicator is typically that the dehumidifier is running consistently less than normal. Additionally, the musty basement smell starts to recede.

How does a Radon System Reduce Moisture?

Soil vapor gets drawn into your home as your home replaces the air that escapes from open windows and ventilation; think of your home like a giant vacuum that's constantly pulling in air from below the foundation. Radon system's draw radon gas out of a home from underneath the homes foundation (below the concrete slab) through a process called sub-slab depressurization, which creates a vacuum seal. This same process is continuously drawing out the moist/damp air from underneath your homes foundation, which is how it is able to (eventually) dry out the basement. Of course, every home is different and the effects of a radon system reducing moisture as a byproduct of reducing radon gas can vary from home to home.