It's interesting to note that while the mitigatior had plenty of poly to complete covering the earth in the crawl space, as evidenced by the poly left in the picture, he Chose not to finish the installation. Yes this was a real job. It was resolved after several weeks and the assistance of our radon program director.

There was a lower attic where the fan resided. The exhaust was nicely concealed in the attic. The home, post mitigation, was 18 pCi/L. Air handler was in the attic, with the exhaust.

I have no words just WOW!

Thoughtful of them to add a cap so the exhaust can be diverted to BOTH windows!

You can even see the path the air takes from the dirt or mold or whatever the dark streaks are.

Bob,

What you say is true. By some arguments posted here, we should just do away with drivers licenses, since people still speed. Dr's licenses, since there are Dr's committing malpractice.

I see our profession evolving the way plumbers, electricians and in our state, home inspectors have, with the "journeymen" bringing along the newer arrivals.

There's no way someone can come into this profession after 18-24 hours of CE and truly serve the best interest of their clients and themselves.

I suspect there will ultimately be tiers of radon professionals, the same as there is for plumbers and electricians.

Imagine if the the home had burned down, or the owner had been electrocuted by the 1st system pictured I posted. How far back would the radon industry be set back by the headlines "Radon mitigation systems are dangerous, this family was killed in their sleep by their radon system" ? The news loves to sensationalize.

In our state there are laws..... with no penalties. If there were at least penalties (which were rigorously enforced), perhaps we wouldn't be seeing dangerous systems, perhaps then the malfeasance would be reduced.

With change we can either, Lead the way, follow or get run over.

Thank you we have been leading (I think) but it feels like it is an uphill lonely trudge.

Most of the bad systems I have seen do not have RMT numbers on them. When ever you buy a service there is a way to contact folks in the event of a problem. Many of these bad systems were installed by a family member or a "friend" looking to give someone a deal. Radon systems are pretty basic in nature. The EPA puts out information on effectively notifying the community. If these recommendations were followed errors would decrease.

Dorsey Pic: I do not know what it looks like on the inside. If venting is the only error then the system still works. May get entrainment during summer months but i bet those windows are closed 99.9% of the time.

Mallon Second pic: I think this was a mitigator following up to activate a builders system. This is how plumbers put in systems. I would have them come back and cut a new hole in the roof and repair the old hole. Another perfect example of why you need RMT numbers on all systems installed!!

yes, by a noncertified contractor of course!

Chrys,
Wonder about the inside too! Fan must be there and 2 or 2 1/2 inch pipe? We see this sort of arrogantly misguided installs from Builders. PA Builders have been given all the resources to install correctly but do whatever they want since they are under no regulation.

Dear Adam,
As someone who knew nothing about the danger of radon exposure and radon system installations until my husband died in February 2006, I can certainly testify that the general public must be protected from this invisible killer with measurement and mitigation professionals who conform to established standards and regulations. A professional is someone who takes pride in his or her work and does sacrifice sometimes to ensure that quality craftmanship and integrity is always applied in the profession. One month after my husband's death, I found that radon was the likely reason and felt very comfortable knowing that the Illinois licensed professional mitigator and testor that came to my home made it possible for me to continue living in the home safely that my husband and I had occupied for 18 years. I couldn't let this string of posts go by without saying that the radon professional holds the life of his clients in his or her hands and can either save the life or do harm to it. Please be proud of what you do because I certainly am of all those guys and gals out there in our nation making a difference everyday in bringing to light this silent killer that takes the lives of so many who were completely surprised when they were told "you have lung cancer."

Thank you Gloria. Sometimes i must be reminded to look for the forest and why we got into this upside down world. It just hurts to see homeowners not get what they deserve from a quality contractor who cares enough to know what they need to do to protect them from this invisible killer.
So I ask the question again (a bit differently i hope) if big brother "Government", is not the solution then what is the solution?
Is driving more public awareness is just driving more business to the bad contractor because they will always get their % of the work?

I would say that the consistent public awareness is not really there. Placing more fees onto systems decreases participation. Needless to say...Minnesota is getting what their government has produced from mismanagement and greed. There are better solutions than fees. Step #1 would be to ensure that ALL radon systems have RMT numbers associated with them. That would solve alot of problems. States need to look at different approaches for different areas. The pics Wally posts are very frustrating. Evidence of why you do not go with the lowest price.