Sealing Basement Floor Cracks Radon

As a general rule of thumb we caulk accessible areas where the floor and wall meet and cracks big enough to slide a credit card into.

Sealing basement floor cracks radon.

The following pictures are examples of common and some uncommon areas we seal. 1 sealing of cracks and the concrete still aids any fan based system and creates a more holistic solution. Safe spray on or roll on application apply radonseal to your basement concrete using an airless sprayer hand pump garden sprayer roller or brush. You can stop radon gas from entering your home by sealing your basement floor with an effective sealer.

Radonseal is a waterborne concrete sealer zero vocs no noxious fumes non toxic non flammable and non hazardous. Anything wider than inch however should be sealed to keep moisture soil smells or even soil borne gases see section on radon gas below from seeping through the basement floor. Ideally if you are trying sealing alone to reduce your radon level we see the best results in unfinished basements. Keep in mind though that the acrylic and other soak in sealers marketed as radon mitigation systems are untested solutions.

Without an appropriate sealer radon can accumulate in confined areas of buildings such as basements. Epa protocol dictates that all basement floor cracks be caulked with polyurethane caulk when a house is being mitigated for radon. On oct 16 2010 radon gas is colorless odorless and tasteless but it can be detected by using a radon gas detector. If water is coming up through a concrete floor or slab sealing cracks is probably not going to be enough you need to address the cause of water below the floor.

The radon mitigation industry offers special foundation caulks and sealants for that purpose as well. Do it yourself basement waterproofing methods and solutions. Sealing the basement floor can help but just sealing the cracks is unlikely to reduce your radon levels in the long term. New cracks can occur as the basement ages.

Radonseal concrete sealer permanently seals basement walls concrete blocks and floors against moisture. 2 no amount of radon exposure is considered safe so adding the benefits of thick 100 solids epoxy. This is not as you might think to keep radon and other earth gasses from entering the home following mitigation. Sealing all cracks and applying non porous thick epoxy coatings would be a better step.

Sealing is not consider to be a good stand alone technique for radon abatement. Caulk has a limited life span especially in basements where constant moisture changes can be expected in cement foundations and floors.