Know Your Home's Real Radon Number.

Radon Testing in Lancaster County

Radon is invisible, odorless, and tasteless — the only way to know a home's level is to measure it. It's also the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking, according to the EPA, which is why testing matters even when nothing seems wrong. Levels vary dramatically from one house to the next, so a neighbor's low result tells you nothing about your own home.

The three kinds of radon test

• Short-term test (2–7 days) — the fast option, used for real-estate transactions and for a first look. A device sits in the lowest lived-in level with the house kept closed up. It gives a quick snapshot, though radon fluctuates day to day so it's less precise than a long test.
• Long-term test (more than 90 days) — the best picture of your true year-round average, because it rides out the daily and seasonal swings. Radon is typically higher in winter when homes are sealed up, so a long-term test captures reality better than any single week.
• Continuous radon monitor (CRM) — an electronic instrument that logs hour-by-hour readings and resists tampering. It's the tool of choice for real-estate tests where an accurate, defensible result matters on a deadline.

Testing conditions matter

A radon test is only as good as the conditions it's run under. For an accurate short-term result, the home should be kept under closed-house conditions — windows and exterior doors shut except for normal entry and exit — starting 12 hours before and throughout the test. The device goes in the lowest level you actually live in, away from drafts, exterior walls, and high humidity. Done wrong, a test reads artificially low and gives false comfort. Done right, it gives you a number you can trust.

When to test

Test if you've never tested, if it's been a few years, if you're buying or selling, after any major foundation or HVAC work, or after finishing a basement into living space. Because levels change over time and with the seasons, radon isn't a one-and-done — periodic re-testing is the smart habit, especially in a higher-radon region.