Good morning Ralph;
I would like to share with you our family’s recent experience with identifying radon risk in our home and a review of your company’s performance in helping us mitigate this harmful gas. Feel free to share with future prospective clients however you deem appropriate, being mindful of privacy of our personal details of course.

When my husband and I first became aware of the potential for having radon in our home through a recent CBC news story, we immediately purchased 2 monitors – one for our laundry room that houses our sump pit and one for the basement bedroom. We did some further research and were very concerned to find that our area of Thunder Bay was identified in a radon home study some years ago as having levels at or higher than deemed acceptable per Health Canada’s guidelines. Also of concern was that Canada’s guideline levels are much higher than those of the US and the World Health Organization. We built our home 31 years ago and at that time there was no information about radon that we were made aware of via city building inspections, contractors, etc and our sump pit had just a standard plastic lid.

Upon contacting Radon Safe Northwest, you were professional and listened to our concerns. Our early readings were showing laundry room had fluctuating readings between 140 and 240 bequerels and the bedroom hovered around 110-165. You arranged an initial assessment meeting within a few work days. You were thorough in evaluating the best location to install a depressurization fan and checked the radon-proof sump lid kit we had already purchased to ensure it would be adequate alongside your fan equipment. You explained how the fan and mitigation process worked, what the installation process would entail and gave us a ballpark cost pending the provision of a written quote. We received the quote within 24 hrs which was much appreciated.

We agreed to engage your services as soon as possible. The equipment needed took approximately 2 wks to be received on your end, then upon confirmation we had completed the new sump pit lid installation (per our initial discussions) you were able to schedule the fan installation within about one week. You stayed in contact and were flexible in working around our schedules to complete the work. You and the two other installation technicians were great! You inspected the sump lid we installed and added some additional caulking and screws for added reassurance it was sealed well. You were mindful of minimizing the dust and dirt that comes with cutting through concrete and removed all debris from the premises. You left the work area pretty clean; only a cursory vacuuming was needed afterward and some dusty footprints to be mopped up which I fully expected given the nature of the work.

Post installation we were amazed at the difference in our radon readings and how quickly they changed – within hours! The laundry room monitor now hovers around 5-10 bequerels and the bedroom monitor is between 3-5 now. So same or better than outdoor air! This experience has encouraged us to talk to friends and family about the hidden dangers of radon and we advocate that every homeowner should get the monitors, do testing and take action if needed. We would recommend your company with pleasure. I am pleased to know that even though you are the only government licenced company in the region to deal with radon mitigation that you are professional, timely and have reasonably priced services.

Thank you for providing us a much needed solution and peace of mind knowing we have done what we can to minimize our radon exposure at home.

Our only regret is not having been educated about the risks much sooner by all levels of government. We are in our late 50’s and were appalled to find out about this silent threat by catching a news story by chance. There are laws requiring CO and fire alarms in homes yet no such requirement for radon gas.

I feel there should be a department within the city that does the testing for free for homes older than whatever year the radon venting and testing became mandatory with new builds. The provincial or federal government should have rebate programming to help lower income homeowners offset costs of retrofitting older homes as the expense may not be within reach for many people. A much cheaper and life saving alternative than having to treat the lung cancer through the medical system. This should be a topic in high school science and/or health classes to educate young people to these risks so they are aware when they eventually move out on their own.

With thanks,
S.P.