We are constantly striving to find data and science-driven ways to improve on what we know in order to benefit our customers. There are two relatively new techniques below that we’d like to share:

An EC (electronically commutated) fan is a new type of fan that allows us to control the speed power consumption of the fan. It is much more adaptive to various mitigation challenges. According to the manufacturer, the fan is, “Inherently efficient and operationally stable at full and reduced speeds, the EC motor arms the radon professional with installation methods not previously practical.” With this fan, we can control the entire area under the floor at the lowest power possible through a process called optimization or “dialing-in” the fan speed. The energy savings can be up to $200.00 per year. In addition, the fan speed can be adjusted as needed over the lifetime of the system as soil conditions below the floor naturally change.

Secondly, while not a necessarily new piece of equipment, our more regular use of gate valves can greatly lower radon levels and reduce energy costs as well. These work on systems where two or more suction points are needed. Two or more suction points are needed when there is a basement and a crawl space, addition, or another part of the footprint. Multiple suction points may also be needed within the same concrete slab with tight soil conditions. Air follows the path of least resistance and rarely flows the same from each of these different parts of the footprint. Therefore, installing a gate valve in the suction pipe gives us more control of how much air we are drawing and from where. This allows us to draw more air from the greatest source(s) of radon in a given footprint.