Know your number.

Radon is a radioactive gas that forms naturally in the soil under Utah homes. It has no smell, no taste and no color. It moves up through the ground and gets in through cracks in the foundation, gaps around pipes, sump pits and crawlspaces. You can't see it or feel it, so the only way to know your number is to test.

Use the EPA action level of 4.0 pCi/L as your line. At 4.0 or above, fix your home. Between 2 and 4, JJ's advice is to consider fixing it, or at least test again in winter to see how high it goes. Below 2 is a good number, as long as it was measured in the right season.

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to the EPA.

It can be. In winter, Utah homes stay closed, the furnace runs and families spend more time indoors. Short 2 to 3 day tests were designed for home sale deadlines, so the most reliable picture comes from a short test done in winter or a long-term test of 90 days or more. JJ has seen levels rise sharply in winter in some homes.

A kit is a starting point, not the full picture. Most free kits are short tests you place and mail in yourself, and short tests were designed for home sale deadlines. If your kit came back high, or you tested in summer, get a professional number and a second quote. We come on-site and design your system before we quote.

Yes. Radon doesn't care how old a home is, and your neighbor's number is not your number. In a 55-home new-construction community in Saratoga Springs, the average radon level across the mitigated homes was 69.9 pCi/L, about 17 times the EPA action level of 4.0. After mitigation, that average dropped to 1.4 pCi/L. The only way to know your number is to test.

A radon system pulls radon from under your home and vents it outside before it can build up inside. A pipe runs from beneath the foundation to a fan that keeps the gas moving out. JJ comes out first and designs your system, choosing the route, material and color so it looks like it belongs on your home. Most installs take about 4 hours.

A radon fan sounds much like the steady hum of a refrigerator. The fan model, airflow, mounting and your distance from it affect what you hear. Unusually loud or vibrating noise is typically related to how the system was installed. Most homeowners tell us they are surprised by how quiet our systems are.

Every system has a manometer on the pipe, a simple gauge that shows the fan is working.

Test again. A working system should prove it with a number. Check the manometer on the pipe: if both sides read 0, the fan may not be pulling air, and you should call us. Beyond that, only a test tells you your level. JJ finds homes where another company installed a system and the number never came down.

Most radon mitigation systems we install in Utah cost between $1,800 and $2,000. The typical range is $1,700 to $2,500, and larger or more complex homes can cost more. You know it works because every install is measured, with a number before and a number after. In a Spanish Fork home, that was 5.0 to 0.8 pCi/L. See the full cost breakdown.