The Vermont Department of Health recommends that every home be tested regardless of age, style or how tight the basement looks.
The only way to know is to measure.
A continuous monitor, not a canister in the mail
Most radon testing you’ll encounter is a small charcoal canister that sits out for a few days and then gets mailed to a laboratory. You wait. Eventually a number arrives.
We don’t do it that way. Radon testing here is performed with a continuous radon monitor, an instrument that takes a reading every hour for the full test period and stores the whole record. There’s no lab, no shipping and no waiting: when the monitor is collected at the 48-hour mark, your result is produced right then.
That matters more than it sounds. An hourly record shows you how radon levels actually behaved in the house over two days, the overnight peaks and the daytime lows, instead of flattening everything into one averaged figure. And because the monitor logs movement and conditions alongside the readings, the result is defensible if it becomes part of a negotiation.
How it fits into your inspection
Radon testing can be ordered independently, or added to any scheduled inspection. The monitor is placed in the lowest livable level of the home, left to run for 48 hours, and collected at the end of that window with your result in hand.
Because it’s a separately billed service, it appears as its own line on your quote. Just ask for it when you book.
Reading your result
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The EPA sets its action level at 4.0 pCi/L and suggests considering mitigation between 2.0 and 4.0. Your result is reported against that benchmark, so you’re not left interpreting a bare number on your own.
A high result is not a reason to walk away from a house. Radon mitigation is a well-understood, routine fix, and knowing the number before closing means it’s something you can plan for or negotiate rather than discover later.
Buying, selling or simply curious about the home you already own anywhere in Northern Vermont? Book radon testing on its own or add it to your home inspection. Request a quote and we’ll get it scheduled.