Activating Standby Radon Sump

About The Property

Our clients purchased a 1950s property in Derbyshire that had been extended in the 1980s and again in 2008. To comply with Building Regulations, a ‘standby sump’ had been incorporated beneath the latter extension and capped off.

Radon testing found 570 Bq/m³ in the kitchen, which was situated in the original part of the property and 580 Bq/m³ in the ground floor study, which was within the 2008 extension.

This scenario demonstrates why it is important to test a property after an extension has been built. Standby sumps are incorporated ready for use if needed, but until testing is done there is no way to know. Without activation, the sump offers no protection.

Charles Edwards

Managing Director, PropertECO

Survey and Specification

During our survey, diagnostic profiling was carried out by taking a series of ‘grab samples’. This identified the highest levels to be within

the original footprint of the property, with a particular ‘hotspot’ within a sunken floor area beneath the stairs in the kitchen.

Due to the layout of the property and the pre-existing ‘standby sump’, we discussed a number of options with our client and agreed to activate the standby sump by adding a fan and exhaust pipework and install a separate sump beneath the original part of the property. A location for a potential third sump was agreed if post-mitigation testing showed levels in the older extension had not been reduced sufficiently.

Installation

The standby sump had been placed beneath a window so to activate this, our engineers routed the pipework so the vertical exhaust could be taken straight up. The new sump was excavated using a specialist diamond drill due to the wall thickness. RadonAway RP145i fans were used to both fans, and our electrician connected these neatly to fused spurs adjacent to existing internal power sockets.

The Client Was Left Satisified

The client, Mrs Jones was happy with the work carried out and stated: Your engineers did a really good job and have made neat work of the two sumps- please thank them again for us. The reading from our digital monitor show a wonderful result already!.

If your property is suffering from high concentrations of radon then make sure you speak to one of our radon specialists to book a radon mitigation survey. You contact us simply by either calling us on 0800 046 6193 or contacting us online.