Virginia Earthquake Caused Radon Levels to Rise
Heres something that never crossed my mind after the earthquake we had last year. Radon levels rising. Makes sense though. And if you are on a well and/or septic it behooves to have them throughly inspected. Better safe than sorry. Good reminders Jeff.
If you felt the earthquake in Mineral VA, and it's aftershocks, there are some things that you might want to have inspected on your house.
(1)FOUNDATIONS- An owner nearby had a block foundation wall buckle and sink. After inspection, it was determined that the block layers originally layed the block on the rock next to the footer because the footer was poured in the wrong place. Unfortunately, the rock was limestone, and it cracked and fell into a sink hole taking the blosk down with it. So you might want to check foundation and crawl space walls.
(2) RADON- If you never had radon before, you might have it now. Many areas have been reporting a spike in radon levels. The cracks in the earth opened up and are allowing radon to escape in new areas. Radon is second leading cause of cancer after smoking.
(3) SEPTIC SYSTEM- Any decent home inspector should notice cracks in a chimney, and maybe a chimney is pulling away from the house, but things underground that you never thought about could have been damaged by the earthquake. Most septic tanks are 1000+- gallon concrete boxes with dirt and rock packed around them. A septiic tank could have easily cracked from the earthquake and could be leaking. In some cases , a leaking septic tank can contaminate a well. If you're due for tank pumping, have the tank inspected for cracks. Same if you have a concrete distribution box. They are fragile, and older ones crumble and crack easily.
(4) WELL- Water to you well runs through cracks in rocks underground. If any of those cracks shifted and got larger or smaller, it could have affected the rate of water flow into your well. Are you getting dirty or muddy water now and then out of your faucets since the earthquake hit? Also, the point where the steel casing is grouted could have cracked and is allowing ground water into the well.Also, cracks in rock below ground could have closed up and reduced the GPM gallons per minute flowing into your well.
Just some things you might want to consider giving a serious look at whether your planning on buying a home, or if you already own a home in the earthquake path.
Jeff Pearl / REALTOR
RE/MAX Distinctive is Lic in VA MD DC
703-727-4876
jeffpearlhomes.com
jeffpearlhomes@gmail.com
Equal Housing Opportunity Provider
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