Inspections Questions and Answers in Minnesota

By
Home Inspector with JB Anderson Inspections

Go ahead, ask away. While I don't claim to know everything I can generally find the answer in a hurry by consulting with my other 9,000 colleagues across the country by posting a question on our inspections message board.

Comments (2)

Patti Ann Kasper
EXIT REALTY NEXUS - Blaine, MN
Blaine & North Metro Minneapolis St Paul Real Esta

I was in a class on home construction techniques and the instructor said that radon mitigation systems cannot be used with geothermal radiant floor heating systems because it sucks the heat out from underneath the basement floor and that the structure of the sub-floor makes it impossible to have both.

I am a REALTOR®, not a building professional and I am not sure that the person who was teaching that class was an expert.

Any thoughts about how radon and other systems may not be compatable with each other?

Sep 29, 2010 03:00 AM
J.B. Anderson
JB Anderson Inspections - Blaine, MN

Thanks for posting a comment. There really is not a major consequence with using a radiant floor heating system with a radon mitigation system. This is because both types (passive and active) of radon mitigation systems installed in new construction employ the use a sub-slab depressurization technique to achieve a lower air pressure (relative to indoor air pressure) in the area BELOW the floor. This not pulling heat out of the house, rather, it is causing the area below the basement slab (referred to as the gas-permeable layer) to allow the laterial flow of soil gases upward through a pipe and out of the building. Although it is referred to as the gas-permeable layer, there are actually two seperate layers: 1) a uniform layer of clean aggregrate (crushed rock) of 4-inches and 2) a soil gas retarder (plastic membrane) laid on top of the crushed rok prior to pouring the concrete slab.

Oct 13, 2010 10:36 AM

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