Radon, A Buyer Beware Industry (Part 2)

Part 1 of our Buyer Beware Industry series touched on the first three factors for choosing a Radon mitigation professional; certification, cost, and years of experience. The full article of Part 1 can be found here. Let’s look at the last two factors, equipment/supplies, and industry conduct.

The list of factors to consider when choosing a Radon Mitigation professional is:

1. Certification

2. Cost

3. Years of experience

4. Equipment/Supplies

5. Industry conduct

Equipment and Supplies

Running a specialized radon mitigation business requires the use of many expensive and specific tools. Companies that don’t bother investing in these types of tools and equipment are not prepared to do the type of work that will stand the test of time and lower levels to that of the homeowners’ expectations. Being prepared with tools that will not only get the job done right but also decrease the amount of mess in someone’s home is important. Being prepared with Flir infrared thermal imaging guns allows us to be able to identify in floor heating lines prior to drilling. This not only prevents any damage to the homeowners in floor heating system but also prevents liability on the part of the business working in your home. Having the highest grade of drilling tools along with dust minimizing attachments allows us to leave the home better than when we came. Having specialized tools that are able to identify buried electrical as well as rebar are just some of the instruments that great West radon invests in as opposed to other companies that just drill and hope for the best. Specializing in just radon mitigation allows us to be the best at our trade, it allows us to invest in the best possible tools to provide our clients with the best possible results. During the last two years due to massive supply chain issues costs on some of our supplies have increased by over 100- 300%, despite these increased material costs we have not increased our prices and have absorbed those additional costs ourselves to ensure that we can still make mitigation services affordable for our clients. Some of our competitors have started using lower grade pipe and other materials in order to maintain their profit margins, which is something that we refuse to do.

Industry Conduct

This factor is extremely important not only in this industry but in all industries. How a company conducts themselves during the education and quoting process should then reflect how they will execute services within your home. Proper long-term testing should be done at minimum for 90 days as per C-NRPP guidelines as well as Health Canada guidelines. If a business enters your home and does a spot test of 30 minutes within the quoting process and tells you to act based on those levels this should be your first red flag in terms of trusting their opinion on your home. If a company is coming in and alarming you based on results of this extremely short radon test not only is this misleading it’s a confirmation of using scare tactics to secure your business.

These are actions that would result in decertification by the C-NRPP. Taking measurements in a crawlspace or directly next to a sump pit for example would always lead to artificially high radon test results due to the nature of taking the sample right next to a high radon entry point in combination with a low ventilation space. This is done intentionally to give you artificially high radon test results. Giving you falsely high radon test results in combination with pressure to book a mitigation within the next few days because of your “unsafe levels” is not only inaccurate but what we consider unethical. We run our business in a way that allows us to treat our clients in the same way we would appreciate getting treated as a customer. This means we provide the best service at the best price using the best materials and educate our clients in an honest way. Even if that means that we don’t end up financially benefiting from that through a purchase or mitigation agreement. We know the value in providing excellent service and how that transpires into a lifelong relationship with our clients which is much more valuable to us than a single transaction.

Great-West Radon is a "One Stop Shop" for all your Radon related needs. We provide detail-oriented, honest, and reliable radon testing in Calgary by using state-of-the-art tools and technology. From radon mitigation to radon removal, we are the top-rated Radon services company in Calgary, and we are proud of the work we do and the relationships we've created with our clients. We only use the best materials and equipment, ensuring all guidelines set out by the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program and Health Canada are being met. If you require radon testing, mitigation, removal, or a radon test kit in Calgary, Great Radon West has you covered.