Sealing Concrete Block Walls For Radon Gas

Radon gas can sneaks into homes and basements through openings in the basement and crawlspaces cracks gaps open sump pits hollow core concret block walls and through the pores of concrete.

Sealing concrete block walls for radon gas.

Second i try to explain my best understanding of epoxy coatings and other floor sealing systems with regards to their impact on radon transmission into a home. Why cinder block walls leak. As a chemically inactive gas radon can diffuse through concrete making sealing alone inconsistent at reducing radon levels. Block foundation walls will provide only a weak barrier against capillary water seepage and water vapor.

Block wall foundations can very difficult to seal properly especially if you have open cores along the top course. Commonly used for sealing poured concrete basement walls and floors concrete blocks garage slabs and outdoor concrete. Concrete blocks that are not protected and treated can suffer from severe damage over a period of time. If you have a level close to 4pci l you may be able to reduce it a few pci l.

Radon gas kills over 21 000 people in the united states every year. Some tests show 4 8 perms for hollow concrete blocks and 2 4 perms when the blocks are filled with a slurry mix of concrete. Radonseal is a water based sealer that dries clear leaves no color or film on the surface that can peel off or wear away and cannot be pushed out regardless of hydrostatic water pressure. They are generally absorbent and can easily absorb moisture that may cause mold problems.

The importance of waterproofing for concrete block. So let s start with a description of radon and move onto some questions and answers. Heavyweight concrete blocks are semi permeable 5 perms and less so when the hollow cores are filled and packed with a slurry mix of concrete about 2 perms. Radon rn 86 which is an inert noble gas is odorless tasteless and colorless.

Concrete blocks commonly begin to show signs of dampness or worse leak water soon after exterior waterproofing. Water that enters through the pores can result to foundation seepage in the long run. Therefore the solution to this problem would be to use a quality concrete sealer specifically designed to block out radon methane and similar harmful gases. Radonseal works deep inside concrete walls floors and heavyweight concrete blocks to help strengthen and waterproofing the substrate permanently.

The best choice for a concrete sealer is a silicate sealer. In our years of radon reduction experience we have seen people use epoxy paints waterproofing paints concrete sealers and other substances to seal radon out of buildings. A surface sealer is not a great choice as it would not comprehensively block out the gas. A cinder block is much more porous compared to a standard concrete block or poured concrete.

Radon is known. Cinder blocks are classified as permeable to water and water vapor 10 perms.