Radon Testing in Chicago
Radon tests for homes across Chicagoland, Illinois & Indiana
Why Chicago-Area Homes Get Tested
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas and a leading cause of lung cancer. It forms naturally as uranium in soil and rock breaks down, and it moves up through the ground into the house above. You cannot see it or smell it, so testing is the only way to know whether a home has it at unsafe levels.
Chicagoland has a lot of the housing that radon reaches first: bungalows and two-flats with full basements, garden units that sit partly below grade, and suburban homes with finished lower levels where families sleep, work and play. Two houses on the same block can test very differently, so a neighbor's result tells you little about the home you are buying.
Gold Coast Home Services performs professional radon testing with reliable monitoring equipment and clear, easy-to-read results. We test across Illinois and Indiana, on its own or alongside a residential home inspection.
Call/Text (312) 358-1200
How Radon Gets Into a House
Air pressure inside a house is usually a little lower than in the soil around it, especially in winter when the heat is running. That difference pulls soil gas, radon included, in through any opening it can find: cracks in the basement floor and walls, the sump pit, floor drains, gaps around pipes and the joint where the floor meets the foundation wall.
That is why the lowest lived-in level of a home usually has the highest reading. A newer home, a sealed-up basement or a fresh coat of paint on the walls does not mean the level is low. Only a test answers that.
Radon Testing When You Buy or Sell
Most radon tests in Chicagoland happen during a real estate deal, inside the attorney review and inspection window. Here is how that usually works.
A short-term test
A real estate radon test is a short-term test. Under the standard EPA protocol it runs for at least 48 hours, and windows and outside doors stay closed for the 12 hours before and during the test, apart from normal coming and going.
Placed on the lowest lived-in level
The monitor goes on the lowest level that is used, or could be used, as living space: often the basement in a bungalow or the garden unit in a two-flat. For a condo, that means the unit you are buying.
The Illinois disclosure
Illinois sellers of homes must give buyers the state radon pamphlet and a radon disclosure form, and share any radon test results they know about. The law does not require a test, so many buyers order their own.
Reading the result
Results are reported in picocuries per liter (pCi/L). The EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above and suggests considering it between 2 and 4. We give you the number in a clear, easy-to-read result you can share with your agent.
Radon Testing Questions
Do you test condos and apartments?
Yes. Upper-floor units tend to read lower than garden and first-floor units, but the only way to know a specific unit is to test it.
What happens if the level is high?
High radon is a fixable problem. A licensed radon mitigation contractor can install a system, usually a pipe and fan that pull soil gas from under the slab and vent it above the roof. Buyers often negotiate the cost with the seller. Test again after the system is installed to confirm it works.
Can you test radon during my home inspection?
Yes. Radon testing can be added to a residential or commercial inspection, or booked on its own. Specialty services such as radon testing are priced separately, so contact us for a custom quote.
Do you test in Indiana as well?
Yes. Gold Coast Home Services serves Chicagoland and communities across Illinois and Indiana.
Schedule Your Radon Test
Call or text to book a radon test on its own or with your inspection. For more background, read our radon guide for Illinois and Indiana homeowners.
Related: All services · Sewer scope inspection · Commercial inspection · Get a quote
Radon Testing
Serving Chicagoland, Illinois and Indiana. Over 20 years of combined experience in the housing industry.
tonyldiggs@gmail.comCall: (312) 358-1200Schedule Online