Monolithic domes and radon
By mati. Filed in Monolithic Dome Planning Tips |Tags: Dome, Monolithic Dome, monolithic domes, passive radon system, planning tips, radon
Living in Colorado, we have to deal with the radon issue. Radon is a radioactive gas with no smell. Some places in Colorado the radon levels are much higher than the recommended levels. Dealing with radon before the house is built is much easier than trying to remedy the problem later, so it is a good idea to consider putting in a passive radon system under the slab.
In the other dome we made, we first made the forms for the foundation. Then we spread out a thick layer of potato rocks. This will allow the gas coming out of the ground to move freely under the house. Since radon gas wants to move up and out, we also added a pipe that the gas can escape through. We used a 4″ plumbing pipe with an elbow on the bottom. We stuck one end into the potato rock and the other end went through the bathroom wall, all the way up and out the roof. (When you are about to pour the foundation, you just need a little piece of pipe sticking up, and you can add the rest later).
The next thing we did was to add a thick membrane of plastic on top of the potato rock. This is to prevent the gas from coming into the house. Then we lay the mesh and poured the slab.
This system works incredibly well. The radon levels in the first dome were almost non-existent. If you do this and you find that the radon levels are still too high for some reason, you can easily add a fan to the pipe that sticks out of the roof, so putting in a passive radon system like this makes it very easy to remedy radon problems later if necessary. When we did it, however, that never became necessary.
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