Find a home inspector you can trust with Looking Glass Property Inspections
Radon Testing in Orlando & Central Florida
A simple and affordable test is the only way to know whether radon is putting your family at risk.
Find a home inspector you can trust with Looking Glass Property Inspections
A simple and affordable test is the only way to know whether radon is putting your family at risk.
Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer, behind only smoking, and is linked to roughly 21,000 deaths in the United States every year. It's invisible, odorless, and tasteless, making it impossible to detect without specialized equipment. And it isn't only a problem in other parts of the country: the Florida Department of Health reports that about 1 in 5 homes tested in Florida have radon levels above the EPA's recommended action level, with elevated readings found in every region of the state.
Radon forms naturally as uranium and radium break down in the soil and rock beneath a building, so how much collects inside depends on the specific ground and construction of each home — levels can differ significantly even between next-door neighbors. The EPA places most of Central Florida, including Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake counties, in its lowest predicted-risk zone, while neighboring Polk and Marion counties are rated moderate.
Those maps, though, are broad county-level predictions — not a measurement of your home. Florida's own testing has turned up elevated radon in buildings throughout the state, including in areas with low overall rates, which is one reason Florida law requires radon to be disclosed in every real estate sale and lease. The only way to know the radon levels in your home is to test it.
The first step is to measure the radon concentration in your home. We test using a continuous radon monitor — professional-grade equipment placed in the lowest livable level of the home for a minimum of 48 hours to record an accurate average reading. If the result is at or above 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), the EPA recommends installing a radon mitigation system. The most common systems use a fan to draw radon from beneath the home and vent it safely outdoors, where it's quickly diluted to safe levels. If you're buying a home, radon testing is easy to schedule alongside your pre-purchase home inspection, so you'll know the radon level before you close.
Yes. Although the EPA's published zone maps rate most of Central Florida as lower-risk, the Florida Department of Health reports that about 1 in 5 homes tested across the state have radon levels above the EPA's action level, and elevated readings have been found in every region of Florida. Since radon depends on the soil and construction of each individual home, testing is the only reliable way to know whether your building is affected.
The cost of a radon test depends on the size and layout of your home and whether the test is bundled with a full home inspection. We're happy to give you an exact quote. Contact us or schedule online for current radon testing pricing in Orlando and the surrounding Central Florida area.
A standard short-term radon test runs for a minimum of 48 hours. Radon levels naturally rise and fall throughout the day as temperature, air pressure, and weather change, so a single quick reading can be misleading. Measuring continuously for at least two days evens out those swings for a far more accurate average. We place a continuous radon monitor in the lowest livable level of your home under closed-house conditions, then collect the device and review your results. This short-term test is the accepted method for real estate transactions.
The EPA recommends taking action to reduce radon whenever the level in a home reaches 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or higher. There is no completely safe level — the EPA suggests considering mitigation even between 2 and 4 pCi/L — and the risk to your lungs grows the higher the level and the longer you are exposed.
We use a continuous radon monitor (CRM), placed in the lowest livable area of the home under closed-house conditions for at least 48 hours. The CRM logs radon measurements hourly as well as conditions like temperature and air pressure, so it reports an accurate average and makes any tampering (such as a window being opened to lower the result) easy to detect. Because radon services are regulated in Florida, testing should always be carried out by a state-certified radon measurement professional.
Looking Glass Property Inspections provides radon testing in Orlando, Winter Garden, Winter Park, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs, Ocoee, Windermere, Clermont, College Park, Daytona Beach, Flagler Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Lake Nona, Tampa, Clearwater, Dunedin, Indian Rocks Beach, Bellaire, Indian Rocks, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Oldsmar, Sanford, Deland, Maitland, Kissimmee, Celebration, and most all cities and even remote locations within the Central Florida area. Not sure if that's you? Give us a call at (407) 357-0801 or send us an email.
