How to test
How to use a short-term radon test kit in a Minneapolis home
MDH’s path is a short screen, then a second approved test before anyone spends mitigation money. The steps on this page follow the testing page and the department’s “Keeping you safe from radon” brochure. They are not the Colorado placement rules. If you have tested in another state, read the height and the room again.
Check the expiration date. Pick the lowest level you actually use, or the lowest level in the house if this is a sale. Keep the closed house for the whole test. Heating season is the better backdrop. A windstorm is a reason to wait.
When the first number returns, do not skip MDH’s fork. About 0 to 1.9 pCi/L means retest in 2 to 5 years. About 2 to 7.9 means a long-term follow-up. About 8 or more means another short-term test. Only then do you decide on a fan. A monitor can sit in the room while you wait. It does not replace the follow-up.
- 1
Check the kit, then pick the room
Read the instructions and the expiration date. Test the lowest level you regularly use. If you spend more than about 10 hours a week in the basement, test there. In a sale, test the lowest level of the home.
- 2
Set it at least 20 inches off the floor
Prefer breathing height. Keep the kit 1 foot from exterior walls, 3 feet from exterior windows, and away from drafts, kitchens, baths, laundry, fireplaces, and furnaces.
- 3
Close the house
Any test under three months needs closed-house conditions. Windows and exterior doors stay shut except for normal entry. Run heating and cooling as you normally do. The heating season is the better time for a short-term test.
- 4
Wait out severe weather
If the week is unusually windy or the weather is severe, do not start. MDH says weather changes indoor radon. There is no correction factor to apply afterward.
- 5
Run the short-term test for 2 to 7 days
Follow the device inside that window. Keep your start and stop notes. Mail the kit the way the lab requires, including any analysis fee the instructions mention.
- 6
Take the second test MDH asks for
A first result around 0 to 1.9 pCi/L means retest in 2 to 5 years. Around 2 to 7.9, follow with a long-term test. Around 8 or higher, follow with another short-term test. Mitigate at 4 or above on that follow-up. A consumer monitor does not replace it.
These steps match the HowTo structured data on this page. Follow the instructions packed with your device if they are stricter.