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Living with a system

I have a system. How do I know it is still working?

The most common failure mode for a mitigation system is not breaking. It is running for years while nobody looks at the gauge, because a spinning fan sounds like a working system and no one told the homeowner otherwise.

The routine below takes about ten minutes a year plus a measurement every couple of years. That is the entire maintenance burden, and it is the difference between owning a system and owning a pipe.

Who this is for. Someone who owns a house with a mitigation system, whether they installed it or inherited it.

The reading order

5 steps, 12 resources. Nothing below is written here — every link goes to the page that holds the substance, and the note under each one says what it adds at that point in the sequence. A hub that restated its own links would just be competing with them.

  1. Learn what normal looks like

    You cannot notice a change without a baseline, so this comes first — ideally on the day the system is commissioned.

  2. The annual routine

    Short enough to actually happen. Skipping it is how a failed fan goes unnoticed for a year.

    • Annual inspection Checklist

      Printable, ten minutes, designed to be done standing next to the system rather than read at a desk.

    • How long systems last Guide

      What the service life of the whole assembly looks like, so the routine has a horizon.

  3. When something changes

    New noise, a gauge that has levelled out, or a fan that has gone quiet each point at a different problem.

  4. Retesting cadence

    A system that has never been retested is an assumption. Measurement is the only thing that converts it into knowledge.

    • When to retest Guide

      The standing schedule and the events that should trigger a measurement outside it.

    • Should I retest? Tool

      Whether your situation warrants a measurement now, given what has changed since the last one.

    • Post-mitigation testing Guide

      How a confirmation measurement should be run, which applies to every retest and not only the first one.

  5. Components and replacement

    One part of this assembly has a predictable end of life, and planning for it is cheaper than reacting to it.

What you should be able to do afterwards

  • Record a baseline you can compare against next year.
  • Complete the annual check without needing a contractor.
  • Interpret a change in noise or gauge reading correctly.
  • Know when the next measurement is due, and why.

Related hubs

Confidence and limits of this page

Every decision resource on this platform states its own boundaries. This is not a disclaimer — it is the part of this hub you should read before relying on it.

What we knowClaims on this page we stand behind, each traceable to an approved source or to observable structure.
  • A running fan does not establish that a system is reducing levels; the pressure gauge and a measurement are what indicate performance.
  • Mitigation fans are continuously operating mechanical components with a finite service life, so replacement is a scheduled event rather than a surprise.
  • Published guidance recommends retesting after mitigation and periodically thereafter, and after significant changes to the building.
What we do not knowQuestions you may reasonably have that this page does not answer.
  • How long your specific fan will last, which depends on the model, the installation, and the conditions it runs in.
  • Whether a change in your gauge reading reflects a system fault or a change in the building, without a measurement to accompany it.
What research would settle itWhat it would actually take to answer the above — naming it is the difference between honesty and hedging.
  • Field failure data across fan models and installation ages, which would replace a general service life with a distribution.
  • Paired gauge readings and measurements over time in the same houses, which is what would let anyone interpret a gauge change quantitatively.
What we do not claimClaims you might expect to find here and will not, with the reason.
  • We do not claim a service life figure for any named fan model, because we hold no field failure observations.
  • We do not claim a maintenance schedule is required by any authority unless we cite the authority that requires it.
  • We do not recommend any maintenance plan, service contract, or product, and we take no position on whether a plan offered to you is priced fairly.
What we cannot independently verifyFacts this page relies on that we could not confirm ourselves.
  • Whether a system in a house you have bought was installed to standard, since the diagnostics that would show it were performed before you owned it.
  • Manufacturer service-life claims for specific components, which we have not tested and do not restate as facts.

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Sources

  1. U.S. EPA — Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction
  2. U.S. EPA — A Citizen’s Guide to Radon
  3. U.S. EPA — Radon