Radon and Crawl Spaces: The Silent Danger Beneath Your Home
- Angel
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
When homeowners think about hidden hazards, mold and termites often top the list. But there's another threat lurking under many homes, one that can’t be seen, smelled, or touched, but that claims over 20,000 lives a year in the U.S. alone: radon gas.
What Is Radon and Why Should You Care?
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that forms when uranium in soil, rock, or water breaks down. It seeps up from the ground and can enter homes through cracks, gaps, and—especially—open crawl spaces.
The scary part? You won’t know it’s there unless you test for it. And long-term exposure to elevated radon levels is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, according to the EPA.
Key Facts:
Radon is odorless, tasteless, and invisible.
1 in 15 homes in the U.S. has high radon levels.
Crawl spaces often act like funnels for radon gas into your home.
Crawl Spaces: Radon’s Favorite Entry Point
If your home sits on a crawl space, you could be at greater risk of radon exposure. Why?
Direct contact with the soil allows radon to move freely into the air under your home.
Negative air pressure inside your home pulls gases from the crawl space upward into living areas.
Unsealed crawl spaces provide a wide-open pathway for radon to enter and circulate.
If the crawl space is vented or exposed, it offers zero resistance to this gas rising into your home. That’s where professional encapsulation steps in—not just to stop moisture and mold, but to create a physical and mechanical barrier to radon.
What Is Crawl Space Encapsulation and How Does It Help?
Crawl space encapsulation is the process of sealing your crawl space with a durable vapor barrier, closing vents, insulating walls, and managing moisture and air flow with a dehumidifier or ventilation system.
When done properly, encapsulation helps block radon in three critical ways:
Seals the soil from the living space using a thick, sealed vapor barrier—usually reinforced polyethylene.
Reduces suction pressure by closing vents and minimizing airflow that would otherwise draw radon upward.
Allows for proper radon mitigation by supporting the installation of sub-membrane depressurization systems, which actively vent radon outside.
Think of it like shrink-wrapping your crawl space to stop outside threats—including dangerous gases—from sneaking in.
Do You Need to Test for Radon? (Short Answer: Yes)
Even if your home seems safe, radon levels can vary dramatically from house to house, even on the same street. Testing is the only way to know your risk.
When to test:
Before buying or selling a home
If your home has never been tested
After major renovations or encapsulation work
Every two years as part of regular maintenance
You can buy a DIY radon test kit, but for accurate results and peace of mind, professional testing is the better route—especially if you’re also considering encapsulation or mitigation.
Combining Encapsulation with Radon Mitigation: The Best Defense
Encapsulation alone can reduce radon levels, but it’s most effective when paired with an active radon mitigation system. These systems create negative pressure beneath the vapor barrier, safely venting radon gas outside the home before it ever enters your living space.
At Kwik Dry, we work with certified professionals to ensure that crawl space encapsulation and radon mitigation work together—sealing off your home from both moisture and radiation risk.
The Bottom Line: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Radon doesn’t leave visible damage. It doesn’t leave stains. It doesn’t smell. But it can slowly impact your health for years before symptoms appear.
By encapsulating your crawl space—and testing for radon—you’re not just protecting your property. You’re protecting your family’s health.
Ready to seal out radon for good?
Kwik Dry offers full-service crawl space encapsulation designed to tackle more than just moisture. We help homeowners build safer, healthier, and more efficient homes from the ground up.
Schedule a crawl space inspection today and breathe easier tomorrow. Call 417-725-6978 or visit www.kwikdrysystems.com