Dear Editor,
Re: Town should mandate installation of radon pumps, May 8
The builder and the Town's safety codes department both operated in compliance with the Alberta Building Code in this case.
The code stipulates that a radon vent rough-in must be provided, but the actual presence or severity of radon infiltration cannot be accurately determined until after construction has completed and occupancy has been granted.
The rough-in is required since it is prohibitively expensive to address it after the slab has been poured, but a full evacuation system may not be required and could be an unnecessary expense.
Radon levels fluctuate greatly from one property to the next so a blanket requirement would simply be adding an extra mandated expense, of which we have a plentiful number already.
It's incumbent on the homeowner to have the testing completed to determine if a full venting system is required, and while it would have been good business for the builder to offer that as a follow-up service, it would need to be contracted separately, and outside of the Town's influence.
While the Town has the right to impose additional conditions such as this as an extension of the Alberta Building Code, which is itself an extension of the National Building Code, that approach is extraordinary and is rarely applied (as it should be).
Shawn Rose
Architectural Technologist and Certified Passive House Designer
Okotoks
