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Kidde

Kidde 442020

Short-term charcoal radon test kit

  • Short-term kit
  • 3 days
  • Charcoal
  • Lab fee included

Best for, and skip if

Best for you if

  • You want a first test without buying an electronic device.
  • You can keep the house closed for three days and the 12 hours before.

Skip it if

  • You want readings over weeks or months rather than a three-day snapshot.
  • You want return postage included in the kit.
See how it compares: Best radon test kits, every kit comparedWho it fits
  • Kidde 442020

Photos: Kidde

  • Test length3 days
  • MethodCharcoal
  • Lab feeIncluded
  • Every figure checked against the specifications Kidde publishes
  • Independent test results shown the same way for every product, unranked
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About this item

As Kidde states it

  • How it measures: Activated charcoal sampler, laboratory analysis
  • Exposure time: 3 days
  • Lab fee: Included in the kit
  • Power: None needed

Kidde's 442020 is a mail-in, short-term radon test: an activated charcoal sampler bag you leave in place for three days, then post to Alpha Energy Laboratories, which mails the result back. Kidde says the price includes the lab test and report, but not the return postage.

What you get

The kit holds instructions, an information card, a return mailer envelope and an activated charcoal radon sampler bag. Its specifications give model 442020, a 1-year limited warranty, and a package size of 7 by 1 by 8 inches.

In the box and running costs

How it works

What it measures and how

The sensor, the sampling and the readings, then who has checked it

How it works

In our words, from the maker's documents

Inside the kit is an activated charcoal radon sampler, which Kidde calls a sampler bag in its product details and a sampler tray in its key features. Like other charcoal tests it is passive: it sits open in the room while it is exposed, and is then sent to a laboratory for analysis. There is no display, no battery and nothing to switch on, so what matters is the conditions in the room and, as the EPA says of any kit, sending it to the lab right away.

The EPA names charcoal canisters among the detectors most commonly used for short-term testing, and says short-term tests stay in a home for two days to 90 days, depending on the device. Kidde's three-day exposure sits near the short end, and above the EPA's 48-hour minimum for any radon test.

Kidde names the laboratory: the bag goes in the enclosed envelope to Alpha Energy Laboratories, and the lab mails the results back with information about its findings. The same laboratory is named in First Alert's leaflet for its RD1 kit. Kidde describes the analysis as done by an EPA-registered facility and the kit as meeting state and EPA requirements; those are Kidde's own descriptions.

Three days is a snapshot. The EPA notes that radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, and that a long-term test, more than 90 days, is more likely to tell you a home's year-round average. A charcoal kit like this one answers whether a home needs a closer look, not what its average is over a year.

When the report comes back, read it against the EPA's steps. A short-term result at or above 4 pCi/L calls for a follow-up test, long-term or a second short-term test. The EPA says to fix a home when a long-term result is at or above 4 pCi/L, to consider fixing when the average of two short-term tests is at or above 4 pCi/L, and to consider fixing between 2 and 4 pCi/L.

What the manufacturer says

Kidde's own statements, attributed

  • Kidde saysKidde states the price includes the lab testing and report, and that mailing the bag is not included but only requires two postage stamps.
  • Kidde saysKidde states the analysis is included with no additional fees, except for New Jersey residents.
  • Kidde saysKidde describes the 442020 as EPA registered and as meeting state and Environmental Protection Agency requirements.
  • Kidde saysKidde lists a 1-year limited warranty and a size of 7 by 1 by 8 inches.

These are Kidde's own statements, attributed to it. They are not our findings, and we have not tested this product ourselves.

Independent evidence

Who checks a device like this

C-NRPP's consumer evaluation covers electronic monitors, not laboratory-analyzed test kits, so it has no result for Kidde 442020. A kit's result comes from the laboratory that analyzes it. Where the maker names that laboratory, or the page cites the National Radon Safety Board's lists of approved devices and accredited laboratories for it, the “How it works” panel and “Questions people ask” say so.

Specifications

Specifications

Every figure as the maker states it

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The maker's figures

Type
Short-term test kit, activated charcoal sampler bag, mail-in
How it measures
Activated charcoal sampler, laboratory analysis
Exposure time
3 days
Lab fee
Included in the kit
Power
None needed
Units
Not stated by the manufacturer

What is in the box

The kit holds instructions, an information card, a return mailer envelope and an activated charcoal radon sampler bag. Its specifications give model 442020, a 1-year limited warranty, and a package size of 7 by 1 by 8 inches.

What it costs to run

The kit is used once. Kidde says the lab analysis and report are included, return postage is not and takes two stamps, and New Jersey residents have an extra fee. If the result is at or above 4 pCi/L, the EPA says to take a follow-up test, which means a second kit or a long-term test.

Fit and setup

Who it fits, and how to use it

The fit, then setup and placement as the guidance asks

Who it fits

Good fit if, and look elsewhere if

Good fit if

  • You want a first test without buying an electronic device.
  • You can keep the house closed for three days and the 12 hours before.
  • You want a laboratory result with the analysis included.
  • You are happy to post the sampler yourself with two stamps.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want readings over weeks or months rather than a three-day snapshot.
  • You want return postage included in the kit.
  • You live in New Jersey and want no fee beyond the kit; Kidde notes an exception there.
  • You need a test for a home sale; check what your state requires, which may be a certified tester.

Setup and placement

4 steps

  1. Kidde's instructions are to place the radon sampler bag in an ideal location for three days, then mail the bag in the enclosed envelope to Alpha Energy Laboratories. Kidde does not spell out the location on its page; the EPA does.
  2. The EPA's guidance for any home test: the lowest lived-in level, in a room used regularly but not the kitchen or bathroom, at least 20 inches above the floor, and away from drafts, high heat, high humidity and exterior walls.
  3. For a test of two or three days, the EPA says to close windows and outside doors at least 12 hours before beginning, and to keep them closed as much as possible during the test. Heating and air-conditioning fans that re-circulate air may run; fans that bring in air from outside should not. It also advises against short tests during unusually severe storms or high winds.
  4. The EPA spells out what closed-house conditions mean: all windows closed, doors closed except for normal entry and exit, and no fans or other machines that bring in air from outside. It warns that interfering with the test or those conditions invalidates the result, so leave the sampler alone for the full three days.

For where any radon test or monitor should sit in a home, see where to place a radon test.

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Questions

Questions people ask

5 questions about the Kidde 442020, answered

Asked about the 442020

How long does the Kidde radon test take?

Kidde says to leave the sampler bag in place for three days and then mail it; the lab mails the results back. Kidde does not state a turnaround time on its page.

Is postage included?

No. Kidde says the cost of mailing the bag is not included and that it only requires two postage stamps.

What if my result is high?

The EPA's steps: if a short-term result is at or above 4 pCi/L, take a follow-up test, either long-term or a second short-term test. Fix the home if a long-term result is at or above 4 pCi/L, and consider fixing if the average of two short-term tests is at or above 4 pCi/L. Between 2 and 4 pCi/L, the EPA says to consider fixing.

Can I run the Kidde test in summer?

Yes, if the house can stay closed. The EPA says heating and air-conditioning fans that re-circulate indoor air may run during a test, but not fans that bring in outside air, and windows and outside doors should be closed from 12 hours before the start.

Does Kidde make an electronic radon detector too?

Kidde's product listing shows a battery-powered radon detector as well, a separate product. We have not covered it yet; this page is about the 442020 mail-in kit.

What to do next

Updated October 1, 2026