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Do dehumidifiers reduce radon?

By Radon411 Editorial TeamUpdated How we research

Short answer

No agency radon guidance lists a dehumidifier as a way to lower radon, and EPA's guide to radon reduction names no drying method among its techniques. Its methods are soil suction, sealing, pressurization, heat recovery ventilation and natural ventilation; the agencies' moisture advice is about condensation in a system's pipe, not the level.

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EPA's Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction says there are 'several methods a contractor can use to lower radon levels in your home', that 'EPA generally recommends methods that prevent the entry of radon', and that soil suction 'prevents radon from entering your home by drawing the radon from below the home and venting it through a pipe, or pipes, to the air above the home'. The other techniques it lists for any type of home are 'sealing, house or room pressurization, heat recovery ventilation and natural ventilation'. Nothing in the list works by drying the air.

The guide is also careful about what does not work on its own: 'EPA does not recommend the use of sealing alone to reduce radon because, by itself, sealing has not been shown to lower radon levels significantly or consistently'. A measure that is not in the list at all, such as a dehumidifier, has no such showing to point to.

Where moisture does come up in the agencies' pages, it is about the system, not the level. Nebraska's health department explains that 'soil air drawn from beneath a basement floor is laden with moisture vapor', that if a system 'is not installed properly, this moisture vapor will condense and pool inside the ventilation pipe', and that 'a properly designed and constructed radon mitigation system will prevent radon gas and soil moisture vapor from entering your home'.

If you run a dehumidifier because the basement is damp, test the basement for radon as well: EPA's Citizen's Guide says nearly 1 out of every 15 homes in the U.S. is estimated to have an elevated level, and that testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. The reduction methods the guide lists are what bring a high result down.

What to do next: if a test reads 4 or more, confirm it and get quotes for a soil suction system from certified mitigation professionals; keep the dehumidifier for the damp, not the radon.

At a glance · 1 min read

What each method does to the level

Radon reduction techniques and their typical reduction, as EPA's Consumer's Guide to Radon Reduction tables them
TechniqueTypical radon reductionEPA's comment
Subslab suction (subslab depressurization)50 to 99 percentWorks best if air can move easily in material under slab
Passive subslab suction30 to 70 percentMay be more effective in cold climates; not as effective as active subslab suction
Draintile suction50 to 99 percentCan work with either partial or complete drain tile loops
Block-wall suction50 to 99 percentOnly in homes with hollow block-walls; requires sealing of major openings
Sump-hole suction50 to 99 percentWorks best if air moves easily to sump from under the slab
Submembrane depressurization in a crawlspace50 to 99 percentLess heat loss than natural ventilation in cold winter climates
Natural ventilation in a crawlspace0 to 50 percentCosts variable
Sealing of radon entry routesSee commentsNormally only used with other techniques; proper materials and installation required
House (basement) pressurization50 to 99 percentWorks best with tight basement isolated from outdoors and upper floors
Natural ventilationVariable, temporarySignificant heated or cooled air loss; operating costs depend on utility rates and amount of ventilation
Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)Variable, see commentsLimited use; effectiveness limited by radon concentration or the amount of ventilation air available for dilution by the HRV
A dehumidifierNot listedNot a radon reduction technique in EPA's guide
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