Hoping someone can provide guidance re: a radon sensor I might pair with a Particle device. Thanks
Thanks. Do you have direct experience with this sensor?
Nope, just one I found while searching.
Looks like a expensive accurate sensor option.
Didn’t find much else.
No experience with this one but I thought about doing the same thing with Radon.
Or
Or
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I think it is going to be very hard to use a Geiger tube to detect radon in the normal concentrations people are looking for.
Testing I have seen from the mining industry shows an increase of 1 count-per-minute on a commercial Geiger counter in the presence of relatively high (for say a basement) amount of radon (5pCi/L). That low increase in the count makes it very hard to discriminate radon from normal background radiation.
Perhaps with a “control” Geiger counter and radon zone Geiger counter, you could compare the difference and do some kind of statistical analysis to see if the radon zone device has a statistically significant higher count.
If you think you might want switch a radon abatement system on/off depending on values, that seems like a bad idea since by the time you detect the concentration to turn the fans on, some damage has been done.
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My father is a medical physicist. Ill see if he has any ideas too.
So here’s the explanation straight from a Medical Physicist (whos job is to deal with radiation every day.) Radon is “alpha” radiation. The Geiger counters above only detect gamma and beta radiation. So that’s why the Radon detector is so expensive, it is an alpha detector. Alpha detectors are much more rare than the gamma and beta types. When doing home Radon testing, they use a charcoal pack which absorbs the alpha radiation over 24-48 hours. Then that charcoal is sent off to a lab for testing. The real-time Radon detectors are just too expensive for normal every day use.
Bummer…
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I’m am curious what is Dad’s opinion of this unit … https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VOSP8/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
I saw some of those too after I talked to him. It was a fairly brief conversation as we were both kind of occupied. Also consider his comments on cost come from the fact that if used for health safety, the detector has to be certified by a calibration laboratory. I doubt the Amazon meters could be used for health safety purposes. But for the hobbiest, probably adequate. I’ll ask.
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according to the radon ftlab folks radon is 8 times denser than air. is highest at dawn while many are asleep. and should be measured at breathing level. hence, a portable instrument that can be placed at different heights. they also suggest it is probably at highest level in the basement. so word to the wise, don’t sleep or sit near or on the floor in the basement. they also suggest to ventilate the home particularly in the winter. one thing i noticed about the home units on amazon is in the specs the precision and sensitivity can vary a good bit. as always, you get what you pay for.