I have searched the Internet extensively for a specification for radon mitigation and have come up short. I am turning to you, my colleagues, to see if one of you has a 3-part spec section that you would be willing to share with me. If you do, I would need it by next Tuesday, 17 July 2007.
I truly appreciate your help with this.
I have been meditating on the differences between a Specification Writer and an engineer who writes specifications. The engineer writes specifications for those sections where he is the subject matter expert while specification writers seem to take responsibility for the technical content of all of the architectural sections. Is the “specification writer” expected to be the subject matter expert for all of the architectural sections?
Why is the architect or the mechanical engineer who is designing the radon mitigation system not providing the technical content of this section? In my mind the technical specifications are an integral part of the design of the system, thus leading to the belief that the designer of the system should be intimately involved in the writing/review of them.
Often when I’ve been faced with a specialty system or product for which I am not an expert, I will pull the relevant information from my expert-at-hand. Often a product rep or a consultant to my client who knows exactly what is needed and how to make his system work, but hasn’t a clue how to describe it for a construction document to tell someone else how to provide it.
So… I pretend it’s a widget and pull the information from the expert, format the information accordingly with a final review and blessing of the expert. Note, I do charge for this service, especially if it’s a complicated system.
I hadn’t really thought about the use of an expert (civil engineer?). This project is a very small interior remodeling of an outstate Minnesota church building. There is little M&E work, and no civil/landscape work at all.
I do recall a person in town that I know through CSI that might be a resource. I will let you know how it turns out.
Check out Section 31 21 13 - Radon Mitigation in the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS) at WBDG. These specs are in the Military page format but can be an excellent source if information. I’m surprised none of the folks who do work for the Fed haven’t hit on this.
Richard/et al:
Are there similar guides for mold mitigation?
Nothing in the UFGS, but a client has used American Mold Guard successfully (www.americanmoldguard.com). AMG provided me with a CSI formated spec in Word that I was able to alter and use on other projects. Although they are in California they have east coast representation. BTW the section is 02 85 00 - MOLD REMEDIATION AND PREVENTION.
I had already started editing the UFGS spec section. Since it is in SpecsInTact, it is quite a process to convert it to Word. I also find it very lengthy, but it is a good start to the creation of a Radon Mitigation specification. I will check out the American Mold site, too.
Although I have used SpecsIntact I found it much easier to scan in a hard copy and convert to word with text recognition (OCR) software and then correct the translation glitches.
If the section can be printed directly to a file, it would be a lot easier to convert into a word processing format.
FWIW, the following is cut from the EPA website:
Radon
J- 1 Radon Inspection - Finding a Qualified Radon Service Professional, 01/06/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/proficiency.html, Where You Live - Regional and State Contact List, 01/22/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/contacts.html.
J- 2 Radon Training - Regional Training Centers, 01/22/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/rrtcs.html; National Radon Proficiency Programs - 01/24/03, www.Radongas.org/Entry_courses.htmlExit EPA Disclaimer; National Radon Safety Board, 01/13/03, www.nrsb.org/nrsb-edu.htmExit EPA Disclaimer.
J- 3 A Citizen’s Guide to Radon - The Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family From Radon, EPA 402-K-02-006, 12/20/02,www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/citguide.html; Reducing Radon Risks, EPA 520-1-89-027, 09/92, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/rducrsks.html; Consumer’s Guide to Radon Reduction, EPA 402-K-03-002, 02/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/consguid.html; Assessment of Risks From Radon In Homes, 10/16/03, www.epa.gov/radon/risk_assessment.html
J- 4 Radon Myths and Facts, 01/06/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/myths.html; Radon Frequent Questions, 11/06/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/radonqa1.html; Frequently Asked Questions About Radon, www.nsc.org/ehc/radon/rad_faqs.htmExit EPA Disclaimer
J- 6 Radon Test Kit Coupon - National Safety Council, 03/15/02, www.nsc.org/ehc/radon/coupon.htmExit EPA Disclaimer
J- 7 Where You Live - State and Regional Radon Contacts 11/26/03, www.epa.gov/iaq/contacts.html
J- 8 Indoor Radon and Radon Decay Product Measurement Fact Sheet, EPA 400-R-92-004, 07/92, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/devprot1.html; Protocols for Radon and Radon Decay Product Measurements in Homes, EPA-402-R-93-003, 06/93, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/homprot1.html
J- 9 Radon In Schools, EPA 402-F-94-009, 04/19/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/schoolrn.html; Reducing Radon In Schools - A Team Approach, EPA 402-R-94-008, 04/23/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/redrnsch.html; Radon Prevention in the Design and Construction of Schools and Other Large Buildings, EPA 625-R-92-016, 04/23/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/rnprevnt.html.
J-10 EPA Map of Radon Zones, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/zonemap.html
J-11 A Radon Guide For Tenants, EPA 402-K-98-004, 04/19/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/tenants.html.
J-12 Home Buyer’s and Seller’s Guide to Radon, EPA-402-K-00-008, 12/04/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html; Buying A New Home? How To Protect Your Family From Radon, EPA 402-F-98-008, 04/19/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/rrnc-tri.html.
J-13 Building a New Home: Have You Considered Radon? EPA 402-R-98-001, 04/19/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/builder.html; Model Standards and Techniques for Control of Radon in New Residential Buildings, E9, 06/20/02, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/newconst.html.
J-14 Radon: Radon Home Page, 06/14/01, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon.
J-15 Building Radon Out, EPA 402-K-K01-002, 04/01, 81 pp, (New Home Construction), www.epa.gov/iaq/images/buildradonout.pdf (PDF,info about PDF) ; Passive Radon Control Systems for New Construction, EPA 402-95-012, 05/95;.Radon Mitigation Standards, EPA 402-R-93-078, 04/94, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/mitstds.html
J-16 A Physician’s Guide - Radon: The Health Threat with a Simple Solution, EPA 402- K-93-008, 09/932, www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/physic.html.
Our office treats radon the same way we treat asbestos - as a hazardous material. That type of design is beyond the expertise of our firm. Perhaps if we were in a part of the country where radon was more prevelant, we’d have learned how to be radon experts.
Ask your E&O insurance carrier what they think about radon.