|
| Air Quality Control Agency poor quality poor customer service NO guaranty Greendale, , Wisconsin |
| 23rd of Oct, 2011 by User878539 |
I am a realtor in the Greater Milwaukee area for the past 20+ years. I have had numerous occasions to use and recommend radon mitigation companies. It is my opinion that Air Quality Control Agency is THE worst company out there.
July 13 My seller installed the system whit an original radon reading of 9.7pCi/l from thee July 11 home inspection. The original contract stated the following:
1 standard installation of radon mitigation system
1 XP 201 fan w/4†x 4†couplings
1 test kit 6002101 The retest came back at 4.8 pCi/l; relying on AQCA’s ‘guaranty’ as stated in the contract of “ no level of radon concentration (other than zero) can be considered ‘safe’. Air Quality Control has a responsibility and liability under this warranty limited to modification and/or replacement of the abatement system subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement.†He requested that they fixed the system. August 15th Closing date. The company advised my seller that there would be a $199 labor fee which included upgrading the fan and installation of 2nd collection point along with a $195 fee for ‘upgraded FanMax Fan. So much for a guaranty……
August 22-24-3rd retest done by another independent company came back at 4.9 pCi/l
August 15th the company also advised us that the levels were not going down because we were not waiting long enough between tests. September 9-12 4th retest after upgraded fan installed came back at 4.6 pCi/l down but no where near ZERO
The closing has by now taken place and the buyer is living in the property. September 16 We receive another proposal from the company to ‘fix’ the system and bring the radon level below 1 pCi/l the company also states in it’s proposal letter; “You will see from my proposed system and warranty that we go the extra mile to PERMANTLY bring your radon level to as close to ZERO as mechanically possible.†October 3-7 retest results come back at 6.0 pCi/l; the seller has requested a full refund and removal of the system which the company has refused and is stating ANOTHER retest needs to be done. BOTH the buyer and seller have rejected this and are currently looking for a different mitigation company. We have had another radon mitigation company inspect the system and have been told: “The existing system was examined and found to be non-compliant to USEPA standards and protocol and poorly executed. Efficient depressurization and sub slab communication to proper ventilation of the radon gas from the sub slab was not achieved. Even with the installer changing out the ventilation fan with a larger one has not presented any results to safety. A reading below the original USEPA action level of 4 pCi/L or the new international action level of 2.7 pCi/L has not been achieved. This feature of the system is the most threatening to the health and safety of the home’s occupants. Pre-testing and post-testing substantiates that this system is a failure. Craftsmanship is at best poor. The pipe and electrical were installed in a carpeted and professionally finished room. The sub slab penetration was chiseled, jagged and over-sized. This appears to be due to the fact that a hydronic heat pipe was damaged in the coring to sub-soil and repaired. The carpeting was cut and left to unravel and a piece of clear Plexiglas was placed over the excavation where the ventilation pipe was interconnected. This makes the short comings of this work easy to identify at the slab penetration. There was no attempt to repair the carpet or seal the hole in a professional manner.
As the electrical cord enters the home from the fan through a bored hole at the box sill, to what appears to be a
low voltage transfer connection box which is poorly secured to finished wall. The exiting plug cord is stapled with electrical roughing staples to the finished wall. It finally plugs into a wall socket in the same finished wall. The drop pit was excavated of more than efficient material for a drop pit without drain tile. As the excavation
moved mid-slab it was apparent that clay makes up the majority of the sub slab soil. This needs to be approached properly to assure communication of suction along the entire sub-slab. The slab on grade that makes up a larger portion of the buildings foundation floor has not been addressed. The sub slab area below the slab on grade could certainly be the source for the radon entry. Grab samples along the wall at the box sill identified levels of radon exceeding 21 pCi/L. This presentation makes interconnected mitigation from that slab on grade sub soil a necessity. It appears that it may be the source of the radon gas entrainment from the high pressurized soil below the slab on grade to the entry low pressure basement. This should have been investigated and made part of the system initially. Non-compliant material is utilized for the exhaust and ventilation pipe. It is sewer pipe that does not have the required thickness for durability required by USEPA standards. Schedule 40 PVC is required (3 or 4 inch). |
|
|
|
Post your Comment
|
|
|
