AIRTHINGS 2989 Indoor Radon and Air Quality Monitor User Guide
- June 14, 2024
- Airthings
Table of Contents
View Radon
INDOOR RADON & AIR QUALITY MONITOR
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does View Radon measure radon?
View Radon contains an Airthings patented radon sensor, which utilizesa passive diffusion chamber and alpha spectrometry to monitor radon levels. Every 60 minutes, it counts the number of alpha particles it detects inside of its chamber. Alpha particles are byproducts created during the decay of radioactive elements like radon. The amount of radon in an indoor environment is not fixed; in fact it can vary significantly from day to day and month to month. This is why the radon measurements are always expressed as averages of the samples taken over a time period - like 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days... you get the idea. Keep in mind that the 24h radon level is a rolling (or moving) average. This means that this level is an average of only the 24 most recent hourly samples. Every hour the newest sample valueis added to the average and the oldest left out.
2. View Radon is reporting a radon level over 4 pCi/L (or 150 Bq/m 3 ). Is my health in danger? What should I do?
The health risk associated with radon is the combination of exposure to elevated radon levels (over 4 pCi/L) over a long period of time. Elevated radon levels are cause for action, not panic. If, after a month of monitoring, your short and long-term average radon levels are consistently over 4, it’s time to take steps to bring levels down. First, increase ventilation by opening windows and doors, allowing the radon to dissipate with outdoor air. Then check your home’s foundation thoroughly for cracks or other openings where radon might be entering from the earth below and around it. Seal any cracks or openings. A full day after you have taken these actions, check your 24h average radon level to see if they’ve worked. Keep an eye on the 24h average over the next several days to determine if the effects are lasting or if radon begins to increase again. If levels remain elevated after you’ve sealed any cracks in the foundation, contact a local radon professional. They will inspect your home and offer you solutions to address the radon problem and bring levels down.
3. I just fully aired out my basement but the monitor is telling me that radon levels have barely changed. What’s going on?
The 24h radon level is a rolling average that takes into account the 24 most recent hourly samples. Because of this, it won’t reflect the full impact of actions taken until 24 hours after they’ve been carried out.
4. How does View Radon compare to the radon test kits that the EPA recommends?
First, it’s important to explain that indoor radon levels change, often unpredictably, from week to week and month to month. Ventilation, weather, air pressure, and seasonality combine to make radon levels rise or fall. Most radon test kits are designed to be placed in your home for a period of just a few days, then sent to a lab where the contents are analyzed and a report is issued. These kits give you an “snapshot” of the level of radon during the days the kits were in your home. So why do we believe that’s not good enough? Because to really understand your exposure to radon, and the possible health risk, you need to know the average amount of radon over the long-term - we’re talking many months, even years. View Radon is designed to work continuously for years, maintaining a long-term average radon level you can trust. If you discover that you have high levels of radon, you can take action. From small steps like manually ventilating when you see radon levels increasing, to big steps like installing a radon mitigation system. Even with a system installed, View Radon keeps working for you - telling you if the system is working properly, or alerting you to increasing radon levels in the case the system fails. We think of the short-term test kits as screeners and continuous digital monitoring as a means of thorough testing.
5. Where should I place the monitor for best results?
First, never place the monitor outdoors or in conditions with over 85% humidity - this can cause permanent damage to the radon sensor inside. You can use View Radon in any room indoors where you want to test for radon. Since radon enters the home through the building’s foundation, we recommend placing it in your basement or lowest floor. If levels are safe there, they are likely safe elsewhere in the home. For best results, avoid placing it within 3 ft / 90 cm of vents, fans, windows or doors - sources of ventilation that can skew the readings. It’s also a good idea to place the device in the room near to where people spend time and at an average breathing height - and never higher than 6 ft (182 cm). You can stand it on a surface or use the screw holes in the backplate to mount it on a wall.
6. Will I have accurate measurements from day 1?
Some of the sensors, like humidity and temperature are ready from day 1. However, we strongly recommend you let the monitor measure radon in one location for at least 30 days, to collect enough sample measurements to get an accurate understanding of the amount of radon in your environment. The longer you measure radon in a single location, the more accurate your readings will be. You should always consider your long term average when deciding to pursue radon mitigation action.
7. How do I know the measurements are accurate?
In 2011 Airthings introduced the world’s first digital radon detector for homeowners using our own patented radon sensor. The sensor was designed by the founders of Airthings who had worked as scientists at CERN and wanted to bring digital radon detection to the average person. The same technology is used in Airthings Corentium Pro, the pro-grade radon monitor trusted by thousands of radon professionals. Enthusiastic users have sometimes reported that two radon tests are giving different results. This makes some conclude that one or the other may be wrong or unreliable. However, comparing the reported average levels from different radon tests or devices will rarely yield exactly the same results. Here are some of the reasons why this can happen: • Different methods of radon detection with different margins of error/accuracy. ALL radon tests have a range of accuracy and they may be different or reported in a different way, thus making them hard to compare. • Different ways of expressing radon levels. You have to compare apples to apples, and even then they are never exactly the same. Make sure you are comparing averages that comprise the same exact time period. • Testing performed over different time periods. Did the monitors start their measurements at the same time?
8. Which smart home systems is it compatible with?
View Radon can be used with IFTTT and Homey for home automation. Although Airthings is working towards compatibility with the Matter standard, our devices are not yet directly compatible with systems like Apple HomeKit or Samsung SmartThings. Compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant is limited to audible readings. Ask your Alexa or Google Assistant-enabled device about the air quality in the room and it will read out the current measurements.
9. Can I check my View Radon air quality readings in the app from anywhere?
Yes. View Radon connects to your home’s WiFI network. With internet connectivity, not only will you be able to access the latest readings from anywhere, but you will also receive timely notifications when air quality declines. Plus, you can use smart home systems like IFTTT or Homey to create home automation flows using sensor readings as triggers.
10. Are there any requirements for WiFi connectivity?
Yes. View monitors require standard WiFi 2.4 GHz and 802.11b/g/n for a successful connection. The majority of routers support 2.4 GHz, or both 2.4 GHz and 5GHz. And, of course, the monitor must be in WiFi range of the router to maintain a stable connection.
11. What’s with the hub feature in View Plus? Why would that be useful to me?
The hub feature allows View Radon to extend its internet connectivity to Airthings Wave monitors which, on their own, offer only Bluetooth connectivity. Homeowners who are monitoring the air in multiple rooms using a mix of View and Wave monitors can use the app to link their Wave monitors to the View’s hub. Apart from bringing all the benefits of internet access to the Wave monitors, it also extends the Wave monitor’s battery life. This is because, once linked with a hub, Wave monitors turn off Bluetooth, and use our lightweight communications protocol, SmartLink.
12. How do I activate the hub?
The hub is activated automatically when you use the USB cable (included, length 6 ft /1.8m) to plug the monitor into a power outlet. It’s necessary to plug it in because the ability to act as a hub requires more continuous power than is practical for a device operating on batteries only. Once the hub is activated, you can use the app to link your Wave monitors to it.
13. Can I do anything to extend the battery life?
If you are running your View Radon on batteries, you can double the battery life by lowering the frequency at which the monitor sends the data it collects to the cloud. By default it sends its data every 10 minutes but you can reduce this to every 60 minutes. The tradeoff for extending the battery life is that, since the app reads data directly from the cloud, your latest measurements you see may be up to 60 minutes old. To change this setting, go to www.airthings.com/dashboard. Log in with your account details and go to the device settings. Under the Battery Life settings, choose the Improved battery life option to send data to the cloud every 60 minutes instead of every 10 minutes.
14. Am I eligible for the free 5-year extended warranty?
There are only three conditions we require for you to register your Airthings monitor for the 5-year extended warranty. You must: • Purchase your monitor from an authorized reseller. Amazon is an authorized reseller. However, there are 3rd party sellers active in the Amazon marketplace who are not Airthings authorized resellers. If you want to register for the warranty, pay special attention during the purchase process to ensure it is “Sold by” Amazon. • Register on airthings.com/register within 30 days of purchase. • Retain your proof-of-purchase. It’s best to simply upload your receipt when you register for the 5-year extended warranty. If you experience any hardware defects during the warranty period, you need only email [email protected] to report the problem.
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written by our customer support experts.