Test the House.
Not the Assumption.
EPA-method 48-hour radon testing for Palmer and Matanuska Valley homes — placed, collected, lab-analyzed, and returned as a written result measured against the EPA action level.
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Inspections led by Larry McBain — ASHI Certified, 38+ years of Alaska construction experience.
Quick Answer
Radon testing in Palmer uses an EPA-method short-term device placed at the lowest livable level of the home for 48 hours under closed-house conditions, analyzed by an accredited lab, and returned as a written pCi/L result measured against the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L.
Larry McBain of Signature Inspection Service is an ASHI Certified Inspector and a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), with 38+ years of Alaska construction experience, serving Palmer and the Matanuska Valley.
Local Conditions
Why Test in Palmer.
Radon comes out of the ground, so the question in Palmer is what is under the house and how much below-grade space that house has for gas to collect in. The Matanuska Valley floor is glacial and alluvial ground running up against the Talkeetna and Chugach fronts, and Palmer has more genuine basements than most of Southcentral — which matters, because a basement is both the room radon concentrates in and the room people finish and sleep in.
Below-Grade Living Space
Radon is heaviest and most concentrated at the lowest level of a house. Palmer's basements and daylight levels are frequently finished into bedrooms, offices, and family rooms — putting the most-occupied hours in the highest-reading space.
Colony-Era Foundations
The 1935 Matanuska Colony farmhouses and the buildings that followed them predate every modern approach to sealing a foundation. Original basements and root cellars, block walls, and unsealed floor penetrations are all direct soil-gas pathways.
Valley Floor Ground
Glacial till, river alluvium, and wind-deposited silt sit over bedrock that rises toward the mountain fronts. Soil gas moves differently across the valley, which is why a Butte reading and a downtown Palmer reading are not interchangeable.
A Seven-Month Heating Season
From October through April a Palmer house is closed and heated. Warm air leaving the top of the house pulls replacement air in at the bottom — through the basement slab, the sump, and the foundation joints. Winter readings run highest for that reason.
Reading the Result
What the Number Means.
Radon is measured in picocuries per liter of air. Your report gives one number and what it means — no interpretation required on your end.
Below 2 pCi/L
At or near the national indoor average of 1.3 pCi/L. No action indicated.
2–4 pCi/L
Below the EPA action level, but the EPA advises reducing it where practical.
4 pCi/L and above
The EPA action level. Mitigation is recommended.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, and it has no color, smell, or taste. A measurement is the only way to know what a house is at.
The Process
Four Steps, Two Visits.
A short-term radon test is not a walk-through reading. The device has to sit in the house and then come back out, which is the whole reason scheduling works the way it does.
1
Placement
The test device goes at the lowest livable level of the house — the basement, the daylight level, or the ground floor if there is no below-grade space.
2
48 Hours Closed
Short-term testing runs under closed-house conditions. Windows and exterior doors stay shut except for normal entry and exit.
3
Lab Analysis
The device goes to an accredited laboratory for a measured pCi/L result rather than an on-the-spot estimate.
4
Written Report
You get the number, what it means against the EPA action level, and mitigation guidance if the result is elevated.
Scheduling
Testing in Palmer.
Palmer is regularly served. A radon test needs two visits 48 hours apart, so it is easiest to schedule alongside a Palmer home inspection — the device goes in at the inspection and comes out two days later.
Test duration
48 hours, closed-house conditions
Two visits 48 hours apart — placement, then collection.
Bundle and save a trip
Home Inspection in Palmer
See the inspection pageFAQ
Palmer Radon Testing Questions
Alaska has elevated radon levels in many areas, including the Mat-Su Valley. Levels vary house by house even on the same street, because they depend on the ground under that particular foundation and on how much below-grade space the house has. A neighbor's result does not tell you yours. Testing is the only way to know.
Yes. Palmer, the Butte, and the wider Matanuska Valley are regularly served. Radon testing can be scheduled on its own or bundled with a home inspection. Call (907) 223-3725 to confirm availability for your address.
It changes the exposure rather than the level. Radon concentrates at the lowest level of a house whether that level is finished or not — but a finished basement is where people spend hours sleeping and working. The test device goes at the lowest livable level for exactly that reason.
The heating season gives the most representative reading, because the house is already closed and under the pressure conditions that draw soil gas indoors. Testing runs year-round — a summer test simply requires keeping windows and exterior doors closed for the 48-hour period.
At or above 4 pCi/L the EPA recommends mitigation. A sub-slab depressurization system can reduce levels by up to 99% and typically costs $800–$2,500. We can point you toward mitigation contractors — we test and report, we do not sell mitigation, so the result is not a sales tool.
Yes, and for the Valley it is the practical option. Radon requires two visits 48 hours apart. Bundling means the device is placed at the start of your home inspection and collected on the return trip. Call (907) 223-3725 to schedule both together.
Service Area
Radon Testing Nearby
ASHI Certified inspections across Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley. Same inspector, same standard, wherever you’re buying.
ASHI Certified Inspector
Larry McBain is an ASHI Certified Inspector with more than 38 years of Alaska construction and inspection experience.
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