A radon rough-in is a capped pipe that runs from under your basement floor. It was put in when the house was built. New homes built under the 2024 Ontario Building Code (opens in a new tab) must have one.
On its own, the capped pipe doesn't promise a low radon level. Adding a fan turns it into a working system. Test first, so you know whether you need it.
2024 OBC
New homes built under this code must have a radon rough-in
7 years
How long Tarion (opens in a new tab)'s new-home warranty covers radon
From $2,600
Our rough-in activation, plus HST, in a home with no sump pump
CRNCH-203063
Our radon professional's C-NRPP (opens in a new tab) certificate for radon in new homes, valid to July 1, 2028
A radon rough-in is a pipe that runs from under the basement slab, capped and ready for a fan later. Under the national standard (opens in a new tab), it comes with two more parts under the floor. One is a layer of gravel or similar material that lets soil gas move to the pipe. The other is a barrier that keeps soil gas out of the house.
Some rough-ins carry a C-NRPP label on the pipe. It says the pipe must not be opened, and the cap stays sealed, until it's turned into a fan system. Not every builder's rough-in has one. A C-NRPP installer puts that label on. (source) (opens in a new tab)
If it was built under the 2024 Ontario Building Code (opens in a new tab), it should. That code calls for a radon rough-in in new houses.
Some local towns started earlier. In January 2020, the health unit (opens in a new tab) reported that building officials for the City of Windsor and 8 towns in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent had agreed to adopt a radon rough-in requirement for all new homes, starting 1 January 2020.
If your home was built before these rules, it may have no rough-in. A system can still go in. See how a radon system works.
Only a test tells you. A long-term test runs for at least 91 days in the heating season. Our guide to short and long radon tests covers when to test.
If your result is above 200 Bq/m³, it's over Health Canada (opens in a new tab)'s guideline. Activating the rough-in is the usual next step. Here's what to do with a high result.
It might. Tarion (opens in a new tab)'s new-home warranty covers radon above 200 Bq/m³ for the full 7 years of your warranty. It covers repairs up to $50,000 if your purchase agreement was signed on or after February 1, 2021, and up to $15,000 if it was signed before.
The warranty covers repairs when the radon comes from a Building Code violation or a defect in the builder's work or materials. The test has to be a long-term one, 91 days or more, on the lowest level of the home. It has to use an approved kit or a C-NRPP professional.
If you're inside that 7-year window, talk to your builder and Tarion (opens in a new tab) before you pay for a fix yourself. (source) (opens in a new tab)
Activating a rough-in means adding a fan and running the pipe outside. In plain steps:
The gauge on the pipe shows the suction the fan makes, not your radon level. Only a test shows that.
Our radon professional or our crew does the work. It takes about half a day.
We pick the pipe route with you before the work starts. Around here, the most common route vents out through a basement wall.
Testing after the work is the same as for a full install. A 91-day lab test is included, and the system is designed with a target of below 100 Bq/m³, well below Health Canada (opens in a new tab)'s guideline of 200. C-NRPP also suggests your own long-term test in the next heating season. See every step, including the test after the system goes in. (source) (opens in a new tab)
From $2,600 plus HST
In a home with no sump pump.
A typical system from us starts at $3,000 plus HST. What moves the price: access, how far the pipe runs to where it vents, crawlspaces, and the age of the sump pump.
We always quote after a visit. The in-home assessment and written quote are free, and the quote is good for 30 days.
Every price we charge is on our prices page.
We can put the rough-in in during the build, so the finished house can use it. In our experience, many builder rough-ins can't be used later. Doing it during the build saves about $400 when the system goes in, because no core drill is needed.
Putting rough-ins into new homes has its own C-NRPP certificate, Controlling Radon in New Canadian Homes (CRNCH). Our radon professional is C-NRPP certified for residential radon measurement and residential mitigation. They also hold CRNCH, certificate CRNCH-203063, valid to July 1, 2028. You can check all three on the C-NRPP certification check (opens in a new tab).
Got a capped pipe in your basement? Tell us about it, and send your test result if you have one.
Or call 519-991-8180
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Saturday by appointment.