How to run a short-term radon test in your Minneapolis home

MDH’s path for your Minneapolis home is a short screen, then a second approved test before you spend on a fan. These steps follow the testing page. They are not the Colorado rules, so read the height and the room again if you have tested in another state.

Check the expiration date, pick the lowest level you use, and keep your home closed the whole time. Heating season is the better backdrop, and a windstorm is a reason to wait. Then follow MDH’s second test before you decide. A monitor can sit in the room while you wait, but it does not replace the follow-up.

Before you start

Read the instructions packed with the test and check its expiration date. Some kits include the laboratory analysis in the purchase price, while others charge a separate fee. Write down the start date, start time, room, floor, and device identification before exposure begins.

The MDH testing page says short-term tests normally run for 2 to 7 days. Long-term tests run for at least 90 days and should include part of the heating and non-heating seasons.

Choose the lowest regularly used level

Test the lowest level where people regularly spend time. MDH uses more than about 10 hours a week as its basement example. For a real estate transaction, test the lowest level that could be occupied, such as an unfinished basement that a buyer may finish.

Place the device at least 20 inches above the floor, preferably near breathing height. Keep it at least 1 foot from an exterior wall and 3 feet from an exterior window. Avoid kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, fireplaces, furnaces, drafts, direct sunlight, and high humidity.

Maintain closed-home conditions

Any test lasting less than three months requires closed-home conditions. Keep windows and exterior doors closed except for normal entry and exit. Run heating and cooling as the household normally does. Do not create unusual conditions that will end as soon as the test stops.

MDH says heating season is the better time for a short test. If severe or unusually windy weather is expected, wait. Weather can change indoor radon, and there is no reliable correction that turns a disrupted test into a normal one afterward.

For more seasonal context, read the guide to continuous monitors and mail-in kits. A reusable monitor can show the pattern around a short test, but the approved test remains the result used for the decision.

Send or close the test on time

Stop the test within the device’s required window. Complete every field requested by the laboratory and mail the kit promptly. Save the submission details and the final report.

If you use a professional device, ask for the report, test conditions, device information, and evidence of the measurement professional’s Minnesota license when the situation requires one.

Read the result with MDH’s follow-up chart

MDH says a first result from 0 to 1.9 pCi/L leads to routine retesting every 2 to 5 years. A result from 2 to 7.9 calls for a long-term follow-up. A result of 8 or higher calls for another short-term test.

Use the approved follow-up to decide what comes next. MDH recommends mitigation at 4.0 pCi/L or higher and says to consider mitigation from 2.0 to 3.9 pCi/L. The guide to when to retest covers routine checks, remodels, HVAC changes, home sales, and post-mitigation verification.