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Davenport, IA · Scott County

Radon Testing in Davenport, IA

Know your number before you spend anything on mitigation — short-term, long-term, and real-estate-transaction radon tests across Scott County.

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What Davenport homes actually test at

Local measurements and geology — not national boilerplate.

71.6%of Iowa homes above 4.0 pCi/L
7.6 pCi/LIowa average indoor level
4.0 pCi/LEPA action level
#2leading cause of lung cancer (EPA)

Radon is invisible, odorless, and the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after smoking, according to the EPA. In Scott County the odds are genuinely poor: the Iowa Radon Survey found 71.6% of Iowa homes above the 4.0 pCi/L action level — the highest proportion in the nation — and the state averages about 7.6 pCi/L. Testing is the only way to know your number, because levels differ house to house on the same Davenport street. What drives the reading is the specific soil under that specific foundation and how that particular house moves air. A neighbor's result tells you nothing reliable about yours.

Sources: EPA Map of Radon Zones; Iowa HHS Radiological Health (Iowa Radon Survey); EPA (action level)

Short-term, long-term, and real estate tests

A short-term test runs 2–7 days under closed-house conditions and is where most Davenport homeowners start — fast, inexpensive, and usually enough to tell you whether to act. A long-term test runs 90 days or more and gives a truer annual average, since radon swings with season, snow cover, and how the house is being heated. Iowa winters push readings up: the house is closed, the stack effect is strongest, and frozen ground caps the soil so gas migrates toward the foundation instead of venting.

Real estate transaction testing is its own category. It is normally a short-term test performed by a third party under documented closed-house conditions, because the result becomes part of the negotiation. If a test is being run for a sale, it should be done by someone with no stake in selling the mitigation work afterward.

  • Short-term (2–7 day) tests for a fast answer
  • Long-term (90+ day) tests for a true annual average
  • Documented real estate transaction testing under closed-house conditions
  • Post-mitigation verification testing on existing systems

Related pages

Every page cites its sources — start where your question is.

MitigationZone 1EPA radon zone — Scott CountyView Repair5–10 yrstypical radon fan service lifeView New BuildsZone 1EPA radon zone — Scott CountyView

Davenport Radon Testing — FAQ

How much does a radon test cost in Davenport?
DIY short-term kits generally run $15–$40. A professional test with documented closed-house conditions — the kind used in a real estate transaction — typically runs $125–$250 in the Davenport area. Scott County Health Department has periodically offered discounted kits to residents.
When is the best time to test in IA?
Iowa winters push readings up: the house is closed, the stack effect is strongest, and frozen ground caps the soil so gas migrates toward the foundation instead of venting. You can test any time of year — but a low summer reading taken with the windows open is not a reliable all-clear.
Where in the house should the test go?
In the lowest level that is lived in or could reasonably be finished — for most Davenport homes that is the basement. The detector sits 20 inches to 6 feet off the floor, away from exterior walls, drafts, vents, and humidity. Windows and exterior doors stay shut for 12 hours before and throughout a short-term test.
My neighbor tested low. Do I still need to test?
Yes. Radon levels differ dramatically between adjacent houses because they depend on that home's specific foundation, the soil and rock directly beneath it, and how the house moves air. Houses on the same block routinely test several pCi/L apart. An untested house is an unknown, not a safe one.

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Serving Davenport and the surrounding Scott County area. No obligation — most quotes back same day.

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