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Summary
Newton PAC 500 (Positive Air Curtain) System combines radon protection and waterproofing, it was used here to treat extremely high radon levels in a listed property in Derbyshire. The results with the Newton PAC were remarkable.
The Project
The owner of this picturesque listed property in Derbyshire wanted to upgrade their basement into a dry habitable area. Knowing that their house was in a high risk Radon gas area, the project required gas remediation and structural waterproofing as a package to obtain habitable living.
High Radon Levels
A preliminary test for Radon showed startling results. The basement area tested over 5,000 becharels, 4,800 above what is considered the action level for remediation in domestic properties, which is 200 bqm. The owner contacted specialist gas remediation experts Prestige Air who recommend that the Newton PAC “Positive Air Curtain” system be installed to deal with the Radon but also the basement waterproofing combined.
The Solution
Prestige Air contacted Newton Specialist Basement Contractor Protectahome to perform the installation of the Newton System 500 Cavity Drain Waterproofing and Prestige Air installed the “Positive Air Curtain”. To ascertain the real time Radon levels, Prestige Air installed a continuous Radon monitor to the basement which data logs Radon levels throughout the project, and to give guidance about the amount of air management required within the Newton PAC system to treat the problem.
Newton PAC 500 Installed
The first component of the PAC installed was an Air Duct fixed at joist height around the entire retaining aspects of the basement. The Air Duct contains pressure control bladders internally and air delivery points drilled into the bottom of the duct as a means of delivering an even air curtain down behind the Newton 508 cavity drain membrane.
Newton 508 was “curtain hung” at a high level so as to have minimal penetrations. The 508 membrane is installed with Newton MultiPlugs which are sealed in this circumstance with Newton WaterSeal butyl rope. Once the membrane had been fixed to the retaining walls, all MultiPlugs were double sealed with the Newton Overtape to provide a seal to prevent gas leakage through the fixings, all membrane joints and the seal to the PAC duct.
Newton Basedrain was installed on top of the slab, which guided waste water to a Titan Pro Sump and Pump installed to deal with the water removal from the basement.
The Result
With the Newton PAC system now installed, Prestige Air then performed their patented gas integrity testing process to the system, which ensured that all defects in the sealing of the membrane were identified and re-sealed and re-tested.
The results with the Newton PAC installed were remarkable – Radon levels were now down from 5000 bqm to less than 100 bqm.
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