how often does the tester need to be calibrated and how much does it cost to calibrate

To cut through all of the nit picking and posturing: This is a home unit, not a lab instrument. It will give you practical insight, not NIST calibrated precision. On the other hand, we are talking about a gas whose concentration will ebb and flow. As a home owner, you want to know is this "no problem" (0 pCi/L), "meh" (2.720). So if you are a homeowner I think this is fine. If you are a pro and you are using it as a quick pocket reference before setting up real monitoring, still fine. If you are Sheldon Cooper, stop being mean to homeowners and go order something NIST traceable, along with a NIST traceable calibration reference so you can re-calibrate every time you use it. That shouldn't cost much.

Are we positive the readings are accurate? I have now tested the first floor of the house and am getting a reading of 7.5 pCi/l.

We have two older (15+ years) Safety Siren meters that read 2.3 & 2.4 for both long and short readings and seem stuck even after a reset/retest in our radon mitigated basement. The new Airthings 223 started a little over 2.0 and slowly dropped to 1.8. Yesterday I resealed the sump pit covers to the floor and the Airthings 223 1-day average already (<24 hrs.) dropped to 1.43. It seems to correctly reflect variations with short term readings. This could be just coincidental with random variations but I feel that it is reasonably accurate and responsive to changes in the environment. I’m about to buy a second unit to replace our old (tired?) meters.

what is the shortest amount of time you can do a test with this device? a home inspection last only a few hours..will it have to be left over night?

I own this unit. My experience is the lower the level of radon, the longer it takes to spit out a short term reading. Using it on my screened porch, it took 24 hours to show a reading of .54 which is generally understood to be the amount of level naturally occurring in the outdoors. I had levels of 15 confirmed in my basement via traditional test and this unit gave me an initial reading of 8 in just under and hour and continued to increase every 45 mins until ultimately stopping a 15 in just under a total 0f 12 hours. Since mitigation I have readings of between 1 and 3.5.

I see there are air holes in the back, so if it is placed against a surface, won't it impede the airflow into the detector?

According to the company's website, the unit should be placed on its back (display facing upwards), on a flat surface, at breathing-level height, and away from windows, doors, air vents, etc. See https://support.airthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003370189-How-do-I-place-my-Home-radon-detector-to-obtain-correct-measurements- Or as their FAQ answer states: "You can just lay it flat on a table or a shelf. The air flows into the Radon chamber as usual." https://support.airthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001097069-Can-I-just-lay-the-unit-flat-on-its-back-side-

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Q: what is the shortest amount of time you can do a test with this device? a home inspection last only a few hours..will it have to be left over night?

I own this unit. My experience is the lower the level of radon, the longer it takes to spit out a short term reading. Using it on my screened porch, it took 24 hours to show a reading of .54 which is generally understood to be the amount of level naturally occurring in the outdoors. I had levels of 15 confirmed in my basement via traditional test and this unit gave me an initial reading of 8 in just under and hour and continued to increase every 45 mins until ultimately stopping a 15 in just under a total 0f 12 hours. Since mitigation I have readings of between 1 and 3.5.

Q: I see there are air holes in the back, so if it is placed against a surface, won't it impede the airflow into the detector?

According to the company's website, the unit should be placed on its back (display facing upwards), on a flat surface, at breathing-level height, and away from windows, doors, air vents, etc. See https://support.airthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003370189-How-do-I-place-my-Home-radon-detector-to-obtain-correct-measurements- Or as their FAQ answer states: "You can just lay it flat on a table or a shelf. The air flows into the Radon chamber as usual." https://support.airthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001097069-Can-I-just-lay-the-unit-flat-on-its-back-side-

Manufacturer	Airthings
Part number	223
Item Weight	99.8 g
Product Dimensions	11.94 x 6.86 x 2.54 cm; 99.79 g
Batteries	1 AA batteries required. (included)
Item model number	223
Size	1 Pack
Color	black
Style	Corentium Home Radon
Power source type	Battery Powered
Item Package Quantity	1
Included components	Radon sensor, 3 AAA batteries
Batteries Included?	Yes
Batteries Required?	Yes
Battery Cell Type	Alkaline
Battery life	3 years

Airthings Corentium Home Radon Detector 223 Portable, Lightweight, Easy-to-Use, (3) AAA Battery Operated, USA Version, pCi/L

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