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RADON FUNDAMENTALS AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COATINGS IN REDUCING SOIL GAS FLOW THROUGH BLOCK BASEMENT WALLS
Citation:
Ruppersberger, J. RADON FUNDAMENTALS AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COATINGS IN REDUCING SOIL GAS FLOW THROUGH BLOCK BASEMENT WALLS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-89/205 (NTIS PB90132689), 1989.
Description:
The paper gives results of an evaluation of six different coatings in specially designed chambers built around 1.5 sq m concrete block wall sections. Data were collected over a pressure range of 1-12 Pa with flows from < 0.01 to 50 standard liters/minute (SLPM). The six coatings were a water-based catalyzed epoxy paint, an elastomeric paint, a cementaceous block filler, a surface bonding cement, a polysulfide vinyl acrylic paint, and a latex paint. A preliminary finding is that all six coatings proved to be highly effective (98-plus %)when enough material is carefully applied. Considering both cost and effectiveness, a cementaceous block filler is highly effective, at lowest cost, in a single application. Among the paints, two coats of the water-based epoxy was most effective, although one coat may be adequate. Baseline (uncoated) flows varied by a factor of 2 (12.1 - 23.5 SLPM/sq m) between the two batches of block used for testing that came from a Norm Carolina manufacturer; these varied by an order of magnitude (1.8 SLPM/sq m) from blocks received later from a Minnesota manufacturer. This large variation in a small sampling of blocks is significant not only in the potential impact on coating performance, but also more significantly that specification of blocks with low air permeability for new construction substructures could greatly reduce soil gas entry, even if left uncoated.
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RADON FUNDAMENTALS AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COATINGS IN REDUCING SOIL GAS FLOW THROUGH BLOCK BASEMENT WALLS