Foundation
Test the house for radon
Every 5 years, in November.
What to do
Put a long-term detector in the lowest level you spend time in and leave it there for at least ninety-one days.
Why it matters
Alberta has some of the highest residential radon in the country, and it has no smell and no symptoms you would notice. The code makes your builder install a capped pipe through the floor precisely because the house may need a fan fitted to it later — a test is the only thing that says whether yours does.
What to look for
- The test runs at least 91 days, through the heating season, with the house lived in normally
- The detector sits in the lowest occupied level, not the crawl space or an unused basement
- The capped pipe through the basement floor is still there, still capped, and still labelled
- Nothing has been cut into that pipe or painted over its labels
Where this comes from
The rough-in is NBC(AE) 2023 9.13.4.2.(2) and its labelling is 9.13.4.3.(3)(b), which exists so a future owner does not defeat it. Read your result against Health Canada's published action level. Five years because a result changes with renovations, a developed basement, or a change to the ventilation.
Catch it while it’s still maintenance.
Domisura keeps this schedule for your house — dated to when things went in, and reminding you when each task comes round. The record stays with the address when you sell.
Start a record for your homeGeneral guidance, not professional advice. For gas, electricity, structure or water, get a qualified trade.