First Alert Radon Gas Test Kit, RD1

Chances are if you are reading reviews for a carbon-based Radon test kit, you already have a general idea of how they work and what they test for. This test kit comes in a small box, it contains a sealed tray of a charcoal-like substance that you sit in the spot where you want to run the test for 48-72 hours. After that time, you put the kit back into the included envelope along with a completed information card, seal it up, and mail it away for testing to a lab. Simple enough.To sum it all up, I was very satisfied with this product from start to finish. Here is my review, focusing on a few key areas that I feel need to be addressed based on reading the product information and other customer reviews:Ease of Use:I found this kit to be as simple to use as it could possibly have been. The only contents of the box are exactly what is necessary. The instructions are short, but thorough enough that they provide you with everything needed to maximize your chances of a successful and accurate test. It goes over the basics of how to use the kit, recommended places to place it, conditions your house needs to be in, etc. Once you've run it for 48-72 hours, you just record the necessary information on the info card, drop it in the envelope, and off it goes to the lab.Hidden/Additional Fees:The price of this kit includes the lab analysis and results reporting, so there are no "hidden" fees. However, the kit gives you the option to pay an additional $10 for "rush processing". I did not opt for this, so I can't comment on how much faster the results would have been, but I assume this would be useful for things like real estate transactions. This test was only for my own information in a house I already own, so speed of results wasn't a top priority for me. The only other potential "hidden" fee is the cost of postage to return the kit. The return envelope states that you must attached 5 first-class postage stamps. So that's a little over $2 of postage required to send the kit in for testing. Not going to break the bank, but I felt it was worth mentioning.Speed of Receiving Results:This is the main area I wanted to focus my review on. There are many other reviews that are complaining about how they sent away their kit and never heard back again, or had a very difficult time interfacing with the lab to get their final results. Like I mentioned above, I sent my kit back without opting for the rush processing service. My test finished on Sunday, January 13th. It was sealed in an envelope and dropped in the mail on the morning of Monday, January 14th. Standard first-class mail. I received my results back in the form of an email with a PDF attachment today, Monday January 21st. Seven days total for results, including the time it spent going from Maryland to Texas in the mail! I couldn't believe it when I received the email. Many others complained of it taking 2-4 weeks to get results, or never hearing back at all. I can only speak for my one experience, but I was extremely satisfied with the speed.Accuracy of Results:I chose to use this carbon-based test kit as a supplement to another kit I had purchased, the Safety Siren Pro Series HS71512 3 Radon Gas Detector. The Safety Siren Pro kit is significantly more expensive, but gives a short term (2 day average) reading as well as a long term (7 day average) reading. I placed both a few feet apart when I ran the test. My Safety Siren digital reader showed a result of .8 pci average over a 7 day test, and the results I received back from this First Alert test kit had a reading of .7 pci. This is extremely close, and made me feel confident that both kits are likely to be accurate.All in all, I rate this product a full five stars based on my experience, and I would have no issue recommending this kit to anyone else looking for a short term radon reading. Follow the simple directions, and you'll be satisfied.

This test was easy to setup, document and ship back. The results were given about 2 days after the lab received them. There is the additional cost for shipping back to the lab that is NOT covered by the purchase of the test. I did two tests 20 ft apart at the same time and they were 0.2 difference. So its pretty accurate. You would think for $15, there would be some discount on shipping or a pre-paid shipping label in the box.

The instructions were clear and thorough. The test we did was accurate and we did receive results right away. It gave us a peace of mind. The shipping took a bit to get to the lab so I was concerned with timing on the results. I was a bit disappointed that we also had to pay for shipping which the cheapest option was $12. I wanted a one stop shop rather than pay for the kit and for shipping. The results were clear and detailed. They gave next steps in the event radon was detected. They explained the numbers and data and its nice to include for buyers if you’re selling your house

They made this so insanely simple and affordable. I got my results within a week of sending them in.

Good price and I have already used the test. Easy to use and should provide fast results.

Instructions are not well explained on how long the kit should stay in place , I did how it said then an email came sayingvit was too long ! It was like 8 days but it says that it could be left longer than 48 hours , So I didn't get a result , plush SHIPPING COST!! the kit is only 15.00 bucks but its. Very expensive to send it to them.Like another customer said I dont even trust the result for the way the package gets sent in ,etc.

I received the test kit with instructions on how to complete the test. They provide you with a paper form to fill out all of the test information, with an optional digital form as well.When attempting to initiate the digital form, their website timed out numerous times. So I filled out the paper form and submitted to them after over 50 hours of testing.I received a notification that my test wasn’t conducted long enough, indicating that I had only tested for 40 hours. I went back and reviewed the physical form I filled out and the technician who transcribed my form into their system noted a completely different end time than what was on the form.Although I completely understand that mistakes happen, my concern is that once they noticed the test wasn’t conducted long enough (supposedly), they didn’t double check the physical form. This doesn’t give me a ton of confidence in their judgement or abilities.

My aunt was diagnosed with Small Cell Carcinoma cancer which is a very aggressive cancer mostly commonly caused by smoking. Since my aunt has never smoked a day in her life and has had limited exposure to second hand smoke, her doctor said it can also be caused by asbestos or radon exposure. I figured it’d be a good idea to be proactive and test the radon levels in my Michigan home’s basement. Thankfully after following the easy directions of this radon test kit, then mailing in my results, the results came back with next to no traces of radon gas detected which has helped bring some peace of mind.