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. Read more

We used this kit, and we found that we have no issue with radon. The directions are clear. It's easy to follow them. We believe that this test is relevant and important. Read more

Easy to use. I think it was accurate. Read more

As a homeowner, testing for radon is essential for peace of mind, and this kit was a fantastic option. It worked well and provided clear instructions, making the whole process straightforward and easy to follow. Setting up the canisters was simple, and the instructions for mailing them back were clear. This kit is a reliable and necessary tool for anyone purchasing a new home or wanting to monitor the levels in their current residence. Highly recommended! Read more

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. Read more

So the kit arrived and I followed the directions to the letter. I then sent in the kit using the provided envelope and waited. After 8 weeks of not hearing anything, I called the First Alert 800 line. They told me I had to call the lab that processes it and gave me the 800 number. I called that number, selected the option to get status and it rolls over to some lady's voice mail. I left a message explaining the situation with all my information. It's now been about a week and still no call back. Nothing. $15 down the drain. I might call First Alert and demand my money back - we'll see how that goes. So, after doing some further reading, here's some more date on Radon testing. One kit won't do it. First off, you really need to test more than just one room in your basement (and house). And, radon levels can vary over the seasons and with different weather (humidity, rain, etc.). So I added it up and figured I needed to buy about 8 test kits (and that's assuming that the company would actually provide results on those kits - which they didn't). Well - I finally decided to just buy a detector by Safety Siren. You plug in the detector and it gives you short term and long term averaged readings. It has an alarm and the nice thing is, I can use it throughout the year and test various places in my house. I paid about $120 (free shipping) and it arrived FedEx in three days. If you do the math, it really is a more cost effective way to test for Radon in your house. It's EPA certified and there are great reviews out there on the Internet for it. So, don't buy this short term test kit. Buy the plug in detector instead. It's more cost effective and you won't go through the aggravation I went through with the First Alert kit. Read more

Giving it a 3 because I assumed the mailing label was included. Once the kit is completed you put it in the mailer to return but there is no return label included which means you have to take it to the post office to determine cost to send back. For $2 extra, just put the return label on the envelope that is included. Much more convenient. Read more