Elgin & St. Thomas
Radon testing and mitigation in Port Stanley, Ontario
Port Stanley has changed from a summer town into a year-round community, and its houses have changed with it. Here’s what’s known about radon in Port Stanley, and how to find out about your home.
- Region
- Elgin & St. Thomas
- Population
- about 14,000 (Central Elgin)
- Public health
- Southwestern Public Health
- Local factors
- 4 reasons to test
Is radon a problem in Port Stanley?
Radon can exceed Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in any Port Stanley home. No published local data rules any neighbourhood in or out. Across Ontario, about 1 in 8 homes tested at or above the guideline in the 2024 national survey. Locally, converted cottages and crawlspaces, cracking clay soils and sandy or gravelly soils are reasons to test. A 91-day test is the only way to know your home’s level.
Radon in Port Stanley
Port Stanley has changed from a summer town into a year-round community, and its houses have changed with it. Many cottages have been insulated, heated and lived in through winter, and that’s exactly when radon problems show up.
The ground under Port Stanley
The village sits at the mouth of Kettle Creek, below bluffs of glacial lake clay and silt. Ground near the creek and beach is sandier. The bluffs and creek valley mean many homes are built into slopes, with one wall more exposed to soil than the others.
Port Stanley’s homes
Converted cottages often sit on crawlspaces, block piers or patched slabs that were never designed to keep soil gas out. Once a home is heated and closed up, the stack effect can start drawing radon in. Newer homes on the bluffs and in Belmont and Union follow modern codes but still need testing.
What the data says
Ontario homes at or above Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in the 2024 Cross-Canada Survey, more than double the share found a decade earlier.Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure in the Residential Buildings of Urban and Rural Communities (2024)
Higher average radon exposure for rural residents than urban residents in a 2024 national study of 42,051 homes, mostly linked to drilled wells.Source: Goodarzi et al., Scientific Reports (2024) — rural communities and drilled-well annuli
Roughly how many homes per health region the first national survey (2009–2011) could test. Too few to clear any neighbourhood, which is why public maps can’t tell you about your house.Source: Health Canada — Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes, Final Report (2012)
Local results
Building a real radon picture for Port Stanley
Public radon data for Southern Ontario towns is thin. The national surveys tested only a handful of homes per area. So we’re building our own: anonymized long-term results from homes we test, published by area once there are at least 30, so no single home can be identified and small samples can’t mislead.
Port Stanley: collecting results. Already tested? Check your number and share it anonymously when you book.
Local factors
What can push radon up in Port Stanley
Not a prediction for any single home, just the reasons a test is worth it here.
Cottages and crawlspaces
Lakeshore cottages converted to year-round homes often sit on crawlspaces, piers or patched slabs. Once winterized and heated, they can start pulling in soil gas they never did as summer places.
Clay plains
Dense clay slows soil gas, but it cracks in dry spells. Gas then follows the easiest route: the gravel backfill, weeping tile and utility trenches that lead straight to a basement.
Sandy or gravelly soils
Sand and gravel let soil gas move freely and over longer distances. More of the radon formed in the ground can reach the air around your foundation instead of decaying in place.
Century homes
Fieldstone, rubble and early concrete foundations, earth-floor cellars and open sumps give radon many ways in. Older doesn’t mean safer: these homes still need a test.
Where we work
Port Stanley neighbourhoods and nearby communities
- Port Stanley village
- Little Beach & Main Beach
- Belmont
- Union
- Sparta
- Lynhurst
Nearby: Radon in St. Thomas · Radon in Aylmer
How it works
From test to fix
- Book
Tell us about your Port Stanley home. We reply within one business day.
- Test for 91+ days
A certified technician places long-term detectors on your lowest lived-in floor. You get an early reading at 2 weeks.
- Get your result
Lab-verified average, explained against Health Canada’s guideline.
- Fix it if it’s high
A sub-slab system designed for your foundation, at a fixed price, with results guaranteed.
Questions
Radon in Port Stanley: FAQ
Is radon a problem in Port Stanley?
Radon can exceed Health Canada’s 200 Bq/m³ guideline in any Port Stanley home. No published local data rules any neighbourhood in or out. Across Ontario, about 1 in 8 homes tested at or above the guideline in the 2024 national survey. Locally, converted cottages and crawlspaces, cracking clay soils and sandy or gravelly soils are reasons to test. A 91-day test is the only way to know your home’s level.
How do you fix radon in a home with a crawlspace?
Crawlspaces are usually sealed with a heavy membrane over the soil, with a suction point beneath it connected to a fan. This is sometimes called sub-membrane depressurization. Combined with sealing the crawlspace walls, it works on the same principle as a sub-slab system.
Should I test a cottage I only use in summer?
Radon exposure depends on time spent, so a cottage used a few weeks a year matters less. If you’re winterizing it or planning to live there year-round, test during the heating season once the conversion is done.
Do you offer radon testing and mitigation in Port Stanley?
Yes. We test and mitigate homes throughout Port Stanley, including Port Stanley village, Little Beach & Main Beach, Belmont, Union, Sparta and nearby. Call (226) 271-4667 or book online.
Radon is fixable. First, know your number.
Serving Port Stanley, St. Thomas and Aylmer.