RAD7 RADON DETECTOR

User Manual

Owner__________________________

Serial #______________

SERVICE RECORD

Date Service

It is recommended that the unit be returned to DURRIDGE Company annually, for recalibration.

DURRIDGE Company Inc.

524 Boston Rd
Billerica, MA 01821
Tel: (978)-667-9556
Fax: (978)-667-9557
[email protected]
2011 DURRIDGE Company www.durridge.com
 WARNING

Opening the cover of this instrument is likely to expose dangerous voltages.

Disconnect the instrument from all voltage sources while it is being opened.
Due to battery power, the instrument may still be dangerous.

Using this instrument in a manner not specified by the manufacturer may impair
the protection provided by the instrument.

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................8

1. GETTING STARTED:.............................................................................9
YOUR FIRST DAY WITH THE RAD7 9

1.1 Unpacking ................................................................................................9

1.2 General Safety Instructions ......................................................................9
1.3 Taking a Look ........................................................................................10
1.4 Starting a Two-day Test..........................................................................11
1.5 Starting a Sniff Test................................................................................13

2. BASICS OF RAD7 OPERATION .........................................................15

2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................15
2.1.1 The Key Pad .......................................................................................................................15
2.1.2 Command List ....................................................................................................................15
2.2 Test .........................................................................................................15
2.2.1 Test Status ...........................................................................................................................15
2.2.1a Quick Save-and-Restart......................................................................................................16
2.2.2 Test Start and Test Stop ......................................................................................................17
2.2.3 Test Save .............................................................................................................................17
2.2.4 Test Clear............................................................................................................................17
2.2.5 Test Purge ...........................................................................................................................17
2.2.6 Test Lock .............................................................................................................................18
2.2.7 Test Sleep ............................................................................................................................18
2.2.8 Test Print ............................................................................................................................18
2.2.9 Test Com .............................................................................................................................18
2.3 Data ........................................................................................................18
2.3.1 Data Read ...........................................................................................................................18
2.3.2 Data Print ...........................................................................................................................19
2.3.3 Data Com............................................................................................................................19
2.3.4 Data Summary ....................................................................................................................20
2.3.5 Data Free............................................................................................................................20
2.3.6 Data Delete.........................................................................................................................20
2.3.7 Data Renumber ..................................................................................................................20
2.3.8 Data Erase..........................................................................................................................21
2.4 Setup ......................................................................................................21
2.4.1 Setup Protocol ....................................................................................................................21
 Table 2.4.1 Preset protocols 21
2.4.2 Setup Cycle .........................................................................................................................21
2.4.3 Setup Recycle......................................................................................................................22
2.4.4 Setup Mode .........................................................................................................................22
2.4.5 Setup Thoron ......................................................................................................................22
2.4.6 Setup Pump .........................................................................................................................23
2.4.7 Setup Tone...........................................................................................................................23
2.4.8 Setup Format ......................................................................................................................23
2.4.9 Setup Units..........................................................................................................................23
2.4.10 Setup Savuser......................................................................................................................24
2.4.11 Setup Clock .........................................................................................................................24
2.4.12 Setup Review ......................................................................................................................24
2.5 Special ....................................................................................................24
2.5.1 Special Ident .......................................................................................................................25
2.5.2 Special SPrOn ....................................................................................................................25
2.5.3 Special SPrOff ....................................................................................................................25
2.5.4 Special SetBaud ..................................................................................................................25
2.5.5 Special Status......................................................................................................................25
2.5.6 Special Start .......................................................................................................................25
2.5.7 Special Stop ........................................................................................................................25
2.5.8 Special Comspec.................................................................................................................25
2.5.9 Special ComAll ...................................................................................................................25
2.5.10 Special SPrAll ....................................................................................................................25
2.5.11 Special S-Load....................................................................................................................25
2.5.12 Special Version ...................................................................................................................26
2.5.13 Special Model .....................................................................................................................26
2.5.14 Special Serial......................................................................................................................26
2.5.15 Special Beep .......................................................................................................................26
2.5.16 Special Relays ....................................................................................................................26
2.6 Infrared Printer .......................................................................................26
Alpha Energy Spectrum 27

3. BASICS OF RAD7 TECHNOLOGY: ..................................................28

HOW IT WORKS 28

3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................28

3.2 Radon Decay Chain ...............................................................................28
Radon and Thoron decay chains 29
3.2.1 Radon-222 (Radon) ............................................................................................................30
3.2.2 Radon-220 (Thoron) ...........................................................................................................30
3.3 Continuous Monitors .............................................................................30
3.4 Sniffers ...................................................................................................31
3.5 Working Level........................................................................................31
3.6 RAD7 Solid-State Detector....................................................................32

4
 3.7 RAD7 Spectrum .....................................................................................32
3.8 Windows ................................................................................................33
3.9 Isotope Equilibrium................................................................................34
3.10 Modes: Sniff and Auto ..........................................................................35
3.11 Background ............................................................................................35
3.11.1 Short-lived Radon and Thoron Daughters .........................................................................35
3.11.2 Adsorbed Radon Gas ..........................................................................................................36
3.11.4 Long-lived Radon Daughters .............................................................................................36
3.11.5 Contamination by Radon, or Thoron, Producing Solids ....................................................36
3.11.6 Other Alpha Emitters..........................................................................................................36
3.11.7 Beta and Gamma Emitters..................................................................................................36
3.12 Precision & Accuracy ............................................................................37
3.12.1 Dry operation .....................................................................................................................37
3.12.2 Humidity Correction...........................................................................................................37
3.13 Spectrum Examples ...............................................................................38
3.13.1 Operational Radon Spectra ................................................................................................38
3.13.2 Thoron Spectra ...................................................................................................................39
3.13.3 Combination Spectra ..........................................................................................................40
3.13.4 Pathological Spectra ..........................................................................................................42

4. USING THE RAD7: ...............................................................................44

GOOD OPERATING PROCEDURES 44

4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................44

4.2 Continuous Monitoring ..........................................................................44
4.2.1 Preparation ........................................................................................................................44
4.2.2 Purging ...............................................................................................................................44
4.2.3 Test Location ......................................................................................................................44
4.2.4 Test Protocol .......................................................................................................................45
4.2.5 To Print Or Not To Print ....................................................................................................45
4.2.6 Running the Test .................................................................................................................46
4.2.7 Security and Quality Control..............................................................................................46
4.2.8 Finishing the Run ...............................................................................................................46
4.2.9 Examining the Data ............................................................................................................47
4.2.10 Very Short Term Monitoring ...............................................................................................47
4.3 Sniffing ..................................................................................................47
4.3.1 Why Sniff? ..........................................................................................................................47
4.3.2 Locating Radon Entry Points .............................................................................................47
4.3.3 Preparation ........................................................................................................................48
4.3.4 Purging ...............................................................................................................................48
4.3.5 Running the Test .................................................................................................................48
4.3.6 Drilled Sampling Points .....................................................................................................49
4.3.7 Spot Readings .....................................................................................................................49
 4.4 Grab Sampling .......................................................................................49
4.4.1 Applicability........................................................................................................................49
4.4.2 Preparation ........................................................................................................................49
4.4.3 Protocol ..............................................................................................................................50
4.4.4 Taking the Sample...............................................................................................................50
4.4.5 Analysis ..............................................................................................................................50
4.5 Radon in Water ......................................................................................50
4.5.1 RAD H2O............................................................................................................................50
4.5.2 RAD AQUA.........................................................................................................................50
4.6 Soil Gas Sampling..................................................................................50
4.6.1 Application..........................................................................................................................50
4.6.2 Soil Gas Probe....................................................................................................................51
4.6.3 Preparation ........................................................................................................................51
4.6.4 Running the Test .................................................................................................................51
4.6.5 Interpreting the Data ..........................................................................................................51
4.7 Emission Measurements ........................................................................51
4.7.1 Application..........................................................................................................................51
4.7.2 Open or Closed Loop Configurations ................................................................................51
4.7.3 Bulk Emissions....................................................................................................................52
4.7.4 Surface Emission ................................................................................................................52
4.8 Thoron Measurement .............................................................................52
4.8.1 Thoron and Radon ..............................................................................................................52
4.8.2 Thoron Measurement Issues ...............................................................................................53
4.8.3 Calculation and Interference Correction ...........................................................................53
4.8.4 Avoiding Longer Lived Decay Products .............................................................................53
4.8.5 Decay Correction, Flow Rate, and Thoron Calibration ....................................................54
4.8.6 Calculating Sample Decay .................................................................................................54
4.8.7 Calculating Internal Cell Concentration............................................................................54
4.8.8 Internal Cell Thoron Sensitivity Calibration......................................................................54
4.8.9 Setting up a Thoron Measurement......................................................................................55
4.8.10 Thoron Mode ......................................................................................................................55
4.9 Managing Background ...........................................................................55

5. PC Connection ........................................................................................56
5.1 RS-232 Serial Port .................................................................................56
5.1.1 Capabilities ........................................................................................................................56
5.1.2 Hardware Bridge ................................................................................................................56
5.1.3 Software Bridge ..................................................................................................................56
5.1.4 Applications ........................................................................................................................56
5.1.5 Technical Specifications for the RAD7 ...............................................................................56
5.1.6 Serial Port Output ..............................................................................................................57
5.2 RADLINK..............................................................................................60
5.2.1 Capabilities ........................................................................................................................60

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 5.2.2 Requirements ......................................................................................................................60
5.2.3 RAD7 Remote Command Format .......................................................................................60
5.2.4 Special Keys........................................................................................................................61
5.2.5 Special Commands .............................................................................................................61

6. CAPTURE ...............................................................................................62
6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................62
6.2 Installation..............................................................................................62
6.3 Feature Summary ...................................................................................63
6.3.1 Downloading RAD7 Data ......................................................................................................................63
6.3.2 Graphing and Analysis ...........................................................................................................................63
6.3.3 Real-Time RAD7 Monitoring .................................................................................................................63

7. Maintenance .......................................................................................................64
7.1 Accessories - Usage and Care ................................................................64
7.1.1 Desiccant ............................................................................................................................64
7.1.2 Laboratory drying unit .......................................................................................................64
7.1.3 Small drying tube (small tube)............................................................................................64
7.1.4 Cascading drying tubes ......................................................................................................65
7.1.5 Filters .................................................................................................................................65
7.1.6 Batteries..............................................................................................................................65
7.1.7 Real-time Clock and Non-volatile Memory ........................................................................66
7.1.8 Printer and Adapter............................................................................................................66
7.2 Operating ranges ....................................................................................66
7.3 Service and Repair .................................................................................67
7.3.1 Calibration .........................................................................................................................67
7.3.2 Repair .................................................................................................................................67
7.3.3 Shipping ..............................................................................................................................67
7.3.4 Upgrades ............................................................................................................................67
7.4 RAD7 Quality Assurance.......................................................................68
7.4.1 Spectrum .............................................................................................................................68
7.4.2 Spill Factor .........................................................................................................................68
7.5 RAD7 Specifications .............................................................................68

DURRIDGE Company Inc.

524 Boston Rd
Billerica, MA 01821
Tel: (978)-667-9556
Fax: (978)-667-9557
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.durridge.com
INTRODUCTION

The RAD7 is a highly versatile instrument that can form the basis of a comprehensive radon measurement
system. It may be used in many different modes for different purposes. This manual adopts a progressive
approach, in which there is, first, a simple, step-by-step description of how to get readings for a) real-time
monitoring, and b) sniffing. Next comes a more detailed description of the many features of the
instrument and how to access them. The rest of the manual covers a whole range of topics, in somewhat
arbitrary order. We recommend that, as soon as possible, you read the entire text, just so that you will
have an idea of what there is. While you can start to make good measurements on the first day of
ownership of the RAD7, it can take years to master the subtleties of radon and thoron behavior, and to
appreciate the full capabilities of the instrument.

We have tried to make the manual easy to use, with a useful table of contents. Please let us know how
well we have succeeded. If there are some topics inadequately covered, please tell us. We will issue
updates from time to time.

Points of special note

The RAD7 is a rugged and long-lasting piece of equipment. There are many units still in daily use that
were sold nine years ago or more. However, it is a sophisticated, precision electronic device, and it is not
hermetically sealed, so please treat it with respect. Please do not allow water, other liquids or dirt to get
into the machine. If using it somewhere where it may get splashed, damaged, or exposed to rain, please
protect it.

The batteries are lead-acid technology, like a cars. If left in a discharged state they will lose capacity.
After running the RAD7 on its batteries please recharge them as soon as possible (by plugging in the
unit). With careful use the batteries will last five years or more.

Finally, there is one security feature that is sometimes inadvertently set by an inexperienced, though
authorized, user; namely the key pad lockout. If the key pad ceases to function, and all you see is
DURRIDGE RAD7" on the display, just do the following: Hold down the ENTER and two arrow keys
until you hear a beep, release the three keys and immediately push MENU. You should then be rewarded
by Test on the display. If the tone was set to OFF, then you will not hear the beep, so hold the three
keys down for three to four seconds, before releasing them and pushing MENU, - try hold-down times a
little longer, or shorter, if, at first, you do not succeed.

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 Chapter 1

1. GETTING STARTED:
YOUR FIRST DAY WITH THE RAD7

1.1 Unpacking
If you intend to use the instrument in a harsh
First make sure you have everything youre environment, give it some protection. Even just a
supposed to have. Take the materials out of the transparent plastic bag enclosing the RAD7 (but
packing boxes and see if you have all the items not the air sampling tube) can protect it from
shown below or on the packing list enclosed with splashing mud and water. Allowing the dry air
the shipment. If anything is missing, please call from the RAD7 outlet to exhaust into the interior
DURRIDGE immediately at (978) 667-9556. of the bag will keep the RAD7 in a clean and dry
environment.

1. RAD7 If liquid does get into the machine, please

2. Strap and keys, for case disconnect the power cord, turn off the power
3. Printer and 6 rolls thermal printer paper switch, and return the RAD7 to DURRIDGE for
4. Rechargeable battery charger repair.
5. 5 lb. Desiccant
6. Gas Drying Unit Do not use your RAD7 if the instrument is
7. 4 Drying Tubes damaged or malfunctioning. Please call, or email,
8. Velcro tapes the DURRIDGE service department, who will
9. 1 Dust filter advise what to do about the problem.
10. 6 Inlet filters
11. 3 x 3ft pieces vinyl tubing, with adapters Replace a frayed or damaged power cord
12. DURRIDGE Software CD immediately.
13. Keyspan Adaptor & null modem cable
14. Manuals (RAD7 & Printer) Electrical equipment may be hazardous if
15. Accessories Case misused. Keep away from children.
16. 12 Volt Power Supply
17. 12 Volt Power Cable Do not open or attempt to repair the machine.
18. Adapter for charger power cord (if The detector has an internal high voltage supply
applicable) that can generate more than 2,500V.
19. AC Power Cord
The batteries are Gates Monobloc type
0819-0012, 6V 2.5Ah. There are two installed in
the instrument. They are not user replaceable.
1.2 General Safety Instructions
For your own safety and the proper operation of
RAD7:

DO NOT spill liquids onto the machine.

DO NOT expose operating panel of machine to
rain or any other excess moisture.
DO NOT allow liquid to be sucked into inlet tube.

9
 Chapter 1

1.3 Taking a Look

The RAD7 Professional Electronic Radon Detector

10
 Chapter 1

1.4 Starting a Two-day Test DURRIDGE RAD7

Vers 2.5f 991128
You will need the RAD7 and power cord, the Model 711
Laboratory Drying Unit (the large tube of Serial 00512
desiccant, with a screw cap at one end), an inlet Calib 21-MAY-08
filter (one of the six small filters supplied), the
piece of tubing with a 5/16 ID segment at one Last used
end and a ID segment at the other and the FRI 21-MAY-08 17:30
printer.
Current settings
On first starting up, you will need to set the clock FRI 21-MAY-08 19:09
for your time zone (See Setup Clock). Switch on
the RAD7, push [MENU], then push [] twice. Protocol: 2-Day
You will see Setup on the display. Push Cycle: 01:00
[ENTER], then push [] ten times. You will see Recycle: 48
Setup Clock. Push [ENTER]. Use arrow keys to Mode: Auto
adjust hours, minutes, seconds, day, month and Thoron: Off
year, pushing [ENTER] to confirm each setting. Pump: Auto
Now we are ready to continue. Tone: Geiger
Format: Short
a) Attach the filter to the tubing (push it into the Units: pCi/L C
end with the insert).
b) Carefully remove both plastic caps from the m) Push [MENU], [ENTER], []. You should
Drying Unit (you will need them later, to reseal see on the LCD display: Test Start
the unit). Attach the sleeved end of the tubing to n) Push [ENTER]. The pump will start running.
the tube fitting, on the Drying Unit, farthest from On the LCD display you will see something like:
the screw cap. 0101 Live Sniff
c) Attache the filter to the Inlet port of the 00:59:37 00001
RAD7. The air sampling system is now set up for
the measurement. You are now monitoring the radon level right
d) Plug in the RAD7 and switch on. where you are. Every hour, the printer will print
e) Push [MENU], [ENTER], then push [] four out a reading something like this:
times. You should see on the LCD display: Test
Purge. 0102 2.69 " 0.73 p Sniff
f) Push [ENTER]. The pump should start. FRI 21-MAY-08 19:41
g) Set up the printer (insert paper and batteries - 26.8 C RH: 7% B:7.06V
see manual).
h) Place printer between green lines on face Where 0102 are the run (01) and cycle (02)
plate (See photo, section 1.3). numbers, 2.69 is the measured radon
I) After purging for some time (normally, at concentration, 0.73 is the STATISTICAL
least five minutes), push [MENU], and [] two uncertainty, p indicates the units (in this case pCi/
times, you will see: Setup on the display. L), and Sniff shows that, for this reading, only the
j) Push [ENTER] twice, then push either arrow Po-218 decays are being counted (after three
key repeatedly until you see: hours, the mode changes automatically to
Protocol: 2-Day on the display. Push [ENTER]. Normal). The second line is clearly the date and
k) With Setup on the display, push [ENTER], time, while the third shows the temperature and
then [] seven times, to see Setup Format on the humidity inside the measurement chamber, and
display. Push [ENTER] then use arrow keys to the battery voltage. Medium and Long format
select Format: Short. Push [ENTER]. settings print more information each cycle.
l) Switch off the RAD7. Switch on the printer,
now switch the RAD7 back on. The printer will
print out something like the following:

11
 Chapter 1

If you allow the RAD7 to complete a run, it will

print out a summary of the entire run, including:

1. Date and time

2. Machine serial number
3. Average value for the test
4. Bar chart of the individual readings, and
5. Cumulative alpha energy spectrum.

In the example shown it may be seen that the

average level was 3.71 pCi/L, or 137 Bq/m3.

To terminate the run early, you may switch off the

RAD7. The data collected, to the end of the last
completed cycle, is automatically stored in the
RAD7 memory, and available for later display,
printing or download to a PC. If you wish to store
the last, incomplete cycle data as well, use Test
Save before switching off the RAD7. When you
do this, the end-of-run printout does not take
place. The summary is stored in memory and
may be printed at any time, except that the
cumulative spectrum, which would have been
printed out at the end of the run, is lost.

End-of-Run Printout

12
 Chapter 1

1.5 Starting a Sniff Test l) Switch off the RAD7. Switch on the
printer, now switch the RAD7 back on. The
Sniffing lets you make quick, qualitative surveys printer will print out something like the following:
of radon and thoron levels. It may be used to
search for radon entry points. There are some DURRIDGE RAD7
advantages in sniffing for both thoron and radon Vers 2.5f 991128
at the same time, so that is the procedure Model 711
described here. Serial 00512
Calib 21-MAY-08
You will need the same equipment as for the 2-
day test, above, except that a small drying tube Last used
should be used, instead of the laboratory drying WED 23-MAY-08 17:30
unit. Also, for portability, you may remove the
external power from the RAD7, and run both the Current settings
RAD7 and the printer on their batteries. FRI 25-MAY-08 19:09

If you have not already done so, set the clock, as Protocol: Thoron
described above. Cycle: 00:05
Recycle: 00
a) Attach the filter to the tubing (push it into Mode: Sniff
the end with the ID segment). Thoron: On
b) Carefully remove both plastic caps from Pump: Auto
the small drying tube (you will need them later, to Tone: Geiger
reseal the unit). Attach the 5/16 ID end of the Format: Short
tubing to one end of the tube. Units: pCi/L C
c) Attach the filter to the Inlet port of the
RAD7. Make sure it is firmly fit onto the inlet. m) Push [MENU], [ENTER], []. You
The air sampling system is now set up for the should see on the LCD display: Test Start
measurement. While testing, you can use the n) Push [ENTER]. The pump will start
small drying tube as a wand, to collect your air running. On the LCD display you will see
sample from the location of interest. something like:
d) Plug in the RAD7 and switch on.
e) Push [MENU], [ENTER], then push [] 0201 Live Sniff
four times. You should see on the LCD display: 00:04:37 00001
Test Purge.
f) Push [ENTER]. The pump should start. You are now sniffing for thoron and radon. Every
g) Set up the printer. five minutes, the printer will print out a reading
h) Place printer between green lines on the something like this:
face plate (See photo, section 1.3).
I) After purging for a few minutes push 0203 2.69 " 2.83 p Sniff
[MENU], and [] two times, you will see: Setup 1.68 " 2.15 p Thoron
on the display. FRI 21-MAY-99 19:41
j) Push [ENTER] twice, then push either 26.8 EC RH: 7% B:7.06V
arrow key repeatedly until you see:
Protocol: Thoron on the display. Push [ENTER]. Where 0203 are the run (02) and cycle (03)
(See section 2.4.5 for difference between Thoron numbers, 2.69 is the measured radon
and Sniff protocols). concentration, 2.83 is the STATISTICAL
k) With Setup on the display, push uncertainty, p indicates the units (in this case pCi/
[ENTER], then [] seven times, to see Setup L), and Sniff shows that, for this reading, only the
Format on the display. Push [ENTER] then use Po-218 decays are being counted. The second
arrow keys to select Format: Short. Push line is the measured thoron concentration and
[ENTER]. uncertainty. The third line is now the date and
time, while the fourth shows the temperature and
humidity inside the measurement chamber, and

13
 Chapter 1

the battery voltage. Medium and Long format minute cycle is as good as any other.
settings print more information each cycle. Thoron will only be found very close to radon
entry points. That, together with its fast response,
Note that the Po-218 has a 3-minute half life. makes thoron sniffing an excellent sleuth for
After moving to a new location, it will take about radon entry points.
15 minutes for the count rate to reach equilibrium
with the new radon concentration. So not until To terminate the run any time, you may switch off
after the third 5-minute cycle will the reading the RAD7. The data collected, of completed
indicate the new level. However, the thoron cycles, is stored in the RAD7 memory, and
daughter, Po-216, has a very short half life (150 available for later display, printing or
ms), so the response of the RAD7 to thoron is downloading to a PC.
virtually instantaneous. For thoron, the first 5-

14
 Chapter 2

2. BASICS OF RAD7 OPERATION

2.1 Introduction 2.2 Test
2.1.1 The Key Pad The Test group of commands controls the
collection of radon data and allows you to
The RAD7 is operated through a four-key menu- manipulate the current test (test-in-progress). You
driven interface. These four keys allow you to can start and stop data collection, save or clear the
look at the commands, select one, and then do it. current test, or print the current test as it stands.
(The Test commands do not allow access to stored
Menu Key data. You have to go to Data for that.)

Press [MENU] and you see the menu prompt (>) 2.2.1 Test Status
and the word Test:
To see the status display, enter the Test Status
>Test command. Press [MENU], [ENTER], [ENTER]

Arrow Keys On the LCD display, you will see:

Press the forward and backward arrow keys to go 0501 Idle Sniff
through the available options. To advance quickly 00:30:00 00000
through the options, hold down the key so that it
"auto-repeats." On the upper left, you see the current run number/
cycle number (0501 - run 05, cycle 01.).
The arrow keys allow you to move right and left
through the various commands, looking for the The middle shows the detector status (Idle or
action you want. Live), and the upper right gives the current test
mode (Sniff, Normal or Grab). (Note that in
Enter Key AUTO mode, the indication will change from
Sniff to Normal after three hours of measurement.
When you have decided on a certain menu option,
you select it by pressing [ENTER]. The enter key Lower left shows the count-down timer (00:30:00
tells the RAD7 that you have made your selection. = 30 minutes) which counts down to zero when
You are telling it what you want it to do. the detector is Live (i.e., a test is in progress).
The lower right shows the total number of counts
The enter key makes it happen. since the beginning of the current cycle.

2.1.2 Command List The arrow keys may now be used to access
additional status information.
The RAD7 command list has four command
groups: Test, Data, Setup and Special. The Test Press once, and you will see something like
group of commands controls the collection of new this:
radon data. The Data group retrieves data from
memory, outputs them, and gets rid of old, Last reading:
unwanted data. The Setup group prepares the 0409 1.80 " 0.74 p
RAD7 to operate according to your requirements.
The Special group is a set of commands that are The lower left is the run number (2 digits) and
available when RADLINK, the remote control cycle number (2 digits) of the last completed
software, is loaded. cycle stored to memory.

The lower right is the radon reading and statistical

uncertainty, followed by "p", indicating

15
 Chapter 2

picoCuries/liter, or "b" for Becquerels/cubic cause this value to rise. Excessive leakage current
meter. will result in "noise" in the lower energy end of
the spectrum, and will also cause broadening
When a cycle ends, the information on this of the alpha peaks.
display is updated. If there have been no readings
yet, the display will show The lower right corner is the signal voltage from
No readings yet. the analog circuit. This number should be
"stable"; that is, fluctuations should be no more
Press once again, and now you will see than " 0.05V from the average value.
something like this:
Press yet again, and you will see something
24.8C RH:3% like this:
B: 6.36V P: 00mA
w | cpm | +/- | %tot
Top left is the internal temperature. (To change A | 6.0 | 4.3 | 48.8
from Celsius to Fahrenheit, see Setup Units.)
This is the display for the A window data. You
Top right shows the internal Relative Humidity may press to advance to B, C, D, etc.
reading. When testing, maintain this value at 10%
or less, by using the desiccant. The RAD7 records 8 windows (A - H) every time
you make a measurement. They separate counts
Bottom left is the battery voltage. This should due to daughters of radon and thoron, and the
range from about 6.00V to 7.10V. A discharged background. Specific alpha particles end up in
battery (less than 6.00 ) should be recharged as specific windows.
soon as possible. A fully charged battery will rest
at 6.40 to 6.50 V. During a recharge, the voltage W: The window letter.
will eventually rise above 7.00 V. At no time cpm: The counts per minute observed in the
should this read higher than 7.20V. window.
In the lower right is the pump current. This +/-: The statistical uncertainty of the cpm value,
number should vary from 00mA (pump off) to also in units of cpm.
80mA. When the pump is running with a light %tot: The number of counts in the window as a
load, the current will range from 40-70mA. When percentage of the total counts in the spectrum.
the pump is running with a heavy load (clogged This tells you quickly where the majority of the
filter or blocked hose), the current will go to counts are: In the 3-minute radon peak (window
90mA or higher. Pump currents above 90mA are A), or the long-lived radon peak (window C), etc.
considered a sign of trouble. Try changing the
filters and check for blockage. As always, you press the [MENU] key to exit this
display and return to the start of the menu.
Press again, and you will see something like
this: 2.2.1a Quick Save-and-Restart

HV: 2218V, 10% This function allows the user to end a sniff test,
L: 02 S: 0.21V store it to memory, and start up a new sniff test,
all using a single key. It operates only from the
This is a display of diagnostic values. Ordinarily SNIFF mode.
it will be of little interest to you.
From the status display (showing the countdown
The top line is the high voltage reading and duty timer), press the ENTER key once. The display
cycle. The range of normal values is from 2000 will show:
to 2500V, and from 8% to 18%.
Save and restart
The lower left corner is the leakage current. At ? Yes
room temperature, this value will normally range
from 0 to 10. Higher temperatures ordinarily

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Press the ENTER key once more to confirm your memory as if it had reached completion. Test
intention. To escape, push the MENU key or Save completes the current run, so any subsequent
push an arrow key to select No and push test data will be stored as a new run. The display
ENTER. momentarily shows the run and cycle number in
the form of 0101 Saved. This command may be
2.2.2 Test Start and Test Stop accessed whether the status is Live or Idle. It
always leaves the status Idle.
To start testing (or "counting"), after you have
chosen the required setup, go to >Test Start by You will find this command especially useful
pressing [MENU], [ENTER], [], and then when you wish to move the instrument to another
[ENTER]. location without waiting for the countdown to
The display will indicate that counting has begun: reach zero, but without losing that last incomplete
Start counting. cycle. The calculated radon concentration from
the incomplete cycle is still good.
One second later, the Status display will appear
with the countdown timer in motion: 2.2.4 Test Clear

0501 Live Sniff The >Test Clear command causes counting to be

00:29:37 00001 suspended and the current run to be completed
without saving the last (suspended) incomplete
When the countdown reaches zero, the RAD7 will cycle. Subsequent test data will be stored as a
automatically calculate the radon concentration, new run. You must answer Yes to the question Are
store (or "save") the counts to memory, and clear you sure? in order to activate this command.
the counters to begin a new cycle.
This command may be accessed whether the
To interrupt the measurement, go to >Test Stop status is Live or Idle. It always leaves the status
by pressing [MENU], [ENTER], [], [ENTER]. Idle.

The display will respond: 2.2.5 Test Purge

Stop counting The >Test Purge command suspends counting and

begins purging the detector. The pump begins
After one second, the display will go back to the running and the high voltage circuit turns off in
top of the menu >Test. order to clear the sample chamber of radon gas
and daughters as quickly as possible. You must
You may wish to examine the Status display to provide clean, desiccated, radon-free air to the
verify that the status is Idle. inlet in order to push out any radon that was
previously sampled. Outdoor air is usually
To resume testing from exactly the same point in adequate for this purpose.
the cycle where you stopped, select >Test Start as
described above. As always, use the inlet filter and drying tube.
Ten minutes is usually sufficient for bringing the
Note that Stop does not terminate the run, it is a background down after exposure to moderate
pause. If you do not wish to resume testing from amounts of radon.
the same point, you should select either >Test
Save or >Test Clear before continuing. This will In order to dry out the RAD7 without using up
terminate the suspended test, store it to memory much desiccant, connect the hoses from the
(Save) or wipe it out (Clear), and clear the RAD7 to the drying unit, as a loop. When the
counters to begin a new run. pump runs, the same air will circulate repeatedly
through the desiccant. This procedure will
2.2.3 Test Save efficiently remove residual moisture from the
RAD7. This does not introduce any fresh air, and
The >Test Save command suspends counting and so does not change the radon level in the
saves the suspended test (test-in-progress) to instrument, but you can make a measurement of

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the background while it is set up in this

configuration. Spectrum output is available by selecting >Setup
Format Long beforehand.
To end the purge, answer Yes to the question Stop
purge? which appears on the display. If you wish to abort printing, press the menu key.
Alternatively, you may push [MENU] to end the The run number and cycle number that ordinarily
purge. appear on printed data are replaced by 0000 to
signify that the cycle is not completed.
2.2.6 Test Lock
2.2.9 Test Com
If you push [ENTER] when this is displayed, it
will lock the key pad. The LCD display will just The >Test Com command outputs the results for
show: an incomplete test cycle to the serial port.

DURRIDGE RAD7 If you wish to abort output, press the menu key.
The run number and cycle number that ordinarily
Nobody will be able to unlock the key pad, unless appear with the data are replaced by 0000 to
they know the secret. signify that the cycle is not completed.
If the key pad was locked during a measurement,
then the readings will continue as normal, with 2.3 Data
the RAD7 recording all the data, until the end of
the run. The Data group of commands retrieves data from
memory, displays it, prints it, reports it
Switching the unit off, while locked, will stop the graphically, and outputs it to the serial port. The
measurement, but the key pad will still be locked Data group also includes commands for managing
when the RAD7 is switched on again. memory. The memory will hold the data for
1,000 cycles, in up to 100 runs
To unlock the key pad, hold the [ENTER] and
both arrow keys down, all together, for 3 - 4 Many commands in the Data group require you to
seconds, or until the unit beeps, then release the enter a two-digit run number after the command.
three keys and push [MENU] immediately. The "default" run number (the one automatically
set if you do nothing) is the run number of the last
2.2.7 Test Sleep complete cycle of data stored. The arrow keys
allow you to select any other run number.
The >Test Sleep command allows you to turn off
most of the electronic circuits, with the power 2.3.1 Data Read
switch on, in order to conserve battery charge. A
fully charged RAD7 should be able to "sleep" for Select >Data Read followed by a two-digit run
about one week on batteries alone. Press the menu number, to examine radon readings from that
key to "wake up" the RAD7. particular run. For example, select >Data Read
01 to examine readings from run number 01, the
The Sleep function was for older models that did first test in memory.
not have the Real Time Clock (RTC) and Non-
Volatile Memory (NVRAM) options. New and You will see something like this:
upgraded instruments may be shut down
completely, power switch off, without losing any 0101 23.3 " 1.54 p
stored data or clock. 11:45 19-MAY-99
2.2.8 Test Print Line 1 is the run/cycle number followed by the
radon concentration, uncertainty, and unit
The >Test Print command calculates results for an indicator. This example shows:
incomplete or suspended test cycle and prints Run 01, Cycle 01, 23.3 " 1.54 pCi/L.
them according to the print format that is
currently set.

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 Chapter 2

Line 2 is the time (24-hour military time) and date D: 0.01"0.02 cpm 0.9%
the reading was completed. O: 0.04"0.03 cpm 3.6%

Press [] to advance to the next reading in Lines l, 2 and 3 are the same as in Short format,
memory; press the backward arrow to go back to as outlined above. Line 4 is the total number of
the previous reading. counts detected during the cycle.

To quit examining data, press [ENTER] or Line 5 is the livetime, the time that the detector
[MENU]. was actively collecting data.

Note that large numbers are presented in Lines 6 through 10 are the windows data for
shorthand notation. The symbol K stands for windows A, B, C, D, and O. (O is the
1,000 and M stands for 1,000,000. For consolidated window for "others", or counts that
example, 33K2 stands for 33,200. are not included in windows A through D.)

2.3.2 Data Print Each line of windows data contains the window
letter (A, B, C, etc.) followed by the window's
To print out a run of data from memory, select counts per minute (cpm), statistical uncertainty of
>Data Print followed by the two-digit run number. the counts per minute, and percent of the total
For example, to print the data from run number counts included within that window.
05, select >Data Print 05.
NOTE: The RAD7 does not store spectra from
If the printer format has been set to Short, the old cycles, so no spectra will print from memory
following printout will be made for each cycle of even if the printer format is Long. If you need a
the run: spectrum, be sure you print while the test is still
running.
0501 2.69 " 2.83 p Sniff
FRI 21-MAY-99 19:41 If no data are available to print, the RAD7 will
26.8 EC RH: 7% B:7.06V beep and display No tests stored.

Line 1 is the run/cycle number, the radon To abort a printout, press the menu key, then press
concentration, the uncertainty, the units indicator the printer paper advance button.
(p=picoCuries per liter, B=Becquerels per cubic
meter), and the mode indicator. 2.3.3 Data Com

Line 2 is the date and time that the cycle was The RAD7 has an RS232 port that can transfer
completed and stored to memory. data to your computer. Status must be Idle.

Line 3 is the temperature (in either "C" Celsius or To send a run of data to the serial port, select
"F" Fahrenheit), relative humidity (internal), and >Data Com followed by the two-digit
battery voltage at the time the cycle ended. run number. When ready, push [ENTER].

If the printer format has been set to Medium or The following message will appear
Long, then you will see a printout like this for on the display as the data is sent:
each cycle:
Data transfer ...
0501 2.69 " 2.83 p Sniff
FRI 21-MAY-99 19:41 When the data transfer finishes, the RAD7 will
26.8 EC RH: 7% B:7.06V beep.
Total Counts: 42.
Livetime: 27.8min To enable your PC to receive data, appropriate
A: 0.53"0.08 cpm 47.3% software should be running. A terminal emulation
B: 0.02"0.02 cpm 1.7% program, or CAPTURE, the data link software
C: 0.52"0.08 cpm 46.4% provided with the RAD7, may be used. See the

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chapter on Data Communication, Chapter 5, for 910 cycles free.

more detail.
The RAD7 can store up to 999 cycles of data. As
2.3.4 Data Summary the memory fills with data, the Data Free
indicator decreases. If the Data Free indicator
To print a summary report and time graph of a reaches 000, any subsequent attempt to store data
run's data, select >Data Summary followed by the to memory will result in a "memory full" error.
two-digit run number. The following information
will be printed: Keep your eye on this indicator to avoid
embarrassment! When the amount of free
Run 31 memory gets uncomfortably low (i.e. 200 or less),
Begin 01-Jun-99 12:49 consider deleting un-needed old data to open up
Serial 00500 space for new data. See Data Delete and Data
Cycles = 048 Erase.
Mean: 0.77 pCi/l
S.D.: 0.27 pCi/l 2.3.6 Data Delete
High: 1.41 pCi/l
Low: 0.20 pCi/l To delete an entire run of data, select >Data
Delete followed by the two-digit run number.
where:
Line 1 is the run number. The display will prompt you for confirmation:
Line 2 shows the date and time of the first
reading. Delete run 31?
Line 3 is the serial number of the instrument. No
Line 4 is the number of completed cycles in the
run. Press to find Yes, then press [ENTER] to delete
Line 5 is the arithmetic mean (or "average") of the the run's data from memory and free the space for
radon concentrations recorded. new data. No other run's data will be affected.
Line 6 is the standard deviation of the readings
taken during the run. After deletion of a run's data, any attempt to
Lines 7 and 8 are the highest and lowest radon retrieve the data will result in a No tests stored
concentrations. message. The main purpose of the Data Delete
command is to selectively free up memory space
Following Line 8 is a bar graph of radon for new tests. Do not confuse Data Delete with
concentration through time. Time-of-day is Data Erase, which wipes out all runs of data from
printed along the left-hand edge of the graph. If memory. See also Data Free, Data Renumber, and
there is only one cycle of data, the bar graph will Data Erase.
not print.
2.3.7 Data Renumber
This printout procedure has been programmed
into several protocols. When you choose one of Select >Data Renumber to renumber remaining
the pre-programmed protocols, this report is runs into consecutive order after deleting one or
printed out automatically at the end of the run, more runs. This allows you to free up run
together with a cumulative spectrum. numbers for new runs to be added, which is
necessary when the run number approaches 99.
2.3.5 Data Free
Say you have used all 99 runs and you wish to
To determine the amount of free memory clear out some space for new runs. Furthermore,
available for storing new radon readings, select you have decided that you no longer need the data
>Data Free, and push [ENTER]. from runs 01 to 10. Delete these runs using Data
Delete. Now select >Data Renumber to renumber
For about two seconds, the display will look runs. Runs 11 to 99 become runs 01 to 89, leaving
something like this: 90 to 99 free to take new data.

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The Data Renumber command does not free up Table 2.4.1 Preset protocols
memory space, only run numbers. The 999 cycle
memory limit remains whether or not all 99 runs Cycle Recycle Mode Thoron Pump
have been used. Sniff 00:05 0 Sniff Off Auto
2.3.8 Data Erase 1-day 00:30 48 Auto Off Auto
2-day 01:00 48 Auto Off Auto
Select >Data Erase only if you wish to completely Weeks 02:00 0 Auto Off Auto
wipe all data from the entire RAD7 memory.
Data Erase deletes all runs and resets the current User xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx
run/cycle number to 0101. Grab 00:05 4 Sniff Off Grab
Wat-40 00:05 4 Wat-40 Off Grab
Select >Data Erase. The RAD7 will ask for
confirmation: Wat250 00:05 4 Wat250 Off Grab
Thoron 00:05 0 Sniff On Auto
Erase all Tests? No

Press to find Yes. Press [ENTER] to complete A Recycle number of 00 indicates indefinite test
the erasure. Use with caution! length. The test ends only if the operator
intervenes, or if the RAD7 memory fills.

2.4 Setup 2.4.2 Setup Cycle

The Setup group of commands configures the How long a test do you want, and how often do
RAD7 to perform tests according to your needs. you want the RAD7 to take a reading (a cycle)?
The RAD7 remembers all Setup parameters when A typical radon test is made up of many cycles.
it is turned off, so access the Setup commands
only to change parameters. Select >Setup Cycle to adjust the Cycle time, or
integration time, for a single radon reading. The
Setup includes a 1-step >Setup Protocol command Cycle time can be adjusted anywhere from two
to configure the most frequently used parameters minutes to 24 hours. For continuous monitoring,
(Cycle time, Recycle number, Mode setting, and the Cycle time is usually 30 minutes or longer.
Pump setting) according to preset "protocols". For radon sniffing, the Cycle time is usually 5 or
These standard preset protocols include (None), 10 minutes. For thoron sniffing, the cycle time
Sniff, 1-day, 2-day, Weeks (that is, indefinite), may be as little as 3 minutes.
User (which lets you preset your own), Grab,
Wat-40 and Wat250 (for use with the RAD H20), Upon selection of >Setup Cycle, push [ENTER]
and Thoron. and you will see something like this:

The special command >Setup SavUser defines the Cycle: 00:30

user protocol according to the current parameter
settings. First, select the number of hours (00 to 23), and
press [ENTER]. Then select the number of
2.4.1 Setup Protocol minutes (00 to 59) and press [ENTER].

Select >Setup Protocol to automatically load in a Remember that a run includes many cycles in
group of predefined Setup parameters under one sequence, and the total duration of the radon test
of the standardized protocols, or the User is determined by the Cycle time multiplied by the
protocol. If you do not wish to select a protocol, number of cycles, or Recycle number. To adjust
you may abort the command by pressing the the Recycle number, use the >Setup Recycle
menu key, and no parameters will be changed. command.

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2.4.3 Setup Recycle continuous measurement. This allows time for

the equilibrium of the longer-lived radon daughter
How long a test do you want, and how often do isotopes. The earliest part of the run will have the
you want the RAD7 to take a reading (a cycle)? benefit of the SNIFF modes quick response,
You determine the length of your test by choosing while the latter parts of the run will benefit from
both the length and number of cycles. If you the NORMAL modes superior statistical
make a reading every 30 minutes, you will need precision.
48 cycles to get a 24-hour test. In this case, 48 is
the Recycle number. We recommend that the AUTO mode be used for
all screening tests and any tests to measure the
Use >Setup Recycle to set the total number of average concentration over a period of time. With
cycles in a complete run. Multiply Cycle time by the AUTO mode there is no need to throw away
Recycle number to determine the total duration of the first three hours of data, or to calculate
the run. adjustments to correct for disequilibrium. The
mean concentration reported in the run summary
Select >Setup Recycle. Push [ENTER] should accurately reflect the actual mean. SNIFF
and you will see something like this: mode should be used where the goal is to follow,
and measure, rapid changes in the radon
Recycle: 48 concentration.

Use the arrow keys to change the Recycle Wat-40 and Wat250 make calculations of the
number, and press [ENTER] to complete the radon concentration in 40 ml and 250 ml water
selection. Recycle number may be set from 00 to samples, respectively. They require the RAD H20
99. water accessory kit to aerate the water under the
controlled conditions necessary for these
If 00 is selected, then the number of cycles is calculations.
assumed to be infinite. Select 00 if you want the
RAD7 to collect data indefinitely, or to go beyond 2.4.5 Setup Thoron
the 99th cycle. After the 99th cycle, the RAD7
will then simply start a new run, and continue Select >Setup Thoron. Push [ENTER] and you
collecting data. Data collection will stop only will see:
when the operator intervenes, or when the
memory completely fills up. Thoron: Off

2.4.4 Setup Mode Use the arrow keys to toggle between On and Off,
and press [ENTER] to complete the selection.
Select >Setup Mode to change the RAD7 mode of
operation. Five modes are available: Sniff, Auto, With Thoron On, the calculated thoron
Wat-40, Wat-250, and Normal. concentration will be printed during continuous
data logging, or in subsequent printing of data.
SNIFF mode is used when you want to follow Also, if the pump is in AUTO mode, it will be
rapid changes of radon concentration. In SNIFF directed to pump continuously during the thoron
mode, the RAD7 achieves rapid response to measurement.
changing radon levels by focusing on the 3-
minute polonium-218 alpha peak, calculating the Note that the thoron calculation assumes a
radon concentration on the basis of this peak standard setup for the measurement. A small
alone. drying tube, three feet of vinyl tubing, and the
inlet filter, should be used. Typically, the small
In NORMAL mode, the RAD7 achieves higher drying tube is held in the hand, and used as a
statistical precision by counting both wand. If the laboratory drying unit is used instead
polonium-218 and polonium-214 alpha peaks. of the small drying tube, it creates additional
sampling delay, which allows more of the thoron
AUTO mode automatically switches from SNIFF to decay before reaching the RAD7, reducing the
mode to NORMAL mode after three hours of

22
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sensitivity of the measurement to about half that 2.4.7 Setup Tone

of the standard setup.
Select >Setup Tone to choose the audible tone
The only difference between Sniff protocol and type. Three settings are available: Off, Chime,
Thoron protocol is that this setting, Setup and Geiger. Off means the beeper remains quiet.
Thoron, is Off in Sniff protocol and On in Chime means the beeper will sound only at the
Thoron protocol (See Setup Protocol, section end of a cycle, and is otherwise silent. Geiger
2.4.1). means the beeper will emit a chirp whenever a
particle is detected, much like the familiar Geiger
2.4.6 Setup Pump counter. But unlike a Geiger counter, the pitch of
the chirp depends on the energy of the alpha
Select >Setup Pump to change the Pump setting. particle. A trained ear can distinguish "old" radon
Four settings are available: Auto, On, Grab, and from "new" radon by the sound of the chirps. The
Off. thoron beep is the highest pitch. In the Geiger
setting, anyone will recognize a radon "gusher" by
Auto means that the RAD7 switches the pump on the rapid-fire chirping the RAD7 produces.
and off according to a predetermined pattern that
allows for sufficient sampling of air while 2.4.8 Setup Format
conserving battery charge and pump wear.
Select >Setup Format to change the way data are
In Auto pump setting, the pump always switches printed out. Four settings are available: Short,
on for 4 minutes at the beginning of a new test Medium, Long, and Off.
cycle to ensure a good initial sample. If the
humidity in the sample cell remains above 10%, Short causes the RAD7 to print results in an
then the pump stays on to allow the cell to dry abbreviated form. Three lines of printed text
out. Then the pump runs for just one minute in contain a cycle's most important data: the run/
every five, until the end of the cycle. cycle number, radon concentration and
uncertainty, units and mode, time and date,
On means the pump is always on, whether the temperature, relative humidity (internal), and
RAD7 is counting (Live) or not (Idle). battery voltage.
Medium and Long printouts include seven
Grab initiates a standard grab sampling sequence additional lines of data: total counts, livetime, and
at the beginning of a run. When you start a new counts per minute for five alpha energy windows.
run with the pump set to Grab, the pump will run These seven lines are the raw data from which the
for exactly 5 minutes. This is followed by a five- radon concentrations shown in the first line of the
minute equilibrium delay, after which the printout are calculated.
counting period begins. The pump does not run at
all during the counting period. As usual, you can The Long format, when printing from a test in
determine the length of the count period by progress (Live) includes a graph of the alpha
multiplying the cycle time by the recycle number. energy spectrum. Since spectra cannot be saved
The total time to complete a test is the pump to long -term memory, the spectrum will not be
sample time (5 minutes) plus the delay period (5 printed when retrieving past data.
minutes) plus the count period. Note that the
Grab, Wat-40 and Wat250 protocols, under Off means that no data will print out at the end of
>Setup Protocol, above, all use this pump setting. each cycle, but the summary and cumulative
spectrum will print at the end of the run (if the
Off means the pump is always off. printer is set up, switched on and has external
power).
Use Auto pump setting for routine radon testing.
The RAD7 has been factory calibrated with the 2.4.9 Setup Units
pump in this setting.
Select >Setup Units to change the measurement
units with which the RAD7 reports radon
concentration and temperature. First, enter the

23
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radon concentration unit (pCi/L = picoCuries per 2.4.11 Setup Clock

liter, Bq/m3 = Becquerels per cubic meter, cpm =
counts per minute, #cnts = number of raw counts). Use >Setup Clock to change time zones, go in or
Next, enter the temperature unit (_F = degrees out of daylight savings time, or to synchronize the
Fahrenheit, _C = degrees Celsius or Centigrade). RAD7 clock with another clock. The Real Time
Clock (RTC) will maintain time-of-day and
PicoCurie is the favored unit of radon activity in calendar date for as long as 10 years, and is
the U.S., while Becquerel is the favored unit in accurate to within one minute per month at room
Europe and Canada. 1 pCi/L equals 37 Bq/m3. temperature.
"Counts per minute" is the direct output of the
RAD7 while "number of raw counts" is the raw Select >Setup Clock to set the time and date
direct output. With livetime, mode, and of the RAD7 clock. You will see:
calibration factor, one can convert from any of
these units to any other, but it is usually easier to Time: 15:05:34
let the RAD7 do the work.
The arrow keys change the numbers. Holding an
The choice is retroactive. Change the unit using arrow key down will cause the numbers to change
the >Setup Units command, then print out the quickly. The cursor (blinking square) will start on
same data. Everything will print as before, but in the hour. Set the correct number with the arrow
the new units. keys, then push [ENTER] to confirm. Do the
same for the minutes and seconds.
2.4.10 Setup Savuser
Next you should see:
Select >Setup SavUser to program the special
User protocol according to the present Setup Date: 13-AUG-91
parameters. You must answer Yes, and push
[ENTER], to confirm that you wish to change the The cursor then moves on to date, month and
User protocol. The purpose of this command is year, in turn. Press [ENTER] after each figure is
to give you an opportunity to customize a set.
protocol according to a set of favorite parameters.
Thereafter, it's a cinch to return to the same set of 2.4.12 Setup Review
parameters; simply select >Setup Protocol User.
The >Setup Review command allows you to
The User protocol has many possible applications. display and print a listing of the current
One RAD7 owner uses her instrument for 3-day instrument settings, including Date and Time,
screening tests. To make the setup easy, she Protocol, CycleTime, Recycle, Mode, Thoron,
programs the User protocol with the parameters Pump, Tone, Format and Units. Thus you can
for a 72-hour screening test. check that the instrument is set up properly, and
To do this, she first sets up all the parameters as confirm this, in hard copy, right on the data
she wants them. She enters 2 hour for the Cycle printout.
time, 36 for the Recycle number, Auto for the
Mode setting, Off for thoron, and Auto for the
Pump setting. 2.5 Special
Finally, to program the User protocol with these Unless you have RADLINK, the remote control
values, she selects >Setup SavUser and answers software, installed in the RAD7, you will see:
Yes to the confirmation question. After that, she
can easily return to the 72-hour protocol by Not installed.
selecting >Setup Protocol User, any time she Install? No
wishes.
Use the arrow keys to toggle between Yes and No.
If you confirm Yes, the RAD7 will sit, waiting for
a data string at the RS232 port. To recover, push

24
 Chapter 2

[MENU]. Note that this facility is normally not The RAD7 remembers the serial port speed when
used for installation, because RADLINK, if you power down. Note that at the highest serial
purchased with the RAD7, or as part of a speed settings the RAD7 may not be able to keep
calibration and upgrade, will be installed at the up with incoming character strings unless the
factory. characters are "paced". An "echo-wait" strategy
will avoid this problem. Also note that the RAD7
If RADLINK is installed already, then >Special recognizes XOFF/XON flow control protocol
opens a menu of special commands available when sending data.
from the keypad of the RAD7. All the
commands, both standard and special, will also be 2.5.5 Special Status
accessible from a remote PC, either directly, or by
modem connection. Gives a snapshot of the RAD7 status page,
including run and cycle numbers, countdown
The following command set are those available timer, last reading, temperature, humidity, and so
with RADLINK version 0252. Earlier versions on. This is basically the same information that
will have a subset of these. you can get with "Test Status", but it gives the
data in one shot and does not continue to update
2.5.1 Special Ident every second.

Output the RAD7 identification sequence, 2.5.6 Special Start

including firmware version, hardware model
number, unit serial number, and last calibration Same as "Test Start"(see 2.2.2 Test Start), but
date. does not go into a continuously updating status
display.
2.5.2 Special SPrOn
2.5.7 Special Stop
Re-direct subsequent output from the infra-red
printer to the serial port. In other words, Same as "Test Stop"(see 2.2.2 Test Stop).
everything that would ordinarily be printed will
shoot out the serial port, but nothing will be 2.5.8 Special Comspec
printed, even when you say "Print". One reason
to use this might be to move the data very quickly Output the current test data, including the counts
into a computer without waiting for the (slow) in all 200 alpha energy bins. These counts can be
infra-red printer link. You can cancel the re- imported into a spreadsheet program and
direction order and restore the use to the infra-red displayed as a graph of the energy spectrum.
printer with the "Special SPrOff" command.
When you turn off the RAD7 and turn it on again, 2.5.9 Special ComAll
it always restores output to the infra-red printer.
(Version 0244/940221 or later) - Output complete
Note that the spectra that would be printed on the set of RAD7 test data (up to 1000 readings) to the
infra-red printer are not sent to the serial port by serial port in comma delimited format.
Special SprOn.
2.5.10 Special SPrAll
2.5.3 Special SPrOff
Output complete set of RAD7 test data (up to
Cancel the printer to serial port re-direction, so 1000 readings) to the serial port in standard,
that output can go to the printer again. readable 24 column printer format, without
affecting the infra-red printer.
2.5.4 Special SetBaud
2.5.11 Special S-Load
Set the serial port bit rate. The following standard
speeds are available: 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, Used to load special software into the RAD7
9600, and 19,200 bps. The other communication through the serial port.
settings are always 8 bit, no parity, and 1 stop bit.

25
 Chapter 2

2.5.12 Special Version

Without batteries, external power will allow the
Output the special extension version number. printer to work normally, except that batteries are
needed to print, properly, the bar chart of the run
2.5.13 Special Model summary.

Output the RAD7 hardware version number. If the printer is placed in position and switched on
before switching on the RAD7, it will print out
2.5.14 Special Serial identity information and a review of the setup,
before the RAD7 goes to >Test. It is good
Output the RAD7 unit serial number. practice to do this if the measurement data are to
be printed out, because it automatically provides a
2.5.15 Special Beep header for the data printout, with instrument
identity and setup:
The RAD7 gives an audible beep tone. Does not
make any sound if the tone setting is "Off".
DURRIDGE RAD7
2.5.16 Special Relays Vers 2.5f 991128
Model 711
Access the RELAYS set of commands. At the Serial 00512
end of every cycle, if the function is enabled, the Calib 21-MAY-99
RAD7 will set or reset two external relays Last used
according to the individually set thresholds and FRI 21-MAY-99 17:30
the measured radon level. The commands consist
of relay1', relay2', enable, and disable. Use Current settings
the arrow keys to scroll between these commands. FRI 21-MAY-99 19:09
Relay1 permits the user to set a level, above
which the RAD7 will turn on relay1, and below Protocol: 2-Day
which it will turn the relay off. Relay2 does the Cycle: 00:60
same for the second relay. Enable causes the Recycle: 48
function to go into effect. Note that the command Mode: Auto
to the relays is sent after the RAD7 has finished Thoron: Off
printing data at the end of the cycle. Disable Pump: Auto
stops the RAD7 from sending any commands to Tone: Geiger
the relays. Format: Short
Units: pCi/L EC

2.6 Infrared Printer

At the end of every cycle, the printer will print the
The RAD7 uses an infrared link to print to the data of that cycle, according to the format setting.
HP printer supplied. The printer should be placed
on the face plate, between the green lines as In short format, it prints:
indicated. The print mechanism uses thermal
technology. Only thermal paper will work. 0102 2.69 " 0.73 p Sniff
Detailed instructions are provided in the HP FRI 21-MAY-99 19:41
printer manual. 26.8 EC RH: 7% B:7.06V

It should be noted that the printer has a time-out With the run and cycle number, radon level, two-
sleep control, which puts the printer out of action sigma uncertainty, units and mode in the top row,
after ten minutes with nothing to print. This date and time in the second, and temperature,
function is there to save batteries, and is humidity and battery voltage in the third.
automatically disabled if external power is
supplied continuously.

26
 Chapter 2

Medium format adds: At the end of a run, the printer will print a
summary, see figure 2 in chapter 1. It will include
Total Counts: 357. an average of the radon concentrations, the high
Livetime: 28.2 min value, low value and standard deviation. These
A: 5.74" 0.98 cpm 45.4% are followed by a bar chart, showing the variation
B: 0.32" 0.29 cpm 2.5% of radon concentration from cycle to cycle
C: 6.13" 1.01 cpm 48.5% throughout the run. Finally, it prints a cumulative
D: 0.00" 0.14 cpm 0.0% spectrum, showing the distribution of energy of
O: 0.46" 0.34 cpm 3.7% all the alpha decays counted during the run. This
spectrum is very informative. It gives a good
Where the lifetime is the actual time spent waiting indication of the condition of the instrument and
for an event, slightly less than the elapsed time. the quality of the measurement. It is a useful
The windows, A, B, C, D, and all the rest, O, habit to look at the cumulative spectrum from
correspond to the different alpha energies in the time to time, just to be sure that it has not changed
spectrum. in character.

Long format adds, to the short and medium

formats, a printed spectrum of the alpha energies,
as shown below.

Alpha Energy Spectrum

27
 Chapter 3

3. BASICS OF RAD7 TECHNOLOGY:

HOW IT WORKS

3.1 Introduction electron, with its negative charge. Thus a beta

decay will increase the atomic number by one and
This chapter deals with a number of fundamental leave the atomic weight unchanged. A gamma ray
facts concerning radon and thoron, their is just a packet of energy, so a gamma decay by
measurement in general and their measurement, itself would leave both the atomic number and
specifically, with the RAD7. It is not necessary to atomic weight unchanged.
master the underlying physics to become
proficient in the use of the instrument, but some A decay chain is a series of distinct
understanding of what is happening is helpful. transformations. A uranium-235 nucleus goes
through a series of 11 transformations to become
It is recommended that the user read the whole of stable lead-207. A thorium-232 nucleus goes
the manual, including this chapter, on first through 10 transformations to become stable
acquiring the instrument, and then again after lead-208. And a uranium-238 nucleus goes
gaining some experience in the field. through 14 transformations to become stable
lead-206.

All three of these natural decay chains include

3.2 Radon Decay Chain isotopes of radon. Radon-219, or "actinon", is a
link in the uranium-235 chain. You will probably
When the earth was formed, billions of years ago, never encounter actinon in indoor air, due to its
there were probably many radioactive elements scarcity and short half-life. Radon-220, or
included in the mix of material that became the "thoron", is part of the thorium-232 decay chain.
earth. Three, of interest, have survived to this You will sometimes encounter thoron in indoor
day, namely uranium-235, uranium-238, and air, particularly near radon entry points, and, more
thorium-232. Each has a half life measured in often, in soil gas. Radon-222, or familiar "radon",
billions of years, and each stands at the top of a is part of the uranium-238 decay chain. You will
natural radioactive decay chain. almost always be able to detect radon-222 in
indoor air, outdoor air, and soil gas.
A radioactive element is unstable. At some
indeterminate moment, it will change to another The radon isotope is the first element, in each of
element, emitting some form of radiation in the the decay chains, that is not a metal. It is, in fact,
process. While it is impossible to predict exactly an inert, or noble, gas. So it can escape any
when the transformation of an individual atom chemical compound its parent (radium) was in,
will take place, we have a very good measure of and diffuse into the air.
the probability of decay, within a given time slot.
If we started with a very large number of atoms of To focus on these inert gases, the thoron and
a radioactive element, we know quite precisely radon decay chains, shown below, are those parts
how long it would take before half those atoms of the thorium-232 and uranium-238 decay chains
had decayed (though we could not identify the that include just these radioactive gases and their
decaying atoms individually, beforehand). This short-lived progeny.
time interval is called the half-life of that
particular element. It may be noted that only alpha decays change the
atomic weight, and then only in steps of four.
A natural radioactive transformation is Thus the atomic weights of all the members of the
accompanied by the emission of one or more of radon-220, thoron, decay chain are divisible by
alpha, beta or gamma radiation. An alpha particle four, while none of the radon-222 are.
is the nucleus of a helium atom. It has two
protons and two neutrons. Thus an alpha decay
will reduce the atomic number by two and reduce
the atomic weight by four. A beta particle is an

28
 Chapter 3

Radon and Thoron decay chains

29
 Chapter 3

3.2.1 Radon-222 (Radon) adversely affects the background of some

instruments (not the RAD7).
Every nucleus of radon-222 eventually decays
through the sequence polonium-218, lead-214, Lead-210 eventually undergoes beta decay to
bismuth-214, polonium-214, and lead-210. With Bismuth-210 which quickly (5 days half-life)
each transformation along this path the nucleus undergoes a further beta decay to Polonium-210.
emits characteristic radiations: alpha particles, Polonium-210 has a half-life of 138 days and
beta particles, or gamma rays, or combinations of decays with a 5.30 MeV alpha particle to
these. The RAD7 was designed to detect alpha Lead-206, which is stable. The 5.30 MeV alpha
particles only, so we will emphasize alpha particle from Polonium-210 creates unwanted
radiation . background in most radon monitors, but not in the
RAD7.
Radon-222 is an inert gaseous alpha-emitter that
does not stick to or react with any materials. It 3.2.2 Radon-220 (Thoron)
has a half-life of 3.82 days. A particular radon
nucleus may decay at any time, but it is most Similarly to radon-222, every radon-220 (thoron)
likely to decay between now and 8 days (two half- nucleus eventually decays through a sequence of
lives) from now. When the radon nucleus decays, 5 transformations to Lead-208. The main
it releases an alpha particle with 5.49 MeV of distinction is the very different half lives
energy, and the nucleus transforms to involved.
polonium-218. The polonium nucleus can never Thoron has a half life of only 55.6 seconds. It
go back to radon again. Polonium atoms are emits a 6.29 MeV alpha particle and transforms to
metals and tend to stick to surfaces they come in polonium-216, which in turn has only a 0.15
contact with, e.g., a dust particle in the air, or a second half-life before emitting a 6.78 MeV alpha
wall, or the inside of your lung! particle and transforming to Lead-212.

Polonium-218 nuclei have a short half-life, only Lead-212 hangs around for a long time, with a
3.05 minutes, which means that most of them will half-life of 10.6 hours. It transforms by beta
decay within 6 minutes of their formation. The decay to bismuth-212, which, in turn, has a half
average polonium-218 nucleus lives for only 4.40 life of 60.6 min.
minutes before it decays (1.443 times the half-life
gives the mean life). Like radon, polonium-218 Bismuth-212 has a 2:1 split, with two thirds
emits an alpha particle when it decays, but with transforming by beta decay to polonium-212 and
an energy of 6.00 MeV rather than radon's 5.49 one third transforming by 6.05 MeV alpha decay
MeV. to thallium-208. The polonium-212 decays
immediately to lead-208, emitting an 8.78 MeV
When polonium-218 decays, it transforms to alpha particle in the process, while the
lead-214, also a radioactive solid. But lead-214 thallium-208, with a half-life of 3 min, undergoes
has a half-life of 26.8 minutes, and it emits beta a beta decay to the same destination, lead-208.
radiation rather than alpha radiation. When
lead-214 decays, it becomes bismuth-214, also a
radioactive solid and a beta emitter. Bismuth-214 3.3 Continuous Monitors
has a half-life of 19.8 minutes, and transforms to
polonium-214 when it decays. There are several types of continuous radon
monitors on the market. Nearly all of these are
Polonium-214 is a bit different. It has a half-life designed to detect alpha radiation, but not beta or
of only 164 microseconds (0.000164 seconds) and gamma radiation. Why? Because it is very
it emits a 7.69 MeV alpha particle when it decays. difficult to build a portable detector of beta or
When polonium-214 decays, it becomes lead-210, gamma radiation that has both low background
which has a half-life of 22.3 years. This means and high sensitivity.
that an average lead-210 nucleus takes 1.443
times 22.3 years, or 32.2 years, to decay. Because
of its long half-life, we usually ignore lead-210 as
a factor in radon measurement, though it

30
 Chapter 3

Three types of alpha particle detectors are 3.4 Sniffers

presently used in electronic radon monitors:
Sniffing means taking quick, spot readings. Thus
1. Scintillation cells or "Lucas cells" you can get a rough idea of the radon level,
2. Ion chambers without waiting for a full, 48-hour, EPA protocol
3. Solid state alpha detectors. test. The technique is often used to locate radon
entry points in a building.
Each of these types has advantages and
disadvantages relative to the others. All of these Any fast-response, continuous radon monitor,
types can be used for low background alpha with a pump, can be used for sniffing. However,
particle counting. there are some factors to consider: One is the rate
of recovery after exposure to high radon levels.
The DURRIDGE RAD7 uses a solid state alpha When the sniffer finds a radon gusher, the whole
detector. A solid state detector is a semiconductor radon decay chain builds up inside the instrument,
material (usually silicon) that converts alpha and the various daughters become well populated.
radiation directly to an electrical signal. One If the sniffer now moves to a low level region, it
important advantage of solid state devices is will take many hours for the lead/bismuth/
ruggedness. Another advantage is the ability to polonium-214 daughters to decay away. In the
electronically determine the energy of each alpha RAD7 this doesnt matter, because, in SNIFF
particle. This makes it possible to tell exactly mode, it looks only at the polonium-218 decays,
which isotope (polonium-218, polonium-214, and ignores the polonium-214 decays left over
etc.) produced the radiation, so that you can from previous sniffs. The polonium-218 has a
immediately distinguish old radon from new three-minute half life, so the RAD7, sniffing for
radon, radon from thoron, and signal from noise. radon, has a 15 minute response time to both
This technique, known as alpha spectrometry, is a sudden increases and sudden decreases in level.
tremendous advantage in sniffing, or grab-
sampling, applications. Very few instruments Unique to the RAD7 is the ability to sniff for
other than the RAD7 are able to do this. thoron. Polonium-216 has a 150 ms half life, so
the instrument response is virtually instantaneous.
A distinction should be made between true, real- The only delay is the time required to put the air
time continuous monitors, and other instruments sample into the measurement chamber, which is
and devices. With a continuous monitor, you are about 45 seconds.
able to observe the variation of radon level during
the period of the measurement. This can Another factor, when sniffing, is the vulnerability
sometimes show big swings in radon (of other instruments) to lead-210 buildup. Only
concentration and may allow you to infer the with the RAD7 can you continue to sample high
presence of processes influencing the level. For levels, without having to worry about increasing
good data, it is important that there be sufficient the background.
counts to provide statistically precise readings.
Devices which give just a single, average reading,
or whose precision is inadequate except after a
long measurement time, are not, in this sense,
3.5 Working Level
continuous monitors.
Radon concentrations are determined by
Another important parameter is background. This measuring the radioactivity of the radon or by
is the reading given by the instrument when there measuring the radioactivity of the radon decay
is no radon in the air sample. For low level products. Instruments that measure radon decay
continuous monitoring, it is necessary that the products in the air are called "working level"
background be extremely low and stable. monitors. Working level monitors sample air
Because of the high quality alpha detector, and through a fine filter and then analyze the filter for
unique, real-time spectral analysis, the RAD7 radioactivity. The radon progeny are metal and
background is vanishingly small, and is immune they stick to the filter and are counted by a
to the buildup of lead-210, which plagues other working level instrument. Radon-222, an inert
instruments. gas, passes through the filter, so it is not counted

31
 Chapter 3

in such an instrument. Therefore, a working level RAD7 uses only the polonium-218 signal to
instrument measures the radon progeny determine radon concentration, and the
concentration (polonium-218, etc.), in the air, but polonium-216 signal to determine thoron
not the radon gas concentration. concentration, ignoring the subsequent and
longer-lived radon daughters. In this way, the
The RAD7, on the other hand, measures radon RAD7 achieves fast response to changes in radon
gas concentration. Radon daughters do not have concentration, and fast recovery from high
any effect on the measurement. The RAD7 pulls concentrations.
samples of air through a fine inlet filter, which
excludes the progeny, into a chamber for analysis.
The radon in the RAD7 chamber decays, 3.7 RAD7 Spectrum
producing detectable alpha emitting progeny,
particularly the polonium isotopes. Though the The RAD7 spectrum is a scale of alpha energies
RAD7 detects progeny radiation internally, the from 0 to 10 MeV. Of particular interest are the
only measurement it makes is of radon gas radon and thoron daughters that produce alpha
concentration. particles in the range of 6 to 9 MeV.
In short, the RAD7 does not measure radon When the radon and thoron daughters, deposited
daughter concentrations (working levels), only on the surface of the detector, decay, they emit
radon gas concentrations. alpha particles of characteristic energy directly
into the solid state detector. The detector
produces an electrical signal. Electronic circuits
3.6 RAD7 Solid-State Detector amplify and condition the signal, then convert it
to digital form. The RAD7 's microprocessor
The RAD7 's internal sample cell is a 0.7 liter picks up the signal and stores it in a special place
hemisphere, coated on the inside with an in its memory according to the energy of the
electrical conductor. A solid-state, Ion-implanted, particle. The accumulations of many signals
Planar, Silicon alpha detector is at the center of results in a spectrum.
the hemisphere. The high voltage power circuit
charges the inside conductor to a potential of 2000 The RAD7 divides the spectrum's 0 to 10 MeV
to 2500V, relative to the detector, creating an energy scale into a series of 200 individual
electric field throughout the volume of the cell. counters, each representing a 0.05 MeV channel.
The electric field propels positively charged Whenever the RAD7 detects an alpha particle, it
particles onto the detector. increments one of these 200 counters by one.
Every so often, the RAD7 manipulates,
A radon-222 nucleus that decays within the cell condenses, prints out and stores data to long-term
leaves its transformed nucleus, polonium-218, as memory. Then it resets all 200 counters to zero,
a positively charged ion. The electric field within and begins the process anew.
the cell drives this positively charged ion to the
detector, to which it sticks. When the short-lived The idealized spectrum of a 6.00 MeV alpha
polonium-218 nucleus decays upon the detector's emitter looks like a single needle-thin spike at
active surface, its alpha particle has a 50% exactly 6.00 MeV.
probability of entering the detector and producing
an electrical signal proportional in strength to the Although the RAD7 approaches this ideal, the
energy of the alpha particle. Subsequent decays actual spectrum shows a broadened peak centered
of the same nucleus produce beta particles, which at or near 6.00 MeV with a characteristic "tail"
are not detected, or alpha particles of different that stretches into lower energy channels.
energy. Different isotopes have different alpha Electronic noise in the detector and amplifier
energies, and produce different strength signals in causes the peaks to widen, while alpha particles
the detector. that enter the detector at glancing angles cause the
tail. Higher than normal operating temperatures
The RAD7 amplifies, filters, and sorts the signals tend to increase electronic noise, and so increase
according to their strength. In SNIFF mode, the the width of the peaks.

32
 Chapter 3

A combination of different alpha emitters appears Each window's function:

on the spectrum as a series of different peaks. For
example, a combination of equal amounts of A. Radon Sniffer Mode counts. The total counts
Po218 and Po214 (as would occur in the case of of alpha particles from the 3-minute, 6.00 MeV,
radon daughter equilibrium) appears as twin alpha Po218 decay.
peaks. One peak (Po218) is centered at 6.00
MeV, while the other (Po214) is centered at 7.69 B. Thoron 1 Window. The total counts in the
MeV. region of the 0.15 second, 6.78 MeV decay of
Po216. This window lies between windows A and
Example spectrum II, section 3.13, is the C of the radon groups and may have some counts
characteristic signature of radon at equilibrium from spill-over from adjacent windows.
with its alpha emitting daughters. We would
expect to see a spectrum like this after several C. Radon Po214 counts. The total counts of the
hours at a constant radon level. The 5.49 MeV 7.69 MeV alpha particles from the decay of the
alpha particle directly emitted by radon-222 does great-great granddaughter of radon, which has an
not appear on the RAD7 spectrum, because it was effective half-life of nearly an hour.
created in the air, not on the surface of the
detector. The radon-222 atom is inert and D. Thoron 2 Window. The total counts in the
electrically neutral, and cannot be attracted to the region of the effective 8.78 MeV decay of Po212,
solid state detector. Only after it decays to which has a half-life of about 10 hours.
polonium-218 does the atom become positively
charged and is thus driven to the detector surface. E. High Energy Window. A diagnostics window
that normally has close to zero counts. If the
The RAD7 spectrum shows radon daughters, but counts in this window are a large fraction of the
not radon itself. Do not confuse the RAD7's counts in A or B or C or D, the RAD7 is probably
spectrum with that of a working level instrument. not working properly.
The alpha peaks may appear the same, but the
RAD7 is really measuring radon gas, not working F. Low Noise counts. A diagnostics window that
level. gives the total counts in the first 10 channels. The
count rate in Window F is a measure of the noise
in the system. The counts may be high if the
3.8 Windows RAD7 is operated at very high temperatures.

The RAD7 groups the spectrum's 200 channels G. Medium Noise counts. A diagnostics window
into 8 separate "windows" or energy ranges. that gives the total count in the region around
Window A, for example, covers the energy range channels 30 to 40. Window G normally has few
of 5.40 to 6.40 MeV. So window A includes the counts, even when Window F shows a high count
6.00 MeV alpha particle from polonium-218. The rate.
first step toward converting raw spectral data to
radon measurement is to add up all the counts in H. High Noise or Po210 Window. The total
each window and divide by the detector counts in the region of the 5.31 MeV alpha
"livetime" or duration of active data collection. particle due to Po210 (polonium-210), the grand-
The RAD7 microprocessor does this task and daughter of Pb210 (lead-210). Since lead-210 (22
stores the results to memory in this form. You can year half-life) results from the decay of the radon
recall and print window data from past progeny we measure, this isotope will build up on
measurements. The RAD7 adds windows E, F, G, the detectors sensitive surface through sustained
and H together to form window O (for "other") measurement of very high radon concentrations,
before storing the data to memory. Spectrum or many years of normal use. This window is not
printouts clearly mark windows A, B, C, and D used in calculating radon levels, so the RAD7 will
with dotted lines. function well even with this isotope present, and
the background will not be affected.

O. Composite window for "Others". The RAD7

groups windows E, F, G, and H together to form

33
 Chapter 3

the composite window O. Window O catches all Now flush the RAD7 with fresh, radon-free air.
the counts that did not go into the major windows The count rate in window A immediately begins
A, B, C, and D. If window O consistently to drop, just as fast as it rose when you first put
receives more than 30% of the total counts, you the radon in. Without radon inside the RAD7,
should inspect the spectrum printout for signs of there is no source to replace the polonium-218
trouble. that decays. So the polonium-218 disappears with
its characteristic half-life of 3.05 minutes.

3.9 Isotope Equilibrium After 3.05 minutes, the count rate in window A is
half of what it was before. After 6.10 minutes, the
Take a RAD7 that is completely clean, with no count rate is half of that, or one-quarter of what it
radon or daughters inside. What does the detector was before. You get the picture. After 10
see? Close to nothing. Less than one alpha count minutes, there are hardly any counts at all in
per hour, due to unavoidable contamination of the window A. Not so for window C, however. The
materials of the instrument's construction. That is spectrum still shows a single strong peak in
the instrument's intrinsic background. It is window C.
ignored by most people as of no consequence.
Intrinsic background may add 0.01 pCi/L to a The peak in Window C takes hours to disappear.
typical measurement, far below the radon After half an hour, the count rate in window C has
concentration of outdoor air (usually 0.10 to 1.00 not even halved. Polonium-214 may have a very
pCi/L). short half-life, but its parents, lead-214 and
bismuth-214, certainly don't. One has a half-life
Now introduce some radon into the RAD7. What of 26.8 minutes, and the other has a half-life of
do you see? At first, maybe nothing. But within a 19.8 minutes. And they are sequential, which
few minutes, you begin to get counts in the A makes matters worse.
window. The RAD7 chirps merrily with each
count. That's polonium-218, a result of the decay After you completely remove the radon, it may be
of radon-222 within the RAD7 sample chamber. a good 3 or more hours before the counts really
die down in window C. We call window C the
For the first 5 minutes or so, the count rate "old radon" window, since it represents counts
increases, then begins to approach a steady level. from radon that was present in the RAD7 an hour
After about 10 minutes, we say that the or more before.
polonium-218 daughter has reached close to
equilibrium with the radon-222 parent. The effects of time in windows B and D, is
similar, but much more pronounced. There is no
Equilibrium is when the activity of the daughter delay in the RAD7 to polonium-216, so the count
stabilizes, neither increasing or decreasing. At rate in window B is always in equilibrium with
this point, nearly all of the counts land in window the thoron gas in the measurement chamber. In
A, and you see a single peak in the spectrum contrast, there is a 10-hour half life in the decay
printout. chain down to polonium-212, so it will take days
for window D to reach equilibrium. Window D
But the total count rate is still increasing, more is, therefore, not counted when sniffing for
slowly now. You begin to see counts appear in thoron.
window C. Just a few, but more and more of
them over the course of the next hour or two. Note however, that for every 66 counts in window
After 3 hours or so, we reach full equilibrium, D, there will be 34 counts in window A. This is
when the activities of all the daughters stabilize. because of the two-way split from Bismuth-212.
Now the spectrum shows the characteristic twin So, in calculating radon concentration, the RAD7
peaks: polonium-218 in window A and corrects the counts in window A for any thoron
polonium-214 in window C. The peaks are of daughters that show in window D.
almost identical size.

34
 Chapter 3

3.10 Modes: Sniff and Auto to change the setting retrospectively.

"Old" radon daughters can be a real pain in the Thus if, on looking at data taken in NORMAL
neck if you can't tell them apart from "new" mode, there is what appears to be a rapid change
radon. Most radon monitors don't help you at all in radon concentration, changing to forced SNIFF
here, but the RAD7 does. Waiting around for mode presentation in CAPTURE will permit
equilibrium is also a trial if it means sitting another look at the changes with better time
around for more than 2 hours. It is possible to resolution.
calculate your way out of that problem, but the
"old" radon always comes back to bite you. With
the RAD7, the solution is simple and painless. 3.11 Background
Put the RAD7 in SNIFF mode.
"Background" in a radon detector refers to
SNIFF mode means that the RAD7 calculates spurious counts that occur even in the absence of
radon concentration from the data in window A radon. Background can arise from the properties
only. It ignores window C. Now the instrument of the instrument or its components, other forms
responds to changes almost instantaneously. Hit a of radiation in the instrument's environment, or
"hot spot?" No problem. In SNIFF mode, you contamination of the instrument.
can purge the sample chamber and, in 10 minutes,
you're ready to measure low levels again with The RAD7's design makes it much less
reasonable accuracy. You can move from point to susceptible to background than other radon
point in minutes, looking for radon entry points in monitors, but one should still be aware of
foundation cracks or test holes. background in the RAD7 to avoid mistakes. The
following list gives possible sources of
For continuous monitoring in one location over background in the RAD7:
many hours, NORMAL mode is the way to go.
NORMAL mode means that the RAD7 uses both 3.11.1 Short-lived Radon and Thoron
radon peaks, A and C, to calculate concentration. Daughters
With double the count rate, you increase the
precision of the measurement. In indoor These are by far the most important components
environments, the radon concentrations rarely to background in the RAD7. Radon and thoron
fluctuate quickly enough to justify using SNIFF daughters that normally build up on the RAD7's
mode for continuous monitoring. solid state alpha detector continue to produce
alpha counts for some time after the radon and
The best of both worlds is provided by AUTO thoron gases have been removed from the
mode. Here, the RAD7 starts a test run in SNIFF instrument. These lingering daughters can greatly
mode, and then, after three hours, switches confuse the result when you try to measure a low
automatically to NORMAL mode. In this way, radon sample immediately after a high radon
the first few cycles give readings without any bias sample.
from either old radon daughters left on the
detector, or the slow build-up to reach equilibrium Many radon detectors require that you wait for the
in window C, while the rest of the readings daughters to decay away (about three hours)
benefit from the higher precision given by twice before counting another sample. With the RAD7,
the number of counts in each cycle. however, you can go from high to low
concentrations in a matter of minutes by counting
For real-time monitoring, you are always better in SNIFF mode, since the RAD7 distinguishes the
off to leave the mode in AUTO. The RAD7 is up different alpha-emitting daughters by their alpha
to speed quickly, and is not influenced by old energy. The resulting measurement responds with
measurements. The final average of the run is a 3.05 minute half-life. Thus, 10 minutes after the
therefore more accurate and more reliable. radon has been removed from the instrument, the

CAPTURE can read a data file and force SNIFF

mode presentation of the data, allowing the user

35
 Chapter 3

background will have been reduced by more than 3.11.4 Long-lived Radon Daughters
90% and you can count a new sample.
After many years of use at elevated radon levels,
Thoron daughters are worse behaved than radon your RAD7's detector will accumulate lead-210,
daughters. One thoron daughter, Lead-212, has a an isotope with a 22-year half-life. Though
half-life of 10.6 hours, so that, with other radon lead-210 is itself a beta emitter, one of its
monitors, if you build up huge amounts of this daughters is polonium-210, which produces a 5.3
daughter, you may have to wait one to two days MeV alpha particle. The RAD7 is able to
before using your radon instrument again. The distinguish this isotope by its energy, and exclude
RAD7's ability to distinguish daughters by their it from all calculations. We do not expect
alpha energy almost always makes it possible to lead-210 buildup to contribute significantly to
continue working. background in the RAD7, even after years of
ordinary use.
3.11.2 Adsorbed Radon Gas
3.11.5 Contamination by Radon, or Thoron,
Radon atoms can adsorb on or absorb into internal Producing Solids
surfaces of the RAD7, on the inside of tubing or
on desiccant granules. This radon can stay behind If radon- or thoron-producing solids, such as
after you purge the instrument, then desorb (or radium-226 or thorium-228, become trapped in
out-gas) from these surfaces and enter the sample inlet hoses or filters, they may emanate radon or
cell volume. This effect is ordinarily negligible thoron gas that will be carried through the filters
since only a small fraction of the radon ever and into the instrument. Certain dusty soils may
becomes adsorbed. But at very high radon contain enough of these isotopes to make this
concentrations (over 1000 pCi/L), even a small scenario possible. If you suspect this kind of
fraction can be significant, and you can expect to contamination, please call DURRIDGE. We
see some lingering radon after purging the would like to discuss your experience with you
instrument. and help you solve your problem.

The best solution is to purge for 10 minutes every 3.11.6 Other Alpha Emitters
few hours until the count rate goes down. Even in
the worst possible case, the radon must decay As long as you filter the incoming air stream,
with a 3.82 day half-life, so you will eventually be there is little or no possibility for contamination
able to use the instrument again. of the instrument with other alpha emitters.
Virtually all solids will be stopped by the inlet
filters. The only naturally-occurring alpha-
3.11.3 Intrinsic Background emitting gas other than radon and thoron is
radon-219, or "actinon." Actinon, which has a
Due to very low concentrations of alpha emitting very short half-life (less than four seconds),
contaminants in the materials of the RAD7's results from the decay of naturally-occurring
construction, you can expect to get as much as uranium-235. But since uranium-235 is so much
one count every two hours (0.009 cpm) without less abundant than uranium-238 (the ancestor of
any radon present. This count rate, corresponding radon-222), we do not expect to ever see actinon
to about 0.02 pCi/L, is low enough to neglect in significant quantities apart from even more
when doing routine indoor radon work. But for significant quantities of radon.
very low-leveled outdoor radon levels, or special
clean room applications, this background may be 3.11.7 Beta and Gamma Emitters
significant. With painstaking technique, and
long-term monitoring, it can be measured. Very The RAD7's solid state alpha particle detector is
low level readings can then be corrected for almost completely insensitive to beta or gamma
background, bringing the detection threshold of radiation, so there will be no interference from
the instrument down below 0.02 pCi/L. beta-emitting gases or from gamma radiation
fields. The most likely effect of high levels of
beta or gamma radiation will probably be an
increase in detector leakage current and increased

36
 Chapter 3

alpha peak width. Typical environmental levels of about 2%. The master instrument has been
of beta and gamma emitters have absolutely no calibrated by way of inter-comparison with radon
effect on the RAD7. chambers run by the U.S. EPA and the U.S.
Department of Energy. We estimate the accuracy
of the master instrument to be within 4%, based
3.12 Precision & Accuracy on inter-comparison results. We estimate the
overall calibration accuracy of your RAD7 to be
3.12.1 Dry operation about 5%. We look forward to new developments
in calibration standardization and traceability,
"Precision" means exactness of measurement with which we expect will help improve calibration
regard to reliability, consistency and repeatability. accuracy.
"Accuracy" means exactness of measurement
with regard to conformity to a measurement The table below summarizes the precision of the
standard. An accurate instrument is necessarily RAD7 according to the contribution of counting
precise, but a precise instrument can be inaccurate statistics. Counting statistics depend on
(due to mis-calibration, for example). sensitivity (calibration factor) and background
count rate. The RAD7's intrinsic, or "fixed,"
As long as the operator follows consistent background count rate is so low as to be a
procedures, counting statistics will dominate the negligible contributor to precision, for the range
RAD7's precision. Environmental factors have of radon concentrations covered by the table.
proven to be much less significant over normal Environmental and other factors may affect
ranges of operation. Aside from precision, the precision by as much as 2%. The uncertainty
most important factor in RAD7 accuracy is values reported by the RAD7 are estimates of
calibration. precision based on counting statistics alone, and
are two-sigma values, as are the values in the
DURRIDGE calibrates all instruments to a following table.
"master" instrument with a calibration precision

Table: 3.12 Typical RAD7 precision based on counting statistics only.

NORMAL mode with sensitivity 0.500 cpm/pCi/L. Table values are two-sigma uncertainty (or 95%
confidence interval) in units of pCi/L (percent).

1 pCi/L 4 pCi/L 20 pCi/L 100 pCi/L

1 hr 0.37 (37%) 0.73 (32%) 1.64 (8.2%) 3.65 (3.7%)
2 hr 0.26 (26%) 0.52 (13%) 1.15 (5.8%) 2.58 (2.6%)
6 hr 0.15 (15%) 0.30 (7.4%) 0.67 (3.4%) 1.49 (1.5%)
24 hr 0.07 (7.4%) 0.15 (3.8%) 0.33 (1.7%) 0.74 (0.7%)
48 hr 0.05 (5.3%) 0.10 (2.6%) 0.23 (1.2%) 0.53 (0.5%)
72 hr 0.04 (4.3%) 0.09 (2.1%) 0.19 (1.0%) 0.43 (0.4%)

3.12.2 Humidity Correction Please note, however, that the precision will be
degraded, compared with readings taken in dry
While high humidity reduces the sensitivity of a conditions.
RAD7, CAPTURE offers an automatic correction
of the data, bringing readings back to dry values.

37
 Chapter 3

3.13 Spectrum Examples

3.13.1 Operational Radon Spectra

A. Idealized radon in equilibrium

This is what you would see if both the

detector and electronics reached theoretical
perfection. At full equilibrium, both peaks
are at the same height.

A 6.00 MeV Po218

C 7.69 MeV Po214

B. Radon in full equilibrium

After more than three hours at a constant

radon level. The count rate in window C is
about the same as in window A.

C. New radon

The RAD7 spectrum after less than one hour

of exposure to radon. The peak in window C
is just beginning to grow in, but its count rate
is still much less than in window A.

D. Old radon

The RAD7 spectrum after purging the

instrument with radon-free air for more than
10 minutes, following exposure to radon.

38
 Chapter 3

3.13.2 Thoron Spectra

A. New thoron

The RAD7 spectrum while continuously

sampling thoron laden air

B 6.78 MeV Po216

B. Thoron in equilibrium

The spectrum after continuously sampling

thoron laden air for more than 12 hours. The
count rate in window A should be about half
the count rate in window D

A 6.05 MeV Bi212

B 6.78 MeV Po216
D 8.78 MeV Po212

C. Old thoron

The spectrum after discontinuing a lengthy

sampling of thoron laden air. The thoron
peak, B, disappears immediately. The
remaining two peaks decay together with a
10.6 hour half-life. The count rate in window
A should be about half the count rate in
window D.

39
 Chapter 3

3.13.3 Combination Spectra

Radon and thoron spectra can add together to The RAD7 takes this into account, and always
form combination spectra. Peaks in window B adjusts the window A count rate to correct for the
and/or D come from thoron, while a peak in Bi212 count, before calculating the radon
window C comes from radon. The peak in concentration. The spectra below have
window A is usually entirely from radon, but if comparable amounts of radon and thoron, but you
there is a peak in window D, then there will a will usually see one of the two much stronger than
contribution of about half the D count rate to the the other.
peak in window A.

A. New radon with new thoron.

B. Equilibrium radon with new thoron

C. Equilibrium radon with equilibrium thoron.

The count rate in window A is roughly the

rate of window C plus half the rate of window
D.

A 6.00 MeV Po218

+6.05 MeV Bi212
B 6.78 MeV Po216
C 7.69 MeV Po214
D 8.78 MeV Po212

40
Chapter 3

D. Equilibrium radon with old thoron

The count rate of A is roughly the rate of

window C plus half the rate of window D.

E. Old radon with old thoron.

The count rate in window A is no more than

about half the count rate of window D.

F. New radon with old thoron.

Looks like an old thoron spectrum, but the

count rate of window A is significantly more
than half the count rate of window D.

G. New thoron with old radon.

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 Chapter 3

3.13.4 Pathological Spectra DURRIDGE immediately. Email to

[email protected] would be a good way to
If any of the following occur, and an external initiate the contact.
cause is not identified, the user should contact

A. No counts.

Try a longer counting time. If there is not a

single count in an hour, that is clear indication
of instrument malfunction.

B. Few counts.

Normal for low radon levels and short

counting times. Abnormally low counts could
be caused by disruption of the air flow, or by
malfunction in the high voltage circuit.

C. Lead-210/polonium-210.

A persistent peak at 5.3 MeV will develop

from many years of regular use, or from
sustained exposure to very high radon levels.
It results from the buildup of lead-210 on the
detector surface. Lead-210 has a 22 year
half-life. It is not a problem for the RAD7
because the peak is outside window A, and
thus does not contribute to the background.

D. Wide alpha peaks.

Typically caused by electronic noise in the

system. May be associated with vibration,
with high operating temperature, or with
degradation of the surface barrier detectors
used in older model RAD7's, built prior to
1996.

42
 Chapter 3

E. Smeared spectrum.

Alpha peaks cannot be discerned by the eye.

Severe electronic noise.

F. Low energy noise.

Independent of radon or thoron, such

electronic noise may be intermittent or be
associated with vibration.

G. Shifted peaks.

Peaks appear normal, but are shifted in

position. Shows a malfunction of the RAD7,
which should be returned to DURRIDGE for
service without delay.

H. Heavy tails on alpha peaks.

The peaks are narrow, but have unusually

thick tails. This may be caused by electronic
noise, or by malfunction of the alpha detector.

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 Chapter 4

4. USING THE RAD7:

GOOD OPERATING PROCEDURES
4.1 Introduction
Air conditioning often includes some fresh air
The different ways of using the RAD7 may be ventilation, which dilutes the radon. Even if there
arranged in six categories: is no ventilation, the cold air in the house will
a) continuous monitoring of radon in air, want to sink, increasing pressure in the basement,
b) sniffing for radon and/or thoron, and thus reducing any flow of soil gas into the
c) testing air grab samples, house. So air conditioning in the summer will
d) measuring radon in water, tend to lower the radon level in the house.
e) testing soil gas, and
f) measuring radon and thoron emission For further detailed information, see the EPA
from objects and surfaces. Indoor Radon and Radon Decay Product
Measurement Device Protocols publication,
While all six are discussed, it is primarily a) and EPA 402-R-92-004, or view it at http://
d) that require standard operating procedures. www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/devprot1.html
The other applications tend to be more interactive,
and individuals will develop protocols which 4.2.2 Purging
work best for them.
For the RAD7 to be all set to go, ready to start a
test, it should be purged for at least five minutes
4.2 Continuous Monitoring beforehand. This may be done in the car, en route
to the test site.
4.2.1 Preparation
Locate an inlet filter, a piece of tubing with a
The RAD7 batteries should be fully charged so sleeve at one end and small tube at the other, and
that, even if there is a power cut, the test will be the laboratory drying unit. Connect the filter to
completed. Similarly, there should be more than the tubing: It should be a tight fit into the small
sufficient active desiccant in the Laboratory diameter section. Remove the plastic caps from
Drying Unit. the drying unit and push the sleeved end of the
tubing onto the tube connector, on the drying unit,
For an EPA protocol test, the house should be farthest from the metal screw cap. Now attach the
fully closed from 12 hours before the start of the filter to the inlet of the RAD7.
test. This means that ALL doors and windows
should be shut tight. No air exchange system, or Switch on the RAD7, push [MENU], [ENTER],
ventilation fans, may be running. [] four times, to see >Test Purge on the display,
then push [ENTER]. The pump will start. The
In winter it is not difficult to satisfy the display will show Stop purge? No. Leave the
requirement. Continued operation of the furnace unit purging for five minutes, or longer. When
is permitted. Closed house conditions are usually you are ready to start the test, the easiest way to
maintained anyway, to save heating costs. Doors stop purging is to push the Menu key, or switch
may be opened momentarily, for access, but off the instrument.
should otherwise remain closed throughout the
test. 4.2.3 Test Location
In summer it may be impossible to satisfy the In general, the test should be conducted in the
requirement, without the residents moving out for lowest area in the house that is used, or could be
the duration of the test. If doors and windows are adapted for use, as a living area. This would
left open, it can nullify the test, except that if include a full-height basement, but not a crawl
there is a radon problem under these conditions, space.
then there will be a greater problem under closed
house conditions.

44
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Place the RAD7 near the center of the room, days, depending on the humidity. The RAD7
about 3 - 4 feet above the floor. Avoid walls, needs external power for indefinite operation, but
vents, fireplaces, windows, draft, and direct can survive, without loss of data, an interruption
sunlight. of power lasting up to 50 hours, or more,
depending on the condition of the batteries.
Where possible, connect DC power to the RAD7,
to conserve and recharge the batteries. For any other measurement period, you will need
to set the parameters yourself. The cycle time,
The air intake will be the connector of the drying times the number of recycles, gives the duration
unit without any tubing attached (nearest the end of the total measurement. In almost every case,
with the metal screw cap), or the far end of the for continuous monitoring, choose Mode Auto,
tube if one is attached to this connector. Make Thoron Off, and Pump Auto.
sure the air intake is at least 30 inches (75 cm)
above the floor, and away from the walls. Once the RAD7 switches (after three hours) to
NORMAL mode, the counts are included from
Once set up in location, let the RAD7 continue to Window C, which come from Po-214 atoms.
purge until ready to start the test. These were once radon atoms, that entered the
measurement chamber as much as an hour or
4.2.4 Test Protocol more beforehand. Therefore, in NORMAL mode,
the RAD7 is averaging the radon concentration
In any location there is often a diurnal variation of from less than 20 minutes ago (Po-218) with the
radon level. It is preferable, therefore, that the radon concentration from less than three hours
test period be an exact number of whole days. ago (Po-214). So, for a long test in NORMAL
The EPA protocols require an average taken over mode, the cycle time should be set to one hour, or
at least two days. The RAD7 gives time more.
resolution as well. A choice must be made,
therefore, of the cycle time and the number of Where there is a requirement for a fast response
cycles (recycle). For 24-hour and 48-hour tests, and detailed time resolution, then the cycle time
the RAD7 has preset protocols which will make may be set as short as half an hour, or even 20
the choice for you. You can always change the minutes, but the Mode should then be set to Sniff,
choices (even in the middle of a test!), and, if you not Auto. Note, however, that counting only
wish, save your preferences as the user protocol. Window A, and for such short periods, the
You may, for instance, prefer to conduct 3-day number of counts per cycle will be less than for
tests, and, perhaps, use 24 cycles, each 3 hours longer cycles in NORMAL mode, and so the
long. The longer the test, the greater the precision individual readings will have more scatter. Note,
of the result. also, that short cycle times will fill up the memory
more quickly (the capacity is 1,000 cycles), use
For a 24-hour or 48-hour test, using the preset up the desiccant more quickly, and, if the printer
protocol, before starting the test, go to >Setup is being used, produce more printout.
Protocol 1-day, or 2-day, and push [ENTER]. You
need, also, to decide whether to leave the tone 4.2.5 To Print Or Not To Print
Off, Chime, or Geiger, and whether to have short,
medium or long format of printouts at the end of It is not necessary to run the printer during a
each cycle, and set the parameters accordingly. measurement as all data, except for the detailed
spectra, are stored at the end of every cycle, and
For very long term monitoring, use the weeks are available for printing or downloading to a PC
protocol. This sets the RAD7 to run indefinitely, at any time. Furthermore, with no printer and the
with 2-hour cycles. The internal memory key pad locked, it is impossible for any
capacity, of 1,000 cycles, will last nearly 12 unauthorized snooper to read the radon
weeks. If data is periodically downloaded to a concentration during the run. On the other hand,
PC, and erased from the RAD7, there is no limit use of the printer gives a convenient and
to the measurement duration. With the laboratory informative hard copy of the results.
drying unit used to dry the sampled air, the
desiccant will have to be replaced every 7 to 14

45
 Chapter 4

For routine continuous monitoring, it is usual to A detailed and systematic quality control protocol
set the printer format to short (Setup, Format, must be established by any user seeking
Short, [ENTER]). certification. This should include a description of
the measurement process, and the steps taken to
Place the printer on the face plate, apply external ensure that the readings are reproducible.
power and switch on. Note that the printer will
sleep, after a time, if there is no external power. The RAD7 is too accurate for any procedure in
Switch the RAD7 off, then on again. Information the field to be able to verify that it is working
about the RAD7, and the setup, will print out. within specifications. However, it is good
Data will be printed at the end of every cycle, and practice, on a regular basis, to compare the RAD7
a summary, bar chart and cumulative spectrum readings with some other device, such as a
will print at the end of the run. passive charcoal collector. The two devices
should be placed close together, with the RAD7
4.2.6 Running the Test sampling point near to, but not touching, the
charcoal collector. The measurements should also
When everything is ready, start the test (Test, cover the same time period. The charcoal reading
Start, [ENTER]). The pump will start running may then be compared with the RAD7 mean for
and the LCD display will go to the first status the period. Remember, however, that some
window. charcoal devices, and labs, may give readings
which are in error by as much as 25%. If the
The house should remain in closed condition for RAD7 and the charcoal device differ by more
the duration of the run. At any time, the status than 10%, repeat the comparison as soon as
windows can be viewed. The relative humidity, possible, preferably with a different charcoal
temperature and battery voltage are all parameters device, from a different lab. Look at the RAD7
that are worth observing. Rising relative cumulative spectrum, printed out at the end of a
humidity may indicate that the desiccant is run, to see if it appears normal. If the RAD7
exhausted, or that there is a leak in the sample mean is consistently, significantly different from
path. The temperature reading gives a base for the readings of other devices in side-by-side tests,
future reference, see below. A dropping battery or if the spectrum looks abnormal, please call , or
voltage may indicate that the power is not email, DURRIDGE for advice. In any case, we
connected. recommend that the RAD7 be returned to
DURRIDGE Company, for recalibration,
4.2.7 Security and Quality Control annually.

For a good measurement, it is essential that the An excellent quality test, for the RAD7, is simply
RAD7 (or any measurement device, for that an examination of the cumulative spectrum
matter) remain in its place, and the house remain printed out at the end of every run. If the
closed, throughout the run. spectrum looks normal, and the humidity,
temperature, and battery voltage, are within
Anti-tampering tapes are available for the normal range, then that is very strong evidence
windows and doors. A soft, plastic adhesive, such that the RAD7 is working properly, and the
as Blue-Tack, HOLDIT or TacN Stik, under the readings are reliable.
RAD7, will stick better the first time than in
subsequent placings. An experienced hand can 4.2.8 Finishing the Run
tell if the RAD7 has been moved. But perhaps the
best anti-tampering defense is the data itself. Even if no printout has been made at the end of
With the time resolution in the data provided by every cycle, it is still useful to have a printout at
the RAD7, anomalies are clearly revealed. A the end of the run. If the RAD7 can be accessed
sudden change in radon concentration and in air before the run is finished, simply place the printer
temperature, during the measurement, is a strong in position on the face plate and switch it on.
indication of tampering, either by moving the After the last cycle is completed, the RAD7 will
instrument, or by opening windows. The key-pad print the run summary, including the mean value,
lock prevents tamperers from looking at the data, the bar chart of all the readings, and the
or interfering with the measurement. cumulative spectrum. If the instrument cannot be

46
 Chapter 4

accessed before the end of the run, the summary least 48 hours of continuous good data. If the
can be printed out later, but without the house was not closed up beforehand, a 3-day test
cumulative spectrum. could satisfy the EPA requirement.

Switch off the printer and the RAD7. Disconnect If the air sampling point was changed for a while,
the tubing from the desiccant and replace the or some windows opened, during the run, you
plastic caps over the hose connectors. If the caps may expect to see a change in air temperature,
have been lost, a single piece of tubing may be and change in radon concentration, during that
attached between the two connectors, thus period. Simultaneous changes of these two
providing a seal to keep the desiccant dry. parameters is an indicator of tampering.

Remove the inlet filter from the RAD7. It is good 4.2.10 Very Short Term Monitoring
practice to leave the inlet filter attached to the
plastic tubing. Replace the short piece of tubing Some Home Inspectors choose to use the RAD7
connecting the inlet to the outlet. Putting the for a short-term test, just during the home
jumper between the inlet and outlet keeps the inspection. This means that they have full control
internal space of the instrument sealed, and thus over the test, and they can take the RAD7 with
dry, while still allowing air flow should the pump them, when they leave, on completion of the
start running. home inspection.

When moving the RAD7, please treat it with They close up the house, set up the RAD7 in the
respect. It is rugged, but it is still an electronic basement, choose a half-hour cycle time and a
instrument. Please avoid hard knocks and very total run length (recycles) of, typically, four or
harsh environments. five cycles. At the end of the run, the RAD7
prints out a bar chart of the increasing radon
4.2.9 Examining the Data concentration, at half-hour intervals. The data
gives the Home Inspector, and his client, a good
In addition to the printout, data may be examined indication of the radon situation. Adding 50% to
on the LCD, during or after a run. The records the final half-hour reading gives an estimate of
may also be downloaded to a PC, where they are what would be the average radon level, for closed
then available for creating graphs and tables for house conditions. If, during those two hours of
printed reports. the test, the radon concentration climbs towards,
or over, the 4 pCi/L mark, then they can be
On reviewing a set of data, first check that the confident that, with a full, EPA protocol test,
relative humidity in the instrument stayed below covering 2 days, or more, the result would surely
10% throughout the measurement. If it rose exceed the 4 pCi/L action level.
above 10%, it suggests that the desiccant was
either removed, or became depleted. The RAD7
reads low if the internal RH rises above 10%. 4.3 Sniffing
The temperature during the measurement should 4.3.1 Why Sniff?
remain fairly steady. Sudden changes of
temperature in the record suggest that either the There are two main reasons for sniffing. One is to
windows were opened, or the RAD7 was moved obtain a quick, spot reading of radon
from its location. concentration, as a simpler substitute for grab
sampling, and the other is to locate radon entry
If the house was not properly closed up until the points. For each application, the method will be
measurement was started, you may expect to see a slightly different.
rising radon concentration during the first few
hours of the run. If that is the case, any very low, 4.3.2 Locating Radon Entry Points
early readings should be discarded in the
calculation of the mean value for the house. That There is a very good chance that thoron will be
would mean manual calculation of the average, present in the soil gas entering the building. It
from the good readings. EPA protocols require at

47
 Chapter 4

will, however, be detectable only close to the marked, on which to write down the readings.
entry points. Thoron, therefore, if it is in the soil While making this sketch map, the RAD7 can be
gas, can be considered as a tracer for fresh radon taking a benchmark radon measurement in the
gas. Sniffing to locate radon entry points may, center of the room. Take at least four 5-minute-
therefore, be focused on detecting thoron, if it is cycle readings. Later radon readings, at likely
there, to speed, and simplify, the process. The entry points, can then be compared with this
same procedure will also give radon benchmark.
concentrations, provided that the sampling point
is kept at one spot for at least 15 minutes. To start the sweep, hold the small drying tube as a
wand, with the open end either in, or as close as
4.3.3 Preparation possible to, the most likely radon entry point.
Keep it there for at least five minutes. If the
Detailed instructions are given in Chapter 1, thoron count, in window B, during this time,
section 5. Choose Thoron in the Setup Protocol exceeds 2 cpm, say, then you know a) that you
menu, and set the Tone to Geiger. Employ a small were right in your suspicion, and that you are,
drying tube and, preferably, just a yard of tubing indeed, close to a radon entry point, and b) that
to the inlet filter. thoron is present in the soil gas, so you can
concentrate on thoron for the rest of the survey.
4.3.4 Purging Move the wand a foot or so in any direction to see
if the window B cpm changes appreciably, in the
While it is always good practice to purge the next cycle.
instrument before using it, there is less necessity
before sniffing. In SNIFF protocol, the pump If there are few or no counts in window B, then
runs continuously, so the air sample will be either the location is not a radon entry point, or
flushed through every minute or two, and the there is no appreciable thoron in the soil gas. You
measurement chamber will quickly dry out, even must, then, keep the wand in that position for
if the relative humidity starts above 10%. another 10 minutes, or until the counts in window
A start to rise rapidly. If, after fifteen minutes,
To bring the humidity in the instrument down there are still only a few counts in window A, and
without wasting desiccant, the RAD7 outlet may the radon concentration, displayed at the end of
be connected to the open end of the drying tube, the third 5-minute cycle, is still very low, then you
making a closed loop, during the purge cycle. can be confident that the position is not a radon
entry point. On the other hand, a high radon
After detecting high concentrations of radon and/ concentration, without thoron, does not
or thoron, it is good practice to purge the necessarily indicate a radon entry point if the
instrument immediately after use. whole basement is high. In either case, you need
to note the reading on your sketch map, and move
4.3.5 Running the Test to another likely point to repeat the process, first
looking for thoron.
With the RAD7 strap over one shoulder, holding
the small drying tube as a wand, start the test. If no thoron is found at any time, then the map of
The first status window will be displayed in the radon concentrations, will help to identify entry
LCD. Push the right arrow five times, to reach points.
the B window status screen. This will show the
cpm for thoron. You may also listen to the beeps, Once thoron has been detected, the whole search
which have a different pitch for different is made much easier. Reset the cycle time to two
windows. Thoron has a high-pitched beep. minutes. Spend one complete cycle at each
suspected radon entry point, observing the counts
Floor/wall, wall/wall and split-level seams are in window B, or listening for the characteristic
common locations for radon entry points. So are thoron beeps. You will quickly determine the
sumps, wells, beam pockets and utility conduits, location and relative strengths of the radon entry
entering the building from below ground level. It points, from the cpm in window B, for the
is useful, before starting the sweep, to have a different locations. Note that, in this procedure,
sketch map of the area, with the likely culprits you must ignore the counts in window A, because

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they refer to radon that entered the measurement small drying tube. The cycle time may be left at
chamber as much as 10 minutes previous to the five minutes. At least four, better six, cycles
observed counts. should be taken, of which the first two should be
ignored. Alternatively, increase the cycle time to
Even if thoron is present at some points, there is 10 minutes, or more, and ignore the first reading.
still a possibility that there may be a radon entry
point showing little or no thoron. This could To measure a radon level of 4 pCi/L, with a
occur if the path taken by the soil gas was very standard deviation of no more than 10%, needs a
long, or the flow was slow. Conduit for a utility run of one hour (six cycles of ten minutes, say).
service, or a path up a hidden shaft in a wall,
could delay the entry of the soil gas by several
minutes. Each minutes delay halves the 4.4 Grab Sampling
concentration of thoron.
4.4.1 Applicability
4.3.6 Drilled Sampling Points
When it is not possible to take the RAD7 to the
Some mitigators drill a number of test holes location to be measured; when a grab sample is
through the concrete slab, to sniff the soil gas required while the RAD7 is pre-occupied with
beneath and to test the communication between continuous monitoring; or when many grab
different areas of the slab. They then install the samples are required, all within a short time, from
suction points of the mitigation system where the different rooms of a building, then the grab
sub-slab radon readings are highest. This sample capability of the RAD7 fills the need.
approach is complementary to the search for However, if the RAD7 is available, and can be
actual radon entry points, as described above. taken to the test location, then data quality is
Both methods are likely to result in a similar, final much improved by a) monitoring the radon level
configuration of the mitigation system, though over an extended period of time, such as 1-day, or,
locating the entry points can also indicate where if that is not a possibility, b) making a short-term
additional sealing is required.. measurement such as described in section 4.2.10,
or else just sniffing for a spot reading, as
4.3.7 Spot Readings described above.
A spot reading may be accepted only as a rough Grab samples have the same shortcomings as spot
indicator of the radon level at any location. This readings, above. The radon concentration
is not only because a short-term reading is less grabbed is unlikely to be representative of the
precise, but also because it does not average out EPA average level at the location of the sample.
the fluctuations in radon level through a typical The precision of the reading is also limited by the
day. The EPA protocol calls for a measurement to short time for counting.
cover at least two days. Quite often, the indoor
radon concentration tends to be higher in the early 4.4.2 Preparation
morning, after a cold night, and lower at the end
of a warm day. It is important that the RAD7 be well dried out
prior to accepting the grab sample. First, purge
Furthermore, the radon concentration, typically, the unit with fresh, dry air for five minutes. Then
takes hours to recover from open doors and connect the laboratory drying unit in a closed loop
windows so, unless the house was closed up tight with the RAD7 so that air from the outlet passes
for many hours beforehand, the spot-reading through the desiccant and back into the inlet.
radon level will be significantly lower than an Note that air should always flow the same way
average, taken over several days, in closed house through the desiccant. Purge for ten minutes then
conditions. check the relative humidity (push [MENU]
[ENTER] [ENTER], then the right arrow key two
For this spot reading, the sampling point should times). If the RH is not below 8%, repeat the
be away from walls and floor. Thoron is not an process. Keep the pump running until ready to
issue in this measurement, so the larger, take the grab sample.
laboratory drying unit may be used, instead of a

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obtaining your reading within an hour of taking

4.4.3 Protocol the sample. It is particularly suited for well
testing, where immediate results are often
Choose Grab from the Setup Protocol menu required.
selection, and push [ENTER]. This will set up all
the measurement parameters correctly. For the The RAD H2O uses a standard, pre-calibrated
printout, choose Short from the Setup Format degassing system and pre-set protocols, built into
menu. the RAD7, which give a direct reading of the
radon concentration in the water sample, itself.
4.4.4 Taking the Sample The method is, in fact, a special case of the grab
sampling method above.
If the RAD7 is at the location, simply start the test
([MENU] [ENTER] [RIGHT ARROW] The RAD H2O comes with its own manual, to
[ENTER]). which you are referred for further details.

Alternatively, samples may be taken in tedlar air 4.5.2 RAD AQUA

sampling bags. Samples of at least five liters are
required.. Any sampling pump may be used. This is another RAD7 accessory, for continuous
Even the RAD7 could be used as a sampling monitoring of radon in water. It has a high
pump, but remember to purge the instrument of sensitivity, and rapid response.
old air first.
Air, in a closed loop, is brought into equilibrium
These bagged samples may be connected to the with water passing through the exchanger. The
RAD7 and analyzed later. Make sure there is RAD7 operates in continuos mode, as in 4.2.
active desiccant and the inlet filter in place,
between the sample bag and the RAD7. The RAD AQUA also comes with its own
manual, to which you are referred for further
4.4.5 Analysis details.

With the grab sample source connected to the

RAD7, start the test ([MENU] [ENTER] [RIGHT 4.6 Soil Gas Sampling
ARROW] [ENTER]). The pump will run for five
minutes, flushing the measurement chamber, and 4.6.1 Application
then stop. The RAD7 will wait for five more
minutes, and then count for four 5-minute cycles. The radon concentration in surrounding soil gas is
At the end of the run, the RAD7 will print out a one of many parameters that impact the radon
summary, including the average radon health risk of a house. The construction of the
concentration, a bar chart of the four cycles house, the porosity of the soil, the height of the
counted, and a cumulative spectrum. The water table, and several other factors, are all
measurement process takes 30 minutes. important. Even if there is no radon in the
surrounding soil, the house may still be at risk if it
If the analysis is made more than an hour after the has a well in the basement, or is built on rock,
sample was taken, a correction must be applied over a fissure. Nevertheless, it is often of interest
for the decay of radon in the sample. to determine the radon concentration in soil gas.

Thoron is usually associated with radon in the

4.5 Radon in Water soil. When measuring soil gas, it is, therefore,
particularly useful to determine the thoron content
4.5.1 RAD H2O as well as the radon content. Should there be
significant thoron, it may be used as a tracer, to
The RAD H2O is an accessory to the RAD7 that find radon entry points, inside the house, see
enables you to measure radon in water with high paragraph 4.3.2.
accuracy, over a wide range of concentrations,

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4.6.2 Soil Gas Probe

4.6.5 Interpreting the Data
The cost, and complexity, of a soil gas probe
increases with the depth to which it can be As with any Sniff test, the first two 5-minute
inserted. A variety of probes are available from cycles should be ignored. The next one or two
DURRIDGE Company, the simplest of which will cycles should be averaged, to arrive at the radon
penetrate to a depth of 3 feet. concentration of the soil gas.

4.6.3 Preparation For thoron, some estimate has to be made of the

time taken for the sample, after it has left the soil,
Insert the probe. Make sure that there is a to reach the RAD7. This requires an estimate of
reasonable seal between the probe shaft and the the volume of the sample path, including the
surrounding soil, so that ambient air does not probe, water trap, tubing and drying unit, and an
descend around the probe, to dilute the soil gas estimate, or measurement, of the flow rate. For
sample. example, if the total volume of the sample path is
2L, and the flow rate is 0.5 L/min, then the
Between the probe and the RAD7 connect a water sample delay is about 4 minutes. If the thoron
trap (which could be just a jar with two air-tight decays by half every minute, then after four
hose connectors in the lid), the laboratory drying minutes the concentration will be just 1/16th of
unit, and the inlet filter. A water trap is included the concentration in the ground. So, whatever
in the package when the DURRIDGE soil gas thoron concentration the RAD7 measures should
probe is purchased. be multiplied by 16.

Set the protocol to Sniff. Soil gas is normally so

high in radon that it is not necessary to use long 4.7 Emission Measurements
cycle times to gain precision. Five minute cycle
times are long enough. 4.7.1 Application
4.6.4 Running the Test With its internal pump, sealed sample path, and
inlet and outlet connectors, the RAD7 is well
Start the test. (Test Start [ENTER]). On the LCD suited to emission measurements. Furthermore,
you will see the first status window. Push the the ability to count only the polonium-218 decays
right arrow twice and the screen will display the means that dynamic measurements are clean, and
temperature, relative humidity, battery voltage not complicated by long-half-life events.
and pump current. Pay particular attention to the
relative humidity and pump current. The relative 4.7.2 Open or Closed Loop Configurations
humidity should gradually drop down to below
10%, and stay there. Emission will occur from bulk materials in an
emission chamber, or from an enclosed surface.
If the pump current starts to rise much above 100 The RAD7 will draw air from the enclosure,
mA, it suggests that the soil is not porous, in through the desiccant and inlet filter, into the
which case it may be that a good soil gas sample measurement chamber. The air may then be
cannot be drawn, no matter how powerful a pump returned to the enclosure, from the RAD7 outlet,
is used. With the RAD7 pump current above 100 to form a closed loop. Alternatively, in an open
mA, the air flow rate will be significantly reduced loop configuration, the air drawn from the
from the nominal 1L/min. This will not affect the enclosure may be replaced with zero air, from a
radon reading, but will reduce the effective cylinder, or with ambient air, which has a low and
sensitivity to thoron, as more of the thoron will measured radon concentration.
decay en route to the RAD7. If desired, an
additional pump may be used, but it should be With the closed-loop configuration, the system is
placed upstream of the RAD7, so that the RAD7 first purged, and then, once closed, the radon
is operating at normal pressure. In fact, with an concentration within the loop is monitored in
external sampling pump in use, the RAD7 pump SNIFF mode, with short, e.g. 15 min., cycle
can even be switched off, altogether.

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times, for a few hours. It is necessary to know the enclosure. Note that, for thoron, both the closed
total volume of the closed-loop system. For this loop and open loop modes are steady-state
purpose, the volume inside the RAD7 may be measurements.
taken as 1L. The initial rate of increase in radon
concentration (neglecting the first 15-min cycle), 4.7.4 Surface Emission
multiplied by the volume, then gives the rate of
emission of radon. A reduction in the slope, as For these measurements, an enclosure, with two
the radon level builds up, may be due to leaks in hose connectors, has one side open, which is
the system, or to a reduction in the net emission. sealed against the surface under investigation.

With the open loop configuration, a steady, and The alternative procedures are similar to those for
known, flow rate must be established. If a bulk emission measurement, as described above.
cylinder of zero air, or nitrogen, is used, then the Once the total emission rate, within the enclosure,
RAD7 internal pump may be set to Off, and the has been calculated, it may be divided by the area
pressure reduction valve used to control the flow of the surface within the sealed boundary, to
rate. With ambient air, the internal pump may be determine the emission per unit area.
set to On, for a continuos flow. In both cases, a
flow meter is required.
4.8 Thoron Measurement
A steady state should be achieved and a long-term
measurement may be made. The rate of emission 4.8.1 Thoron and Radon
will equal the radon concentration times the flow
rate. The precision will depend on the Thoron is an isotope of the element radon having
concentration and the duration of the an atomic mass of 220, so it is also known as
measurement. radon-220. The word "radon" without a mass
number almost always refers to radon-222.
4.7.3 Bulk Emissions Thoron and radon have very similar properties.
They are both chemically inert radioactive gases
An airtight box with two hose connectors, well that occur naturally from the decay of radioactive
separated, will usually work fine. The material is elements in soils and minerals. Both thoron and
placed in the box. The box is connected, by radon are members of decay chains, or long
tubing from one connector, to the laboratory sequences of radioactive decay.
drying unit, and thence to the inlet filter on the
RAD7. The other box connector has tubing While radon results from the decay of natural
attached, which is either connected to the RAD7 uranium, thoron results from the decay of natural
outlet, for closed-loop operation, or, for open- thorium. Both uranium and thorium are
loop operation, connected to a cylinder of zero commonly found in soils and minerals, sometimes
gas, or left open to ambient air. separately, sometimes together. The radioactive
gases radon and thoron that are produced in these
Note that bulk emissions are affected by pressure soils and minerals can diffuse out of the material
fluctuations and by temperature and humidity. All and travel long distances before they themselves
these parameters can, and should, be controlled in decay. Both radon and thoron decay into
both the closed-loop and open-loop radioactive decay products, or progeny, of
configurations. Radon emission is also dependent polonium, lead, and bismuth before finally
on the grain size of loose materials, and porosity reaching stable forms as lead.
of any bulk material.
Thoron and radon and their respective progeny
Thoron emission can also be measured in the differ very significantly in their half-lives and in
same apparatus. In the open loop mode, a the energies of their radiations. While radon has a
correction will be required for the decay of the half-life of nearly 4 days, thoron has a half-life of
thoron during the time between emission and only 55 seconds. Since thoron is so short lived, it
measurement in the RAD7. In the closed loop cannot travel as far from its source as radon can
mode, another correction should be made for the before it decays. It is commonly observed that
proportion of the thoron that gets fed back to the

52
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compared to that of radon gas, a much smaller the internal cell, since a significant fraction of the
fraction of the thoron gas in soil ever reaches the thoron decays in the sample intake system as well
interior of a building. Even so, thoron can still be as within the instrument. For the most accurate
a hazard since its progeny include lead-212 thoron measurements we recommend that you use
which has a half-life of 10.6 hours, more than a consistent sample intake system (always use the
long enough to accumulate to significant levels in same hose and filter arrangement) and pay special
breathable air. attention to air flow rate. Be sure the filters,
hoses, and RAD7 inlet and outlet ports remain
4.8.2 Thoron Measurement Issues free from obstruction. Use a flow meter
(rotameter or "floating ball" type) to check that
Many difficulties impede the accurate the flow remains consistent. Note that the flow
measurement of thoron gas. The presence of rate affects the thoron reading, but not radon due
radon gas (often found together with thoron) can to its much longer half-life.
interfere with a measurement. The short half-life
of thoron gas makes some aspects of the The RAD7 measures thoron concentration in the
measurement easier, but makes sampling method air at the point of sample intake. Since thoron
a critical issue. Thoron concentration can vary varies from place to place depending on the
greatly through a space, depending on the speed motion of the air, the instrument operator may
and direction of air movement as well as find it necessary to make measurements in several
turbulence. The position of the sample intake can locations to properly assess a thoron situation.
strongly affect the results. Fortunately, rapid-fire thoron measurements are
very easy to do with the RAD7.
For many instruments, radon and thoron interfere
with each other. Generally speaking, it is difficult 4.8.3 Calculation and Interference
to measure one isotope accurately in the presence Correction
of the other. But compared to other instruments,
the RAD7 is much less susceptible to radon- The RAD7 calculates thoron concentration on the
thoron interference due to its ability to distinguish basis of the count rate in spectrum window B
the isotopes by their unique alpha particle which is centered on the 6.78 MeV alpha line of
energies. The RAD7 separates radon and thoron Po-216, the first decay product of thoron gas. To
signals and counts the two isotopes at the same further avoid interference from radon, the RAD7
time with little interference from one to the other. applies a correction to the thoron count rate to
compensate for a small percentage of "spillover"
Some issues of concern in measuring radon do not from window C.
apply to thoron. The short half-lives of thoron (55
seconds) and its first decay product (Po-216 - 0.15 As of version 2.5, RAD7 calculates radon
seconds) mean that thoron measurements can be concentration from the count rate in window A
made quickly and in rapid succession, since there (SNIFF mode) or windows A plus C (NORMAL
is little concern with growth and decay delays. mode). The RAD7 compensates for interference
The RAD7 responds virtually instantly to the from the long-lived progeny of thoron (10.6
presence of thoron; its time constant for response hours) by applying a correction to the radon count
to thoron is less than 1 minute. The chief limit on rate in both Sniff and NORMAL modes. The
the thoron response speed is the pump's ability to correction is based on a fixed fraction of the count
fill the internal cell. And the RAD7 clears just as rate in the D window (around the 8.78 MeV peak
rapidly when you purge the instrument with of Po-212) which predicts the amount of thoron
thoron-free air. In fact, you need not purge the progeny activity in the A window (due to the 6.05
instrument at all as thoron's short half-life ensures and 6.09 MeV peaks of Bi-212). Note that the
that it will be gone in a few minutes. uncertainty figures given with each reading
include the effect of these corrections.
In thoron measurement the sample pump must run
in a continuous fashion, at a steady consistent 4.8.4 Avoiding Longer Lived Decay Products
flow rate. If the flow rate of the sampling pump
changes, then the RAD7 thoron result will also Although the RAD7 now corrects for the buildup
change. Flow rate affects the amount of thoron in of the long-lived thoron progeny (10.6 hour), we

53
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recommend that you avoid unnecessary exposure 4.8.7 Calculating Internal Cell
of the instrument to high levels of thoron for long Concentration
periods of time. The presence of these long-lived
progeny can make low level radon measurements The sample decays slightly in going from the
somewhat less accurate than would otherwise be RAD7 inlet to the internal cell, due to internal
possible. But if you err, the 10.6 hour half-life of hose and filter volumes. This decay can be
the thoron progeny makes for a temporary calculated in a similar fashion to the above, giving
inconvenience of a few days at worst. the internal cell inlet concentration, C2, about
95.5% of C1. Within the RAD7 internal cell, the
4.8.5 Decay Correction, Flow Rate, and equilibrium thoron concentration, C3, will be
Thoron Calibration determined by the following formula:

As discussed above, thoron's rapid decay causes C3 = C2 / ( 1 + L * V2 / q )

the intake path and the air flow rate to become
important factors in calibration. The RAD7 where L and q are as above, and V2 is the volume
factory calibration for thoron is based on a of the internal cell (around 750 mL). Typical
standard RAD7 inlet filter, a standard 3-foot long, values then give C3/C2 as
3/16 inch inner diameter vinyl hose, and a
standard small (6 inch) drying tube. Deviation C3/C2 = 1/(1+.756 * 750/650) = .534 = 53.4%
from this arrangement can change your thoron
results. For example, if you were to use a very Multiplying this result by the sample decay
long hose for thoron sampling, then the sample factors calculated above, we obtain an overall
might decay significantly before it ever reached concentration in the internal cell of 48.1% of the
the instrument inlet. The same thing might original sample. Recognizing the uncertainty of
happen if you substituted the small drying tube several of the inputs to these formulas,
with the large drying column. If you were to use particularly the flow rate, we will round the
a non-recommended inlet filter, the flow might be overall result to 50%.
restricted enough to greatly lower the result.
4.8.8 Internal Cell Thoron Sensitivity
4.8.6 Calculating Sample Decay Calibration

The thoron concentration at the inlet of the Preliminary investigations have

RAD7, C1, can be expressed mathematically as shown that the RAD7's internal cell thoron
sensitivity in cpm/(pCi/L) is identical to its radon
C1 = C0 * exp( -L * V1 / q ) SNIFF mode sensitivity, to within 25%. We have
no reason to expect any sizable difference
where C0 is the original sample concentration, V1 between the thoron and radon SNIFF mode
is the volume of the sample tube + drying tube + sensitivity values, so we are presently assuming
filter (around 50 mL), q is the flow rate (around that the two values are indeed nearly equal, and
650 mL/min), and L is the decay constant for claim an uncalibrated thoron precision of +/-
thoron (.756 /min). A typical value for C1/C0 is 30%.
then
With calibration against a thoron standard
C1/C0 = exp( -.756 * 50 / 650 ) = .943 = 94.3% assessed by gamma spectrometry we are able to
state the thoron sensitivity with much higher
This is the number DURRIDGE assumes in the certainty. This thoron calibration is offered as an
factory calibration. Adding a few extra feet of option and for this we claim an overall accuracy
hose will not matter much (about 0.5% per foot), of +/- 20%. Otherwise we estimate the overall
but if we were to use a 100 foot hose instead (V1 thoron sensitivity to be 50% of the radon Sniff
is around 580 mL) then the same calculation sensitivity to account for sample decay in the
would give .509 or 50.9%, a significant reduction intake and internal cell. The RAD7 has a typical
from 94.3%! radon Sniff sensitivity of .25 cpm/(pCi/L), so we
estimate the typical thoron sensitivity to be
around .125 cpm/(pCi/L).

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4.8.9 Setting up a Thoron Measurement 4.9 Managing Background

Sniffing for thoron is much the same as sniffing A major concern in radon testing is background.
for radon, except it tends to be a little faster. If The RAD7 has a number of features that help to
you are just "prospecting", you probably will not keep short and long-term background under
be very interested in getting the most accurate control. These are discussed in chapter 3.11.
results possible, so technique is not critical. But if Following a few simple rules will help to keep
you are trying to make an accurate measurement, background to a minimum.
technique is of great importance.
Short term background is activity left in the
For accurate thoron measurement, always use the detector after the air sample has been flushed
same sample taking arrangement. Keep the from the measurement chamber. The higher the
sample tubing short: no more than 6 feet (2 radon concentration and the longer the sample is
meters) total length. Use one of the small drying held in the cell, the more daughter activity it
tubes supplied with the instrument, filled with leaves behind. So, to avoid background, when
fresh (blue) desiccant. Always use an inlet filter, you see high radon readings, finish your
free from flow restrictions or clogs. Avoid measurement, and purge the sample cell promptly.
obstructing the intake of the sample tube. For the Take the instrument somewhere with little radon,
most accurate results, check the flow rate with a such as outdoors. Make sure the drying tube is
flow gauge to be sure it is consistent from connected, and select >Test Purge. Let the RAD7
measurement to measurement. Use the RAD7's purge for 5 to 10 minutes, or longer if the sample
Setup Protocol command to choose Thoron was exceptionally hot.
protocol for a 5 minute repeating cycle. Be sure
the instrument has been "dried out" before making The two alpha peaks decay at different rates. The
a measurement. Position the sample tube intake polonium-218 peak, in window A, decays
and start the test. with a 3.05 minute half-life. So in 10 minutes it
will be down to about one-tenth of its original
4.8.10 Thoron Mode count rate. The peak in window C, however, will
take over two hours to get down to one-tenth its
Thoron mode causes the RAD7 to print both count rate.
thoron and radon concentrations (in pCi/L or Bq/
m3) in continuous data logging or in subsequent Rather than wait around for hours, you can start
printing of data. Thoron mode also directs the the next test in SNIFF mode, which ignores
automatic pump setting to continuous pump window C. In fact, the preset, one and two-day,
operation to assure a fresh sample. monitoring protocols, in the RAD7, use AUTO
mode, which starts a measurement in SNIFF
The setup parameter "Setup Thoron" allows you mode and automatically changes to NORMAL
to select Thoron mode On/Off, for configuring a mode after three hours. This takes care of all but
particular test to perform thoron readings. extreme exposure to very high radon.
The protocol "Protocol: Thoron" provides a You can always measure the short-term
standard test for sniffing both radon and thoron in background, with 5-minute SNIFF mode tests.
5 minute cycles. Run a few to see that the background is low.

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5. PC Connection
5.1 RS-232 Serial Port is designed to make this task easy. It also offers
sophisticated graphing and data analysis
5.1.1 Capabilities capabilities.

The RAD7's built-in serial port allows you to The latest version of CAPTURE may be
transfer data to your personal computer. Once the downloaded from the DURRIDGE website
data has been transferred, you may use (www.durridge.com).
CAPTURE or the software of your choice to
manage the data and create tables, graphs and 5.1.4 Applications
reports.
CAPTURE is intended to provide all the
The standard RAD7 firmware, with RADLINK analytical and visual capabilities likely to be
remote control software installed, enables two- required. It also stores copies of the data in
way communication between the RAD7 and various formats for exporting into spreadsheet and
another device. database programs. CAPTURE is described in
greater detail in Chapter 6.
The RAD7 serial port follows RS-232 convention
commonly found on personal computers. For 5.1.5 Technical Specifications for the RAD7
computers without a serial port, a USB/RS232
adaptor is provided standard with every new The RAD7 serial port follows RS-232C
RAD7. convention for signal levels. Positive voltage
(+3V to +15V) indicates logic state 0 (SPACE),
In order to take advantage of the RAD7 data while negative voltage (-3V to -15V) indicates
transfer capability, you will need appropriate logic state 1 (MARK).
hardware (PC with USB or RS232 serial port and
null-modem serial cable), as well as appropriate The connector pin-out follows the IBM PC
software (CAPTURE for Windows, Mac or convention for the 9 pin serial port. The
Linux), which will be explained below. handshaking lines (DTR, DSR, RTS, and CTS)
are not fully implemented, and should be
5.1.2 Hardware Bridge considered non-functional (NF), but X-on/X-off
flow control can be used.
If there is no RS232 serial port on the computer, a
USB/RS232 adaptor is required. The latest driver RAD7 Serial Port Pin Assignments
for the particular device and for the PC operating Pin Deg. C Comment
system should be downloaded and installed in the 1 Carrier Detect (CD) NF
PC.
2 Receive Data (RD)
You will need the proper cable to link the RAD7 3 Transmit Data (TD)
serial port to your computer. The cable should be 4 Data Terminal Ready (DTR) NF
a "null-modem" type, as the RAD7 serial port
5 Signal Ground (SG)
emulates a computer rather than a modem. If you
prefer, you can use a normal "modem" cable 6 Data Set Ready (DSR) NF
along with a "null-modem" adapter on one end or 7 Request To Send (RTS) NF
the other. 8 Clear To Send (CTS) NF
5.1.3 Software Bridge 9 Ring Indicator (RI) NF

In order to receive data on your computer, you The RAD7 serial port has complete hardware
will need software that can "capture" the data and implementation for two-way communication at
store it to memory or disk file. DURRIDGE 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, and 19,200 bits
CAPTURE software for Windows and Macintosh per second (baud); these speeds are available

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through the Special commands of the 5.1.6 Serial Port Output

RADLINK remote control package. The default
speed is 1200 bps. All stored test data are available for serial port
output through the "> Data Com ##" command.
RAD7 Communication Parameters Specify the run number in the command line.
Default Rate 1200 bps
Output from the RAD7 serial port is entirely
Data Bits 8 bits
ASCII numeric. Each cycle produces a record
Parity Bit None containing 23 fields. Carriage-return line-feeds
Stop Bits 1 bit separate the records. Within each record,
commas separate the fields. Fields may have
leading zeros, extra space characters, trailing
decimals, etc., but these will not bother
CAPTURE or most database or spreadsheet
programs.

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RAD7 Data Record - 23 data fields per record:

ID Field Name Notes

1 Test Number Ranges from 001 to 999
2 Year 2 digit value
3 Month 2 digit value
4 Day 2 digit value
5 Hour 2 digit value
6 Minute 2 digit value
7 Total Counts Integer indicating total counts recorded during test
8 Live Time Expressed in minutes
9 Percent of total counts in win. A These 4 windows will not always add up to 100% since
10 Percent of total counts in win. B counts can come into channels below or above these
window.
11 Percent of total counts in win. C
12 Percent of total counts in win. D
13 High Voltage Level Ranges from 2200V to 2300V
14 High Voltage Duty Cycle Ranges from 0-100%; typically 10-20%
15 Temperature Measured in C or F depending on RAD7 setup
16 Relative humidity of sampled airShould be kept below 10% for most accurate test
17 Leakage Current Ranges from 0 to 255. Above 20 is cause for concern.
18 Battery Voltage Below 6.00V is a discharged battery. Does not affect
accuracy of test but indicates need for recharge.
19 Pump Current Ranges from 0-260mA. Typically 40-80mA; Above
100mA possible clogged filter or obstruction.
20 Flags Byte Individual bits store settings:
Bit 0 indicates pump is in TIMED mode
Bit 1 indicates pump ON continuously
Bit 2 is not defined
Bit 3 indicates tone is in GEIGER mode
Bit 4 indicates beeper is activated
Bit 5 indicates spectrum will print after each test
Bit 6 indicates multiple (recycle) tests
Bit 7 indicates SNIFF test mode. Clear is N
21 Radon concentration Expressed in pCi/l, Bq/m3, cpm, or # counts, depending
on the units the RAD7 has been set to use.
22 Radon concentration uncertainty 2 sigma error - of concentration in the SAME units as
the concentration (not %).
23 Units Byte Individual bits store settings:
Bits 0 and 1 indicate concentration unit:
00 = cpm, 01 = # of counts, 10 = Bq/m3, and 11 = pCi/L.
Bit 2 through Bit 6 are not defined.
Bit 7 indicates temperature unit (0 = F, 1 = C)

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A run can contain many cycles of data, with one

record per cycle. Here is an example of a single
record:

009,99,10,29,04,18,4823.,337.8,45.4,
2.9,46.6,0.3, 2201,14, 23.7, 5, 7, 7.09, 00, 125,
28.32743, .8500846, 255<CRLF>

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5.2 RADLINK should be Hayes compatible and should be set to

auto-answer.
5.2.1 Capabilities
If you intend to use a personal computer to
The remote control package, now installed communicate with and control an instrument, you
standard with every RAD7 sold, enables the will need terminal emulation software for your
RAD7 to be controlled from a distance by sending computer. Several low-cost commercial software
commands through the built-in serial port. This products are available for data communication
package makes all the ordinary RAD7 keypad that allow you to send commands, receive replies,
commands available through a remote device and transfer data in and out of your computer
connected to the serial port. Using a remote using its serial port or USB port with an adaptor.
terminal or computer you may, for example,
change the RAD7's operating parameters, start a 5.2.3 RAD7 Remote Command Format
test, stop a test, or receive data from the RAD7.
The package permits users to implement The format of commands to the RAD7 serial port
automated communication between the RAD7 match, as closely as possible, the format of the
and computing equipment for the purpose of commands available to the user at the RAD7
remote centralized data collection or control. keypad. For example, the command to change the
cycle time to 1 hour is "SETUP CYCLE 01:00".
RADLINK also provides several additional The command to turn off the audio beeper is
functions, not otherwise available. For instance, "SETUP TONE OFF". The command to send
with RADLINK you can change the baud rate, over the data from run number 3 in comma-
download the entire data stored in the RAD7 with delimited form is "DATA COM 3". The upper/
a single command, and control relays directly lower case of the command does not matter, nor
from the RAD7. does the numeric format of numbers. In the last
example, "data com 03", "Data Com 3", and
5.2.2 Requirements "dAtA coM 03.00" all work equally well.

Remote control software resides in non-volatile You can use any of the ordinary RAD7
memory (NVRAM), but does not decrease the commands, but a few extra commands have been
amount of memory available for storing radon added that you may also use, or in some cases
data. substitute for other commands. These commands
all start with the word "SPECIAL". One such
The most simple implementation of remote extra command is the command "SPECIAL
control is through a direct wire link from the STATUS" which gives information about the
RAD7 to a personal computer or terminal. This current status of the instrument, just like "TEST
requires a serial null-modem cable from the STATUS", but does not continue to update the
RAD7 to the serial port connector on the information every second; instead, it returns
computer or terminal or USB adaptor. control to the user.

The simple, direct serial port to serial port The Control-C character functions as a remote
connection has a range limited to around 50 feet "menu" key that can be used to interrupt certain
(15 meters) by the RS-232-C standard. Options activities and get ready for a new command. The
for extending this range include RS-232 line RAD7 replies with a prompt, the greater-than
boosters, current-loop and other types of character ">", that tells you it is ready for a new
interface converters, short-haul modems, and command. When using a terminal emulator
leased-line modems. program, you will always type commands at the
prompt.
You may use standard data modems to
communicate over the telephone system to one or All commands must be followed by a carriage
more remote RAD7 monitors, so that when you return character, denoted here as <CR>. No
want to get some data or start a new run, just "dial command will be activated until the <CR> goes
up" the instrument of your choice. The modem through. Once you have typed a command,
always end with a carriage return keystroke. This

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key may be marked "Enter" or "Return" on your The function keys F1, F2, F3, and F4 act as a
keyboard. remote RAD7 keypad, corresponding to the
RAD7 keys <menu>, <enter>, <backward
If the RAD7 cannot understand your command, arrow>, and <forward arrow>. As mentioned
such as if you typed words in the wrong order or previously, the Control-C character also acts as a
misspelled something, it will respond with "? remote <menu> key. The backspace/delete key
ERROR", followed by a list of acceptable on your keyboard allows you to correct
command words. misspelled commands before the carriage return.
If this key does not work, then Control-H may do
5.2.4 Special Keys the same function.

If you are using a terminal emulator package, you 5.2.5 Special Commands
can gain a few special keys by making sure your
terminal has been setup to give ANSI standard A series of special commands have been added to
escape codes for the function keys and cursor the ordinary RAD7 commands to provide
control keys. Set your terminal for either ANSI, functions of special interest to remote control
VT-52, or VT-100 mode to get these functions. users. See paragraph 2.5 Special.

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6. CAPTURE
6.1 Introduction DURRIDGE website (www.durridge.com) at no
charge.
CAPTURE is intended to simplfy the transfer of This chapter serves as a brief introduction to the
data from the RAD7 to a computer. It also CAPTURE software. It is recommended that
provides a wealth of graphing and data analysis RAD7 users examine the complete CAPTURE
options, and offers the ability to export data to documentation available within the programs
other programs for further review. The software Help menu. This information may also be found
is available for Windows XP/Vista/7, and on the DURRIDGE website. (From the main
Macintosh OS X. The latest version of page, Choose Software CAPTURE and click
CAPTURE can be downloaded from the the Users Manual link at the bottom of the page.)

6.2 Installation To operate CAPTURE on a computer without a

serial port, it is necessary to install the Keyspan
Download the appropriate version of CAPTURE Serial to USB adaptor driver, which is included on
(Windows or Macintosh) from the DURRIDGE the DURRIDGE Software CD, bundled with each
website. In Windows an installer program will RAD7. This software is also availabe from the
install the necessary components and place Tripplite website, (http://www.tripplite.com/). On
shortcuts in the Start Menu and on the desktop, if the site, click the Keyspan Products link and look
desired. To install CAPTURE for the Macintosh, for the USA-19HS section to access the
open the downloaded .dmg file and drag the appropriate driver software.
CAPTURE application into the Applications
folder or to the location of your choice. Although other Serial to USB adaptors are known
to work with CAPTURE, they have not been

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thoroughly evaluated, and DURRIDGE set.

recommends the Keyspan adaptor for most uses.
A synthesized spectrum display appears in
6.3 Feature Summary another panel, providing an indication of the
changes that occur within the RAD7 as a testing
CAPTUREs capibilities fall into three main session progresses.
categories: downloading RAD7 Data, graphing
and analysis, and real-time RAD7 monitoring. RAD7 profiles based on device calibration data
Each is described briefly below. may be applied to data graphs to improve result
accuracy. Data points may also be corrected for
6.3.1 Downloading RAD7 Data temperature, humidity, and other variables. Any
problematic data records will be handled by
CAPTUREs original and primary function is to CAPTUREs comprehensive error catching
download RAD7 data. Once connected to a system and reported to the user.
RAD7, the program can download all of the
devices data, or a particular data run. For a more CAPTURE supports the exporting of both raw
complete record set, supplementary output RAD7 data and more complete error-corrected
containing thoron concentration records may also RAD7 data in a number of formats, for use in
be obtained. When a download operation is spreadsheets and other analysis tools. Summary
complete, the results are saved to disk in the reports may also be generated, providing general
format of the users choice. overviews of the collected data.

In addition to being able to download data from 6.3.3 Real-Time RAD7 Monitoring
RAD7s connected directly to the computer,
CAPTURE can obtain data from remote RAD7s, CAPTURE is capible of monitoring multiple local
connected via a network or modem. and remote RAD7s simultaneiously, displaying
status details and plotting radon concentrations in
6.3.2 Graphing and Analysis real time as they are recorded. A statistics panel is
automatically refreshed as new information
Once RAD7 data has been downloaded and saved arrives.
to disk, it may be displayed as a graph.
CAPTUREs Graph Window allows for the Besides tracking the sate of each connected
display of thoron, temperature, and humidity data, RAD7, it is also possible to issue menu
in addition to radon. Navigation controls make it commands, performing such tasks as starting and
possible to select the data points within a specific stopping tests and setting the protocol. All of the
date range and zoom in to that region for a closer functionality of the RAD7s physical controls are
look. accessible from within CAPTUREs graphical
interface.
Accompanying the graph display is a statistics
panel showing information about the point nearest As stated above, it is suggested that users examine
to the cursor, the points within the selected region, the complete CAPTURE documentation, which is
as well as the points comprising the entire data available from the DURRIDGE website, and from
within the programs Help menu.

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7. Maintenance
per minute. With the RAD7 set for continuous
Provided the RAD7 is treated with respect, the monitoring with timed pump operation, the pump
only maintenance required by the instrument is its operates 20 to 30% of the time. We will assume
regular recalibration. For this, it should be an average flow rate of 0.3 liters per minute.
returned to DURRIDGE Company, who will
check the health of the instrument, and who will The following table shows the moisture content of
incorporate the new calibration factors in the air at various conditions of temperature and
instrument firmware. humidity, and the expected lifetime of a charge of
desiccant in the Laboratory Drying Unit.
If the instrument is to be used in a harsh
environment, where water and/or mud may be RH Deg. C Deg. F Column Life
splashed on the face plate, the RAD7 should be
put in a box or large plastic bag. The air input Days
may be brought into the container by a plastic 30% 20 68 23.1
tube from the sampling point. The air outlet 30% 35 95 9.8
should be left in the container, so that the RAD7 50% 20 68 13.3
becomes surrounded by clean and dry air.
50% 25 77 10
90% 10 50 13.7
7.1 Accessories - Usage and Care 90% 15 59 10
90% 20 68 7.4
7.1.1 Desiccant 90% 25 77 5.5
Two sizes of desiccant tubes are supplied. In the 90% 30 86 4.2
NORMAL mode, use the large 2" diameter tube
(laboratory drying unit). This unit will last for 7.1.3 Small drying tube (small tube)
days under continuous operation at high humidity
before it needs regeneration. The small drying tubes each contain 30 grams of
Drierite desiccant. The water capacity of each
When used as a Sniffer, the small desiccant tube tube is 3 grams. We will assume that the RAD7
is recommended. It will last for several hours pump operates continuously, for an average flow
before replacement or refilling of the tube is rate of 1.0 liter per minute. The table shows the
necessary. To regenerate the desiccant, the expected lifetime of a small drying tube under
granules should be removed from the tube and various humidity conditions.
spread evenly in a thin layer on a metal or glass
tray. Heat at about 200C (4OOF) for two hours RH Deg. C Deg. F Tube Life Hours
or until granules turn uniformly blue. Allow the
30% 20 68 10
desiccant to cool in an airtight container before
refilling the plastic tube. 30% 35 95 4.2
50% 20 68 5.7
How long will the desiccant last? This is a
50% 25 77 4.3
common question, and the following information
should be helpful. 90% 10 50 5.9
90% 15 59 4.3
7.1.2 Laboratory drying unit 90% 20 68 3.2
The column holds approximately 500 grams of 90% 25 77 2.4
Drierite desiccant. This desiccant can adsorb at 90% 30 86 1.8
least 10% of its weight in water, so the water
capacity of the column is at least 50 grams. The
RAD7 pump develops a flow rate of about 1 liter

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7.1.4 Cascading drying tubes The filter should be replaced when it has become
noticeably discolored or has clogged enough to
To extend the time before desiccant depletion, you impede the flow of air. If you cannot suck air
may cascade several drying tubes in series. Two easily through the filter yourself, it's time to
factors limit the number of drying tubes you can change the filter.
use. First, each additional drying tube or column
adds a small amount of resistance to the air flow, When you operate the RAD7 in construction areas
so the pump will have to work a little harder. But or basements, dust can quickly build up in
the resistance added by a drying tube is much less sampling hoses, drying tubes, and inlet filters.
than the resistance of the inlet filter, so you should This dust will slowly clog the filter, restrict air
be able to cascade several without severely flow, and create strain on the pump. You will have
restricting the air flow. Second, each additional to replace the inlet filter. To greatly slow the
tube adds a time lag between sample intake and buildup of dust, we recommend that you attach a
instrument response. "prefilter" to the intake of the sampling hose, to
prevent coarse dust particles from entering. Then,
For continuous monitoring, a 10- to 20-minute lag the inlet filter will remove the ultra-fine dust
may be perfectly acceptable, but for sniffing it particles that pass through the prefilter and drying
may not be. You can conservatively estimate the system.
time lag by taking four times the volume of the
drying system and dividing by the average flow We find that automotive gasoline filters can serve
rate. Consider a continuous monitor application as convenient and inexpensive prefilters. A
using a laboratory drying column of volume 0.8 particular filter, intended for Volkswagens, is a
liter with the pump in timed operation, giving an small, disposable, clear-plastic capsule containing
average flow rate of 0.2 liters per minute. Four a pleated paper filter. This filter effectively
times the volume divided by the flow rate gives removes most dust from the air stream, greatly
16 minutes for the estimated lag time. This would extending the life of the inlet filter. You can buy
be perfectly acceptable for continuous this type of filter in almost any auto parts store for
monitoring. For radon sniffing, you will usually around $3.
use the small drying tubes (volume .032 liter),
which create negligible delays of less than a 7.1.6 Batteries
minute, even at low flow rates. You can cascade
several small drying tubes without trouble. Your RAD7 has enough battery capacity to go for
two to three days without any external power
Do not cascade drying tubes when sniffing for source. Electronic circuits control the charging
thoron, since thoron's 56-second half-life and discharging of the battery, avoiding
necessitates that you keep delays to an absolute overcharge or destructive discharge. If you
minimum. For thoron sniffing, use a single small maintain the batteries according to the following
drying tube, and set the pump for continuous (on) directions, you can expect to get two to five years
operation. Keep hose length to 6 feet (1.8 meter) of heavy service from them.
or less.
Keep the batteries fully charged as much as
7.1.5 Filters possible. Try to recharge promptly after use. The
RAD7 batteries charge whenever the unit has DC
Inlet filters are supplied that fit the metal inlet power. With the power cord plugged in and the
fitting (male Luer type). These filters block ultra RAD7 measuring radon, the batteries will charge
fine dust particles and all radon daughters from slowly. Full recharge takes about 48 hours.
entering the RAD7 test chamber.
With the power cord plugged in and the RAD7 in
The filters are manufactured in various pore sizes fast charge mode (not measuring radon), the
by several companies, including Millipore and batteries will charge more quickly. Full recharge
SRI. We favor pore sizes of 1.0 microns or less; takes about 24 hours. The battery voltage
pore sizes as small as 0.4 microns can be used indicator on the display (go to the third status
with the RAD7 pump. window) will reach 7.10 to 7.20V when the

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batteries are fully charged and the power cord is soon as possible. As the battery charges, its
still plugged in. voltage rises steadily until it goes above 7V.
Consider the battery fully charged if it charges at
If the batteries are deeply discharged, to the or above 7V.
threshold of battery damage, an electronic circuit
will completely disconnect them to avoid further 7.1.7 Real-time Clock and Non-volatile
discharge. The circuit will then not allow battery Memory
operation until they are completely recharged. If
this occurs, you may still be able to operate the The RAD7's Real-Time-Clock (RTC) and Non-
RAD7 from DC power until the batteries Volatile Memory unit (NVRAM) allows the
recharge. Expect the recharge to take 48 hours. RAD7 operator to switch power off without
losing data or disrupting the clock time and date.
Never store the RAD7 without first recharging the These functions are powered by a lithium cell
batteries. If you intend to store the RAD7 for a with an expected lifetime of ten years.
long period of time, you must recharge the
batteries at least every four months, as they can be 7.1.8 Printer and Adapter
damaged by self-discharge on the shelf.
Otherwise, you may have to replace the batteries The printer is manufactured by Chamjin I&C. It
before you can use your instrument again. comes with its own manual, and you should
familiarize yourself with its operation.
Battery voltage can be read from the Status Specifically, you should be aware that it operates
display, and appears on printed output. A fully through an infra-red optical link and should be
charged battery will rest at 6.40 to 6.50V. As the positioned on the top of the RAD7 to match the
battery discharges, its voltage drops steadily to data link on the detector. It runs on its own
6V. If the battery voltage ever goes below 6.00V, batteries.
it is fully discharged and should be recharged as

7.2 Operating ranges

Parameter Minimum Value Maximum Value

Temperature 0C (32F) 40C (104F)
Relative Humidity, external 0% 95%
(Must be non-condensing)
Relative Humidity, internal 0% 10%
Battery Voltage 6.00V 7.20V
Pump Current (pump off) 0mA 10mA
Pump Current (pump on) 30mA 90mA
High Voltage 2100V 2400V
HV Duty Cycle 8% 20%
Leakage Current (room temp.) 0mA 20mA
Leakage Current (max. temp.) 5mA 80mA
Signal voltage level 0.15V 0.30V

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7.3 Service and Repair permission of the instrument's owner.

7.3.1 Calibration 7.3.2 Repair

DURRIDGE maintains a radon calibration facility If you discover that your RAD7 is
that includes a controlled, standard source of malfunctioning, we recommend that you first call
radon gas, and a controlled-temperature DURRIDGE and talk to a technician. A
environmental chamber. All RAD7 alignment and surprising number of minor "disasters" can be
calibration is done here, as well as basic testing avoided by long-distance consultation. The next
and quality assurance. We determine calibration step, if consultation fails, usually is to send your
factors by direct comparison to "master" RAD7's, instrument in for evaluation and repair. Please
which were themselves compared with EPA and send any documentation of the problem that you
DOE instruments, and which have participated in might have (notes, printouts, etc.) and a short note
international inter-comparisons of radon describing the problem. Be sure that you put your
instrumentation. The calibration accuracy is name and telephone number on the note. Within
independently verified by direct determination of 48 hours of our receipt of the instrument, we will
the radon chamber level from the calibrated call you to give a prognosis.
activity and emission of the standard radon
source. In addition, we periodically intercompare Bear in mind that a repaired instrument often
with other radon chambers. We generally achieve requires complete re-calibration, so a one-week
a reproducibility of better than 2% with our turn-around may be the best we can do. If you
standard RAD7 calibration. Overall calibration absolutely need an instrument during the repair
accuracy is in the range of 5%. time we can sometimes arrange to send you a
"loaner" instrument.
The EPA recommends (and we agree) that all
continuous radon monitors be calibrated at least 7.3.3 Shipping
every six months in a radon calibration chamber,
although most RAD7 users are satisfied with The RAD7 is shipped to you in a plastic bag,
annual recalibration. DURRIDGEs standard packed in a box with styrofoam peanuts, and
RAD7 calibration requires four to five working finally packed inside another box that also holds
days from the receipt of the instrument. As a all the accessories. The inner box, by itself, is too
preliminary to recalibration, we give every RAD7 small for the return trip, when you need a
a brief inspection, and test one or two critical calibration or repair job. You need to find a
parts. If additional service is required, this may bigger box, with space for one inch packing all
delay the return of the instrument. round the RAD7. A 14" cube box is fine. Pack
and seal the box carefully.
We recommend that you arrange for your
calibration ahead of time, to avoid possible Please do not ship any accessories, unless they are
delays. When sending your RAD7 for calibration, relevant to the problem.
please send the instrument only, without the
accessories, and please pack it well, with at least All return shipments to DURRIDGE must be
an inch of packing all round. prepaid, and unless you instruct us otherwise,
we'll return it to you via the same shipping
At present, only DURRIDGE can make method you used to get it to us - from "slow boat"
adjustments to your instrument's alignment and to next day air, freight collect.
calibration factors. If you determine, on the basis
of an independent intercomparison (e.g., another 7.3.4 Upgrades
calibration chamber) that you would like to adjust
your RAD7's calibration by a known amount, we Whenever you send your RAD7 in for repair or
can generally perform this service and send back calibration, you have the option of having the
your instrument within one day. Requested latest available software installed. Most RAD7's
calibration adjustments of more than 10% are can be upgraded to the latest hardware
considered highly unusual and require the written configuration as well. You will be informed

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periodically of whatever new features are windows. A clean spectrum is indicative of an

available for your RAD7. Please advise us if you instrument in perfect working order, and hence of
want to have an upgrade made. We intend to keep reliable and accurate readings.
our RAD7 customers happy by keeping their
instruments up-to-date, state-of-the-art. 7.4.2 Spill Factor

Due to the occasional alpha particle emitted, from

7.4 RAD7 Quality Assurance a polonium atom on the detector surface, at
grazing incidence to the surface, there is always a
While the annual inspection and calibration, small, low-energy tail to the peaks. This may be
carried out by DURRIDGE Company, is the most observed in the printed spectra. There is thus a
effective quality assurance, and the prime spill of 214-Po counts from window C into
requirement of EPA, there are other tests and window B. It is normally around 1% to 1.5% in a
observations that may be made that will give current production RAD7. The actual value is
assurance of good performance throughout the measured during the calibration process and the
year. spill factor used to compensate for this
phenomenon when measuring thoron in the
7.4.1 Spectrum presence of radon.

At least once a month, the spectrum printed by the If the detector becomes contaminated in use, or
IR printer should be observed. The cumulative either electronic or detector failure causes noise in
spectrum, printed at the end of a run, has the most the system, thus making the low-energy tail
data points and is, therefore, the most useful for thicker, or the peaks broader, then this spill factor
this purpose. All that is required is that the printer will increase. The value can be calculated from
be placed on the face plate and switched on at the any reading, provided that it is known for sure
end of a 1-day or 2-day run. It doesnt matter that there was no thoron in the chamber. The
what format is chosen, the summary printed at the percentage of counts in windows B and C is given
end of the run will conclude with a cumulative in fields 10 and 11 of each record in memory (see
spectrum, after the bar chart. Alternatively, the section 5.1.6). The spill factor is simply the ratio
RAD7 will print a spectrum at the end of every of the values in those two fields.
cycle if the format is set to LONG. However, this
will include only the counts during that cycle. It is recommended that the spill factor be noted
For the spectrum to be useful it should have at every month. Any sudden change is cause for
least 100 counts. There should be clearly defined further study of the instrument, and an
peaks and little or no noise across the spectrum. examination of the spectrum.
The peaks should be located in the middle of the

7.5 RAD7 Specifications

Specifications for the RAD7 exceed those of all radon gas monitors made in North America, as well as
those in its price range world-wide. This is a partial list of specifications that make the RAD7 so highly
regarded in the field.

Target Gases: Radon 220 (Thoron) in addition to Radon 222.

Spectrum: Only instrument under $10,000 world-wide that prints out the alpha energy
spectrum, showing radon and thoron signature peaks. Prints out radon
concentration as a function of time.

RAD H20: An attachment for fast and accurate analysis of radon in water on site.

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Recovery: Most rapid in the industry. Leave a hot spot and in 20 minutes the reading of the
RAD7 is down to less than 5% of its high value.

Remote: Remote and modem control capability available.

Detector: Passivated, Implanted, Planar Silicon detector, insensitive to vibrations and noise
that plague many other detectors. Extremely low background. If there is no
radon, there are no counts in the radon window of the RAD 7.

Calibration: Highly stable. Typical drift is less than 2% per year.

Dynamic Range: 0.1-10,000 pCi/L (4 - 400,000 Bq/m3). As there is no background, it easily

measures down to 0.1 pCi/L. Extremely useful since most readings are (happily)
below 1.0 pCi/L.

Sensitivity: In sniffer mode: 0.2 cpm/pCi/L. In NORMAL mode, 0.4 cpm/pCi/L.

Operating Modes: 48-hour and 24-hour pre-set protocols. Radon and Thoron SNIFF mode, for
continuous diagnostics. High and low-sensitivity water protocols. Grab-sample
testing. User-defined, and saved, custom protocol.

Pump: Microprocessor controlled, timed or continuous: 1 liter/min.

Data Storage: 1,000 radon concentration measurements, including time, date, temperature,
humidity, battery voltage, thoron and statistical uncertainties.

Data Display: Two line x 16 character LCD display. Multiple windows and extensive menus.

Cycle Time: Cycle intervals set to your requirements, 2 minutes to 24 hours.

Controls: Keyboard: 4 keys. Very easy to operate. Standard procedures are pre-
programmed, so an unskilled operator can use them. Individual setups can easily
be pre-programmed and saved.

Output: RS-232 port, to download to computer. Can also be used for remote control of
RAD7 and/or control of external relay box, with optional RADLINK Software.

Power: Powered via 11-15 (12 nominal) VDC @ 1.25A or internal batteries (5 AH). DC
input has a 2.1mm pin, a 5.5mm barrel, and the polarity is center hot.

Rechargeable batteries are sealed lead-acid Gates Monobloc type 0819-0012.

Battery charges automatically when RAD7 is plugged in. Continuous battery

operation: 24 hours in SNIFF mode; 72 hours in Monitor mode. An optional AC
power input for non-EU customers is available at no cost.

Size: 9.5" x 7.5" x 10.5", 9.2 pounds. With shoulder strap. Case: High-impact, high-
density case.

Printer: Chamjin I&C New Handy700-BT. Alpha-numeric Infrared link, no cord needed.
Data, bar charts and spectra may all be printed during or at the end of a run.

Environment: Operating temperature range: 0C45C; 0%99% RH non-condensing.

Storage temp: -40C - 60C.

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