Story County • 30 miles from Des Moines
Radon Mitigation & Testing in Ames, Iowa.
Ames sits about 30 miles north of downtown Des Moines, in Story County, where the average home tests 6.5 pCi/L. We test, we fix, and we guarantee the result.
Iowa-certified • same-day test results • one-visit installs • every system guaranteed below 2.7 pCi/L
Story County radon average
6.5 pCi/L
- vs. EPA action level
- 1.6×
- Iowa counties
- 77th of 99
- U.S. average
- 1.3
Mean pre-mitigation level in tests reported 2008–2017, CDC Tracking Network. EPA action level 4 pCi/L; Iowa averages 8.5.
What 6.5 pCi/L means for your Ames home
In the CDC's 2008 to 2017 data, the average Story County home measured 6.5 pCi/L before mitigation, 77th highest of Iowa's 99 counties and far above the U.S. average of 1.3. That is a little below Polk County's 7.3, but still 1.6 times the EPA action level, and a county average says nothing about the house you live in. Iowa HHS is blunt that neighbors can test very differently, which is why we never guess at a Ames home from the county figure.
The county figure tells you the odds; a certified test tells you the answer. We place a continuous monitor in your Ames home for 48 to 72 hours and email the report the day it comes out. If it reads 4 pCi/L or higher, you get a written mitigation quote the same day, and every system we install is guaranteed below 2.7 pCi/L.
Free radon test kit for Ames homes
Yes. Story County homes qualify for a free Iowa radon test kit.
Story County residents get one free short-term kit per household while supplies last. Start with the American Lung Association's form; depending on your address, the Lung Association may route rural Story County homes to the Healthy Hometowns: Combat Cancer program, which covers rural Iowa, and ask you to re-order there.
Request a free kit (American Lung Association) →A free kit is a mailed charcoal test: results take a couple of weeks, one kit can miss a high reading, and it is not accepted for a real-estate sale. If it comes back at 4.0 pCi/L or higher, the next step is a certified 48-to-72-hour monitor test with same-day results, then a same-day mitigation quote.
Rural Story County addresses that land in the Healthy Hometowns program are also in line for the program's mitigation help for homes that test high. Call us when your result comes in: we confirm it with a certified test and point you to your county's program contact.
Need a result this week, or for a home sale? Skip the wait: book a certified monitor test. Iowa Radon Hotline: 1-800-383-5992.
Radon in Ames Homes
Ames counted 66,427 residents in 2020, up 13% over the decade, so its housing is a mix: a railroad-era core around the original town plat, built out from the 1869s to the 1950s on block or stone foundations, and newer poured-basement homes on the edges. The two kinds of houses need two different radon designs.
Ames is compact, about 2,744 people per square mile on 24.21 square miles, so houses sit close together. That makes fan placement and vent routing a design question: we keep the system on the private side of the house, away from the neighbor's windows, and terminate above the roofline as the standard requires.
Ames is about 30 miles north of downtown Des Moines. Gilbert (6 mi), Kelley (6 mi) and Nevada (8 mi) are the neighboring towns on the same route. A standard test is a 48-to-72-hour continuous monitor with the report emailed the day it comes out; a mitigation is usually a single visit, with the fan on the least visible side of the house and the vent above the roofline. Every system we install in Ames is guaranteed below 2.7 pCi/L.
See what a system involves on our radon mitigation in Des Moines page, or start with a certified radon test. For how Story County compares to the rest of the state, see Iowa radon levels by county.
What we see in Ames
Housing we see
An older town center on block or stone foundations with newer poured-basement subdivisions on the edges.
What a system looks like here
Sealed suction point in the slab or sump, exterior fan on the least visible side, vent above the roofline, clearance test.
Town at a glance
66,427 residents (up 13% since 2010), incorporated 1869, 24.21 square miles.
Getting there
Ames is 30 miles north of downtown Des Moines. Tests scheduled seven days a week; most mitigations done in one visit.
Ames at a Glance
- Population (2020)
- 66,427
- Incorporated
- 1869
- From Des Moines
- 30 mi
- Our guarantee
- < 2.7 pCi/L
Population and incorporation date from the U.S. Census. Distance is straight-line to downtown Des Moines.
Why Ames homeowners call All Midwest Radon
Iowa-certified measurement and mitigation specialists, based in the Des Moines metro and on the road in Story County every week.
The 2.7 Guarantee
Every system we install is guaranteed below 2.7 pCi/L, the World Health Organization's level, or we return at no charge until it is.
Same-day results
A continuous monitor, 48 to 72 hours, and the report emailed the day it comes out. Scheduled seven days a week, including for home sales.
One-visit installs
Most Ames systems go in during a single visit, with the fan on the least visible side of the house and a clearance test to prove it worked.
Built to last
Quiet Festa AMG fans with a 7-year manufacturer warranty, a 1-year workmanship warranty, and an Iowa-compliant homeowner manual for your records.
Ames Radon Questions
Does All Midwest Radon serve Ames, Iowa?
Yes. Ames is 30 miles north of our Des Moines base and inside our regular service area, along with the rest of Story County and nearby Gilbert, Kelley, Nevada. We test and mitigate homes in Ames on the same schedule as the Des Moines metro.
What is the average radon level in Story County?
6.5 pCi/L, based on tests reported to the CDC Tracking Network from 2008 through 2017. That ranks 77th of Iowa's 99 counties and is 1.6 times the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L. Individual Ames homes test both far above and below that average, which is why a test of your own home is the only reliable answer.
Can I get a free radon test kit in Ames?
Yes. Story County households can request one free short-term radon test kit through the Iowa HHS and American Lung Association free kit program, while supplies last. Rural addresses may be routed to the Healthy Hometowns: Combat Cancer program instead. A kit is a good first look, but results take weeks and it is not accepted for a home sale. A certified 48-to-72-hour monitor test gives same-day results, and any reading at 4.0 pCi/L or above should be confirmed that way before mitigation.
How long does radon mitigation take in Ames?
Most Ames installs are completed in a single visit. We place a sealed suction point in the slab or sump pit, route the vent pipe to an exterior fan, and finish above the roofline, then run a post-mitigation clearance test. Every system is guaranteed to bring the home below 2.7 pCi/L.
Is a radon test required to sell a home in Ames?
No. Iowa Code chapter 558A is a disclosure law: a seller must disclose any known test results and provide the Iowa Radon Home Buyers and Sellers Fact Sheet, but no law requires the test itself. In practice the buyer orders a certified test during the inspection period, and with Ames adding homes as fast as it has, that is a test we run often. We schedule those seven days a week.
Also serving Story County
Ready to protect your Ames home?
Certified 48 to 72 hour testing with same-day results, and mitigation guaranteed below 2.7 pCi/L.