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Geiger counter radon

Updated: October 2026

You want to know whether the house is over the UK radon Action Level. A geiger counter radon reading will not give it. Radon is an air concentration in becquerels per cubic metre, averaged over months. The meters on the [Geiger counter comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/geiger-counter) count ionising events. None states a Bq/m³ mode. Peter F. updated this page on 16 October 2026 from UKHSA, Public Health Wales, and the HSE note on the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017. We did not test a house. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. If you still want one for rocks or glass, use the [geiger counter buying guide](/hub/measuring-equipment/geiger-counter/sub/geiger-counter-buying-guide).

You want to know whether the house is over the UK radon Action Level. A geiger counter radon reading will not give it. Radon is an air concentration in becquerels per cubic metre, averaged over months.

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On this page
  1. 1.A Geiger counter is the wrong instrument for a home radon test
  2. 2.The UK Action Level, Target Level, and the test UKHSA describes
  3. 3.What an average of about 20 Bq/m³ means, and what it does not
  4. 4.When to stop using a consumer meter

A Geiger counter is the wrong instrument for a home radon test

A Geiger–Müller tube responds to radiation that reaches it. The result UKHSA uses for a house is the average concentration of radon gas in air, not a click rate on a worktop and not a µSv/h figure programmed for gamma. A short cellar reading can move because of ground gamma, a stone, or random decay. It still does not say whether the annual average is over 200 Bq/m³. The Soogua listing asks whether the meter detects radon and does not answer. The GMC-320S listing leaves the same question open. Silence is not a hidden radon mode. A quiet afternoon does not clear a house, and a noisy one does not prove you should remediate. You should not expect the UK numbers on an amazon bullet.

The UK Action Level, Target Level, and the test UKHSA describes

UKHSA sets the Action Level at 200 Bq/m³ and the Target Level at 100 Bq/m³, as an annual average. Public Health Wales quotes the same two levels. At or above the Action Level, UKHSA advises that you reduce the radon. The Target Level is the lower figure to aim for. Neither is a CPM limit, and neither is a threshold in these counter listings. The domestic method is two passive detectors, in two rooms, left for about three months, then returned. The pack is listed at £52.80 including VAT. Results are aimed at within four weeks of the laboratory receiving them. A weekend or a single night is a poor substitute, because radon varies with season, ventilation, and weather. Northern Ireland is inside this UK advice. That £52.80 is the UKHSA figure, not an amazon.co.uk price.
GQ GQ GMC-800

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GQ GQ GMC-800
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What an average of about 20 Bq/m³ means, and what it does not

Public Health Wales puts the average UK home at about 20 Bq/m³. That is a national picture, not a promise that your house matches it. Your house can still exceed the Target Level of 100 or the Action Level of 200. The answer this page will accept is the three-month test, not a mental comparison with 20. UKHSA's June 2025 review puts average UK exposure at about 2.6 mSv a year, of which radon and thoron are about 1.1 mSv and terrestrial gamma about 0.4 mSv. A consumer counter does not report that radon share as Bq/m³. Do not convert 1.1 mSv into a normal click rate and then clear the cellar. The how to use a geiger counter page is a background routine for a meter you already own. It will not turn clicks into an Action Level.

When to stop using a consumer meter

Stop if you are deciding remediation from clicks. This page does not describe a fan, a sump, or a membrane. Those decisions come after a validated Bq/m³ result. A high click rate in a cellar is a reason to take the proper test, or to get help if you have found an object. It is not itself the Action Level. Stop and get help if you have found a source, if a count stays far above a fresh background, or if someone may be contaminated. Move away. Contact UKHSA or the local authority. Call 999 in an emergency. Do not open a smoke alarm to see if the meter clicks.

Common questions

Will a Geiger counter tell me if I am over the Action Level?
No. The Action Level is 200 Bq/m³ as an annual average of radon in air. These counters do not state a Bq/m³ mode. A µSv/h figure is a gamma estimate, and CPM is a count. Neither is the UKHSA house result. You need the passive test, not a longer session with the same meter.
What is the UK Action Level and Target Level?
The Action Level is 200 Bq/m³ and the Target Level is 100 Bq/m³, both as an annual average. UKHSA publishes them, and Public Health Wales quotes the same levels. They apply to a proper radon measurement, not to a counter on a worktop. A German 300 Bq/m³ figure is not the UK level. Northern Ireland is covered by the UK sources used here.
How does UKHSA want a home tested, and what does it cost?
Two passive detectors, in two rooms, for about three months, then returned. UKHSA aims to report within four weeks of receiving them. The pack is listed at £52.80 including VAT on the measuring page, not as an amazon offer. A short test misses the seasonal swing. One cupboard is not the house.
Is radon the same as the clicks in my kitchen?
No. Clicks are events the tube can see, often gamma, and they wander because decay is random. Radon is a gas concentration in Bq/m³. About 1.1 mSv a year of average UK exposure is radon and thoron, which these meters do not show as Bq/m³. A kitchen CPM is a meter note. It is not the house result, and a quiet kitchen does not clear the building.
Does a high click rate in a cellar mean I should remediate?
It means you should not improvise. Order the three-month test, or get advice if an object may be a source. A noisy cellar can be ground gamma, stone, or a random spike. None of those is an annual average over 200 Bq/m³. A quiet cellar does not clear the house either. Remediation methods are outside this page.
When is radon an employer question?
When people work in the building and IRR17 may apply, including radon where the work is in scope. The HSE page is the legal base for employers. A £52.80 household pack does not replace that duty. Staff should not be given a consumer counter and told the workplace is fine. Ask the employer's radiation arrangements.

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How to use a geiger counter: background, then counts

Sources

UKHSA, Public Health Wales, the Health and Safety Executive and the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017, plus manufacturer pages and the amazon.co.uk listings read on 16 October 2026. Prices move. Nothing was laboratory tested or UKAS calibrated.

  1. UKHSA, UK ionising radiation exposure, June 2025 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. UKHSA, radon Action Level and Target Level (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. UKHSA, measuring radon (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Public Health Wales, radon (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE, ionising radiation legal base (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017, Schedule 3 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. GQ Electronics, GMC-800 user guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. FNIRSI GC-01 product page (retrieved 16 October 2026)