http://bedbugger.com/forum/ Bed bug support forums en Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:39:08 +0000 http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-on-using-thermal#post-48304 Thu, 07 May 2009 11:51:16 +0000 buggyinsocal 48304@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I don't think that the elevated house should be a problem; my apartment is on the second floor.</p> <p>I had some stuff in ziplock bags, but they weren't packed very tight. I don't know, however, how much providers vary about depth of piles or bags of stuff for treatment to be successful. I suspect you'll get a better sense of that when you talk to the providers that you're considering using.</p> <p>I had a very old television that came through it fine. I got a new flat screen LCD type after treatment, so I can't tell you how those would react. I did leave my older back up laptop in the house, unplugged, and it was fine. My current laptop was with me since I was traveling.</p> <p>My memory suggests that the only other people I've seen post to the boards who've had thermal besides me have had single family homes rather than apartments, so I'm not sure that I recall anyone who has a two bedroom apartment having it treated. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-on-using-thermal#post-48299 Thu, 07 May 2009 09:01:38 +0000 Buggy for 2 years 48299@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Thanks for the input, SoCal and JWhite. I am asking all these questions about preparation even though I know the PCO should tell me about preparation because it will help to gauge whether the company actually does have experience with treatment (in my last experience with chemical treatment, I concluded that they really didn't know what was going on when they told me I didn't have to keep my clothes in bags or treat them at all!)</p> <p>I have a couple more questions/comments:</p> <p>I live in an elevated house. Will that interfere with the ability to raise temps high enough in my apartment? (For example, when the PCO came and I complained of cockroaches, the PCO said that they came in through several holes necessary for plumbing, which lead directly outside where, I fear, bbugs could go to escape the heat). Should PCO's go through the house and seal the holes before treatment?</p> <p>As for electronic equipment, if I unplug it, the heat shouldn't bother it, right? Or should I take my TV, DVR and DVD players and microwave out of the apartment for the treatment?</p> <p>As for "clutter", the main clutter I am dealing with is that my extra closet is full of XL ziplock bags of clothes and bedding. I have some XL Ziplock bags that have not been opened in months, and some of them are pretty full. I'm hesitant to open them and take out the clothing or bedding for the thermal treatment without having treated them with the Packtite first . . . I know it's double treatment, but it seems that you can never be too careful!</p> <p>(Side note: I asked about whether anyone had gotten a a 2BR apartment treated vis a vis price).</p> <p>Thanks again for the input. If anyone knows of a good PCO that offers heat treatment in the Gulf South, I'd appreciate a recommendation. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-on-using-thermal#post-48091 Mon, 04 May 2009 09:01:50 +0000 buggyinsocal 48091@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I'm not a professional--just a layperson who had thermal treatment on my one bedroom apartment (which cost $850). I was successful in one treatment.</p> <p>Prep:<br /> My PCO asked me to remove all VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, make up, and candles. I did. Given my CD and DVD collections, it was a lot of work. Those were all stored in Rubbermaid bins outside, later creating the problem of what to do to treat them (in the end, I bought some DDVP strips with the plan of placing them in the bins for a few days. A rare rainy spell combined with my schedule extended that to a few weeks, to make sure no stragglers survived in there. I ended up leaving the bins outside in a non climate controlled environment for 8 months after treatment, so combined with the temps here through the summer, I was pretty sure that any stragglers were pretty close to dead anyway).</p> <p>That was it for me. I did have some stuff in plastic bags, but they weren't very stuffed (most of them were mostly empty).</p> <p>The expensive losses were both TiVo units (they have hard drives, and really should have been unplugged, which my PCO didn't tell me. I'm not sure my PCO knew how DVRs worked) and my microwave (the keypad would no longer take any input--I think its thermal sensors got fried because it also stayed plugged in because they didn't warn me.) I also lost a bunch of surge protectors (not a big deal--the old, cheap ones mostly).</p> <p>The day of my treatment I was going out of town, so I was there in the morning when they sent three PCOs to my house. A chemical guy went in first (I'm not sure why, actually). He helped me learn to inspect and went over my luggage, which gave me a lot of peace of mind. The other two were thermal only. He also inspected the adjoining apartments. I was the only infested one. The thermal guys set up the heaters, ran the duct work, monitored the temp, and broke everything down. My neighbors told me that the whole thing did take nearly the whole day, and my apartment was toasty warm until the next day.</p> <p>Part of what you're paying for is the really extensive number of PCOs. It's a whole day affair with a crew of at least two thermal PCOs.</p> <p>If you search the threads with the thermal tag and go far enough back you should find my detailed account of my treatment.</p> <p>Key Questions To Ask:<br /> How long is the guarantee after treatment?</p> <p>How long have they been doing thermal? How many successful treatments have they had?</p> <p>I live in southern California (hence the name) where thermal has a pretty long history (it's used as an alternative to Vikane for drywood termites), so my PCOs seemed to really know what they were doing. They didn't have me declutter or move anything around, and they cooked the hell out of my apartment. I got rid of the bugs with a single treatment, and I have to tell you, in the big post treatment clean up, I didn't find much evidence of the bugs at all in the places I expected. The bugs never spread to adjacent apartments before or during the thermal treatment, so I am convinced that if done right, it can solve the problem in a single treatment.</p> <p>Good luck.</p> <p>(PS--I'm sick and it's a terribly busy time of the year at work, so it might take me a few days, but if you have more specific questions, feel free to PM me or reply to this, just know it might take a couple of days before I have time to respond.) </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-on-using-thermal#post-48086 Mon, 04 May 2009 06:33:09 +0000 JWhiteBBCTV 48086@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Let me start by saying that my experiences are with the Temp-Air heating system. Although the concepts behind heat are the same regardless of the system you are using, details regarding what does and doesn't need to be done may differ.</p> <p>Do I need to take things out of bags? Should I keep things in bags?<br /> Most likely you do. Clutter, and even more specifically piles of clothes, are heats worst enemy. A lot of different factors go into this and really the provider should be able to direct you on what to do with the bags of items. All you need to be aware of is that if piles of clothes just sit there, the heat may never penetrate the inner items and if bugs are present there, they will never succumb to the heat.</p> <p>What kind of prep should they recommend?<br /> This is another question that is going to differ by company. So may make you take extreme measures, others may not. If you have a lot of clutter in your apartment it's going to need to be reduced and depending on the degree of clutter will depend on your amount of prep. </p> <p>What about the details of the treatment?<br /> Hot. Depending on the system being used may depend on the temperatures being achieved. Most systems try to maintain temperatures in the 140 degree range but as long as it reaches 120 you're killing bugs. It will probably require you to be out of your apartment for the day. As for the details of treatment again it will depend on the system.</p> <p>How long should it take?<br /> Most if not all of the day.</p> <p>How about price?<br /> Depends on the company and where you live. Prices here in the Northeast tend to be a bit higher then a lot of other areas in the country. You should probably expect a price tag between 1200-2000 dollars.</p> <p>Anyone done a 2 BR apartment?<br /> Many. I'm not exactly sure what information you're looking for with this question but apartments and hotels tend to be where heat really fits in. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-on-using-thermal#post-48077 Mon, 04 May 2009 00:40:08 +0000 Nobugsonme 48077@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>Hi buggy,</p> <p>There are some users here who are knowledgeable (either users or providers of the treatment), so I will leave it to them to weigh in.</p> <p>As for prep, you should always ask the service provider, because they should be offering some kind of guarantee, and your exact participation in required prep is likely a requirement for the guarantee being in effect. </p> http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/advice-on-using-thermal#post-48068 Sun, 03 May 2009 19:51:35 +0000 Buggy for 2 years 48068@http://bedbugger.com/forum/ <p>I've decided to chose thermal as my "nuclear option" in the war on BBs (after two years, two cities, dozens of unsuccessful chemical treatments, hundreds of XXL Ziplock bags, and 5 or 6 unsuccessful chemical treatments by the most recent PCO). PLEASE, if you have advice on what to ask a PCO about how they plan to do a thermal treatment, I'd be so grateful to hear it. Do I need to take things out of bags? Should I keep things in bags? What kind of prep should they recommend? What about the details of the treatment? How long should it take? How about price? Anyone done a 2 BR apartment?<br /> Thanks in advance! </p>