Apartment thermal/heat treatment aftermath/warranty

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Apartment thermal/heat treatment aftermath/warranty

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prairiemystic

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 4 2010 17:35:56
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The apartment next to mine had a BB infestation and been abandoned for weeks, the tenant was a druggie. I put DE around my baseboards and bagged my mattress, even though I had no signs of BB's.

My unit was heat-treated and the next day (because the infested suite had no electricity) the infested suite was done. It's a 6-hour 140F/60C treatment using external air-heaters and fans to circulate.

Two days later I was using my computer and felt a bite on my hand. I noticed a tiny bug, clear body with blood red belly and tried to squish it a few times and it moved fast zig-zagging and when I tried to smear it (in a state of panic) the bug vanished! I'm sure it's an instar 1 nymph. Like a spidermite but slightly bigger.

So I figure it migrated or it came in with my PC computer, which I had bagged and stored during the heat-treating, then brought back. I bagged my clothes, vacuumed the room and put DE in/around my computer. No signs of anything yet.

I'm freaked out because the heat-treating is expensive and there is a chimney chase between our suites, a cold refuge. The heat-treating guy wants me to wait a couple weeks to see what happens but he seems to want to re-treat the room only, instead of the entire apartment suite, as part of his 30-day warranty. I fault him for not doing the suites at the same time, instead possibly pushing the BB's back and forth.

Any ideas? Have other people had "warranty" hassles with heat-treatments?
Slides

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 4 2010 17:41:15
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If the other apt had no electricity, there is not much your PCO could have done. Why did you not heat treat your computer? Damage from heat? Maybe bag your computer or any other item that you could not get heat treated and use a no pest strip?
prairiemystic

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 4 2010 18:57:24
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I had checked storage temperature ratings for computers, printers, LCD monitor etc. Most can take the heat applied (160F/60C) but I worried about my hard drive data. If there's too much heat, they could erase it.

laser printer is rated to 109F/43C (toner melts/fuses)
hard disk drive to 70C/158F
msdfields

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Posted 2 years ago
Fri Oct 15 2010 8:51:37
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prairiemystic - 1 week ago »
I had checked storage temperature ratings for computers, printers, LCD monitor etc. Most can take the heat applied (160F/60C) but I worried about my hard drive data. If there's too much heat, they could erase it.
laser printer is rated to 109F/43C (toner melts/fuses)
hard disk drive to 70C/158F

I was told by the PCO that I'm planning to use for heat treatment (ThermEx) that it was safe to leave the computers, etc. If you are really worried about the hard drive, back it up on mozy.com or a flash drive and get that PCO back in their to retreat your apartment before they become entrenched and the 30 day warranty is up. As for your printer, can you store the toner in your refrigerator during the treatment? This time don't take anything out or bag anything unless the PCO specifically tells you too (preferably in writing). The PCO should be bonded to cover any damage caused to your computers, etc. BTW, did your LandLord pay for the treatment or did you have to pay?
prairiemystic

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Posted 2 years ago
Sat Oct 16 2010 0:42:56
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I hear ThermEx is only a few hours? For my apartment building I was at my place at the time, they let you walk around but it's crazy hot. It took 4 hours to heat things up and they go another 2-4 hours to make sure the heat penetrates.

The problem is two adjacent suites should be done at the same time, so the common wall gets heated. Since that wasn't done, I'm pretty sure the bedbugs just migrated through the common wall. Some PCO's do one chemical spray after heat treating, perhaps for this reason.

My PCO unplugs ALL electrical devices, fridge included- poorly insulated, the fridge and contents were warm (70F) freezer too, so pack or huck your food and inkjet/toner in the fridge would work. Anything vinyl droops, like blinds and binders. You sign a damage waiver but they will replace anything damaged that isn't on the prep sheet.

I was worried about "hot spots", the hot air comes in much hotter than 140F and they use circulating fans to keep the heat distributed fairly even in the rooms, pointing fans at the couch and mattress. I couldn't risk losing my hard disk drive, it's only rated for 10 degrees hotter than they would go. In the end, my thermometers logged 133F to 145F as the thermal treatment isn't precisely controlled. Also I was stressed out with all the heat treating prep work, bagging, washing, vacuuming, looking around at night for BB's.

Since it is a condominium, the Board paid for the heat treatments. Something about keeping the building's value.
You can't really finger one tenant as it's impossible to prove who brought the bedbugs and they spread to other suites before people spoke up about it. One tenant had them and didn't say a peep. The condo Board got a price break for doing multiple suites.

I haven't seen any BB's aside from the lone nymph that got away, day after the heat treatment. My PCO is fine to re-treat a ROOM but not the entire suite. I'm keeping an email record if I see another BB then he's coming back for free. It's documented I sighted a BB afterwards and he knows he messed up not doing two suites at once. Hope my long post helps.
msdfields

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Posted 2 years ago
Sun Oct 24 2010 15:12:10
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prairiemystic - 1 week ago »
I hear ThermEx is only a few hours? For my apartment building I was at my place at the time, they let you walk around but it's crazy hot. It took 4 hours to heat things up and they go another 2-4 hours to make sure the heat penetrates.
.

What was the brand name of the heat treatment you used? I was told by Triangle Pest Control to allow 6 hours per room, 1 hour to set up, 4 hours for the heat treatment and another hour for them to take down apart their machines (ThermEx) and move to the next rooms to be treated. They have 2 machines and will be treating 2 rooms at a time. I was also told to not turn on AC after treatment but to let the treated rooms cool over time.
prairiemystic

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Posted 2 years ago
Mon Oct 25 2010 21:10:26
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Thermotech Environmental who is affiliated with ThermaPure.
They take 8-9hours. If you heat up/cool down a place too fast, they said you can't heat up the walls so much and some risk cracking drywall/plaster. 4 hours seems very fast, 1/2 the time my guys used.

Thermotech uses a (diesel) air heater outside the building with two large ducts coming through the windows (one for living room and another for bedroom). Then 4 or 5 floor fans to circulate.
HelpinDC

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Posted 2 years ago
Thu Jan 13 2011 20:28:45
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Any update on this, Prairiemystic? I also found a "straggler" bug after our heat treatment and am wondering how your situation turned out. Thanks!