Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tools/ideas for fighting bed bugs
Self styled heat treatment?
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paranoidinlv
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Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 2 months ago
Mon Sep 21 2009 21:30:07
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I'm thinking of "experimenting" with a heat treatment in my girls' room. I'm thinking (theoretically) that I can get my family's space heaters, block the vent, open the blinds, stuff towels under the door and heat the room up to +120 degrees. I live in Las Vegas, NV, and it's still getting in the 90's here so I'm thinking this may work. Any thoughts/suggestions from more experienced members?
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your host
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Posted 2 months ago
Mon Sep 21 2009 22:14:18
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I am not an expert on this, but as I understand it, DIY heat treatment is not easy or probably a good thing to experiment with.
From what I understand, the temperature needs to rise quickly in order to kill bed bugs before they migrate (i.e. move to other rooms, deep into your walls, etc.) You could actually make things worse. There may also be fire risks.
U Florida has apparently perfected a little bed bug killing chamber for heating STUFF in your room, but that's really a different thing (like creating an enclosed structure in part of the room). If you wanted to try this, I would do a lot of research on it first.
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jroddz
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Posted 1 month ago
Tue Sep 22 2009 10:09:38
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paranoidinlv - 12 hours ago »
I'm thinking of "experimenting" with a heat treatment in my girls' room. I'm thinking (theoretically) that I can get my family's space heaters, block the vent, open the blinds, stuff towels under the door and heat the room up to +120 degrees. I live in Las Vegas, NV, and it's still getting in the 90's here so I'm thinking this may work. Any thoughts/suggestions from more experienced members?You don't want to start a fire in your house because of bedbugs. That would be worse than the original problem.
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buggyinsocal
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Joined: Jun '08
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Posted 1 month ago
Tue Sep 22 2009 10:40:44
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Thermal treatment generally relies on raising the temps at a very particular rate of speed. As one thermal PCO explained it, you have to get the temp hot enough fast enough that the bugs will flee the heat into cooler spaces. Then you have to keep raising the temp enough that the heat eventually reaches those spaces, leaving the bugs with no option but to leave those spaces and jump into the even hotter spots where they die.
Thermal providers use massive heaters to take the temps throughout every nook and cranny of the structure up to the death point. Because of the insulating properties in many household items, it's virtually impossible to self treat with thermal. It's also terribly dangerous. With professional thermal treatment, there are PCOs who walk through in advance and check the structure for hazards that might cause fires or other problems . Throughout the treatment, PCOs continue to walk through to monitor the temperature both to make sure that temps are being raised at the proper rates and that there are no hazardous situations developing as a result of the heat.
I'm a big fan of thermal treatment. But it's best left to the professionals. Trying to do it on your home can not only make the problem worse (because the bugs may flee the heat, spreading the infestation throughout more of the home), but may create very hazardous conditions in terms of fire hazards.
I wouldn't try it. The risks are just too high.
Also, most spaces heaters have cut off switches that will shut them off when temperatures get too high. They probably won't run in a room that hot. This is a safety mechanism to reduce fire hazard. And if they don't, then I would definitely not run them in a hot room because the fire risks are much too great. Burning your home down will get rid of bed bugs, but at a pretty high cost.
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paranoidinlv
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Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 1 month ago
Tue Sep 22 2009 13:50:29
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*Sigh* - this is why I posted rather than experimenting first. I hadn't considered the *$%@&! bugs moving because the heat didn't get hot enough fast enough.......
Thanks for the insight - and the warnings! -
HeatByMe
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Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 1 month ago
Fri Sep 25 2009 11:12:49
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So why not get a forced-air propane (or kerosene) heaters such as the following?
http://www.heatershop.com/propane_forced_air_125_fac.html
This will surely raise the temperature high enough throughout the entire house. Obviously the homeowner would have to be careful to to burn the house down and, more importantly, not to asphyxiate him/herself.
I'm thinking about doing this in my own house.
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cilecto
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Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 513
Posted 1 month ago
Sat Sep 26 2009 23:45:43
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A good "thermal" operator has either been trained on how to do it right or has learned how by experimentation, trial and error, etc. With your house, you get one shot.
The U of F experimental (note that) approach does not heat the whole room. They move objects to the center of the room and heat them in a structure they put up. The perimeter of the room is treated with chemicals and dessicants. Note that they do this in relatively uniform dorm rooms, with "indestructable" smooth vinyl floors. Here's how they did it.
http://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu/resources/grants_showcase/people_and_communities/bed_bugs_manual.pdfI'm hoping that this approach can be successfully "commercialized", as it can help save a lot of beds and couches. But, as noted above, it's different and risky in your own home.
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cilecto
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Joined: Aug '08
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Posted 4 weeks ago
Fri Oct 23 2009 17:52:37
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Since "SoCal" is pointing readers to this thread, I'd like to add that there are at least two recent stories about facilities on Vancouver, who have built "hot rooms", at least one outside the building, for heat treating contents, but not the structures themselves.
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HeatByMe - 4 weeks ago »
So why not get a forced-air propane (or kerosene) heaters such as the following?
http://www.heatershop.com/propane_forced_air_125_fac.html
This will surely raise the temperature high enough throughout the entire house. Obviously the homeowner would have to be careful to to burn the house down and, more importantly, not to asphyxiate him/herself.
I'm thinking about doing this in my own house.HeatByMe --
I realize this is delayed but in case you or others see it --
I really would not experiment with this unless you know what you're doing.
In my understanding, thermal service providers are not just trying to kill your bed bugs, they're also trying not to damage your stuff (or burn the house down, as others noted).
Besides, I guess you'd presumably need a LOT of those heaters to get the whole place to the same temp FAST, and at $200 a pop, how many do you buy before it's more economical to let someone come in and do it for you, and do a safe and effective job?
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