Safe to Go In After Termite Tenting?

[j***@yahoo.com]

My new house was tented for termites this morning. The tent will come
down tomorrow morning.

I am scheduled to have a painter arrive at the house on Friday morning
roughly 24 hours after the tent is removed. They say that it's safe to
go in after 24 hours, but is it? The termite people will be leaving
the windows open and airing the place out all day tomorrow and
throughout the night into Friday morning, but I'm just concerned that
it's not enough time. Anyone know for sure?

The tenting was supposed to be done on Monday, leaving ample time for
the next contractor to come in and do his work safely, but then it
started raining for 72 hours straight in southern CA and so the tent
got delayed until today. Any info appreciated.

Joy

[U. Lachmuth]

Post by j***@yahoo.com
My new house was tented for termites this morning. The tent will come
down tomorrow morning.
... but I'm just concerned that
it's not enough time. Anyone know for sure?

Hi,

I don't know much about termite tenting, but I'm a licensed fumigator
all the same. Every fumigant has a maximum allowable concentration
(whatever the "local" abbreviation is - here in Europw it's MAK)
attached to it - this can be measured.
When the fumigant level is above this threshold, it is not safe to
access. If it's below, it's safe.

Measuring and declaring the place safe to access usually is the duty of
the company performing the fumigation.

Cheers, Uli

[Hawaii Fumigation]

If the home was tented on Wednesday morning and untented on Thursday
morning, in most cases re-entry would be safe within 6-8 hours of
opening the first tarp. This is not always the case, but it is
typical.

On the day of untenting your fumigator was required to conduct
clearance procedures NO SOONER than 6 hours from the first break in the
seal (opening of the first tarp). During the clearance procedure, he
was required to utilize an Interscan gas analyzer to measure the
remaining levels of gas within the breathable air space of your home.

Your fumigator was required to read gas levels at 5 parts per million
(5 parts of Vikane for every 1 million parts of breathable air) or less
before he could (legally) remove secondary locks from your doors and
post the structure as "safe to re-enter".

If your fumigator did in-fact employ secondary locks on your doors
during the fumigation, and utilized the Interscan analyzer after
fumigation, THEN you can assume that the structure was ready for safe
entry/occupancy the moment the locks were removed.

If your fumigator did not use secondary locks and/or did not use an
Interscan analyzer and/or released the structure back to you less than
6 hours following the opening of the first tarp, your fumigator failed
to comply with proper procedures.

Considering that the painter is scheduled to arrive more than 24 hours
following tarp removal, it should be safe, but remember that safe
re-entry can only be confirmed by proper clearance procedures as noted
above.

[j***@yahoo.com]

Post by Hawaii Fumigation
If the home was tented on Wednesday morning and untented on Thursday
morning, in most cases re-entry would be safe within 6-8 hours of
opening the first tarp. This is not always the case, but it is
typical.
On the day of untenting your fumigator was required to conduct
clearance procedures NO SOONER than 6 hours from the first break in the
seal (opening of the first tarp). During the clearance procedure, he
was required to utilize an Interscan gas analyzer to measure the
remaining levels of gas within the breathable air space of your home.
Your fumigator was required to read gas levels at 5 parts per million
(5 parts of Vikane for every 1 million parts of breathable air) or less
before he could (legally) remove secondary locks from your doors and
post the structure as "safe to re-enter".
If your fumigator did in-fact employ secondary locks on your doors
during the fumigation, and utilized the Interscan analyzer after
fumigation, THEN you can assume that the structure was ready for safe
entry/occupancy the moment the locks were removed.
If your fumigator did not use secondary locks and/or did not use an
Interscan analyzer and/or released the structure back to you less than
6 hours following the opening of the first tarp, your fumigator failed
to comply with proper procedures.
Considering that the painter is scheduled to arrive more than 24 hours
following tarp removal, it should be safe, but remember that safe
re-entry can only be confirmed by proper clearance procedures as noted
above.

I got the number of my local termite company this morning from my agent
and they said exactly this. That it's normally safe after 6-8 hours
and that the tenting procedure was going according to plan/policy so it
would actually be safe later today. Therefore tomorrow is not a
problem. My painter is coming and the agent is having someone replace
the kitchen floor as well.

Thanks so much for the info!