House Fumigation & My Safe

[glockman19]

Strangers in your house...when you re NOT there.

Does that sound sane or stupid?

Now...If you give me your drivers license, name age and picture of nearest relatives, wife and children and their places of work and school and the same from every member of your crew then...OK.

No one should even know you own a safe least where it is and what's in it.

[pitbull30]

You are setting yourself up perfectly to get robbed. Maybe not over the course of the fumigation, but they'll be back or their friends will. Keep the contact info for future reference and cancel that order.

[G-Man WC]

I'd be more worried about what's going to be left behind.
I know they say the gas used, sulfuryl fluoride does not leave any residue, so surfaces will not have any toxic residue.
Homey don't play that. Whats going to be on all of walls, cabinets, carpets, and
ceilings? Must be something left behind... No thanks.
-g

[LowThudd]

I throw a flag. Saying they want to do something is one thing. Claiming they "have to" is entirely another.

Where is the source for this requiremen?

I knew it was in the codes, as I have heard of this before. Next time use your own Google-fu. I hate wading through lawyer scribblings. lol

Edit: That is not the exact code I was looking for. But you get the idea that they are required to search through EVERYTHING.

http://www.pestboard.ca.gov/pestlaw/pestact.pdf

(1) conduct a thorough search for construction elements, conduits, drains, or vacuum systems
that could allow passage of the fumigant from the structure to be fumigated to any adjacent or
adjoining structure on the property;
(2) document his or her inspection findings on the fumigation log, identifying the type and
location of the construction element(s), conduit(s), drain(s), or vacuum system(s) between
connected structures and the methods used to prevent passage of the fumigant.
(d) Any adjacent or adjoining structure which is deemed connected to the structure to be
fumigated must be vacated during the process of fumigation, unless it is separated from the
structure to be fumigated by methods which prevent passage of the fumigant from entering the
connected structure(s). When it is necessary to vacate any connected, adjacent or adjoining
structure, that structure shall be considered as a fumigated structure, and all applicable rules,
regulations and label instructions apply.

[dominic]

I knew it was in the codes, as I have heard of this before. Next time use your own Google-fu. I hate wading through lawyer scribblings. lol

Edit: That is not the exact code I was looking for. But you get the idea that they are required to search through EVERYTHING.
http://www.pestboard.ca.gov/pestlaw/pestact.pdf

Still nothing there about having to inspect inside an internal locked safe not connected to anything else, inspecting conduits and vacuums are all stuff that could allow the fumigant to go off site between connected structures. You need to work on your own google fu.

[flypops]

Theres always alternatives to tenting, its an outdated technology. Other less hazardous, more effective alternatives exist. Trenching, baiting, electrogun, microwave, orange oil, borates, etc.

This ^^.

In fact when our exterminator discovered termites I assumed he would want to tent. But in fact, he said his company doesn't tent any more as there are so many better alternatives available. Also he warned us that a big tent over your house is an invitation to thieves.....as many have said here.

[Scratch705]

I wonder if it would be legal to setup a fake house tent and wait inside for burglars and then place them under citizen arrest?

Heck why dont cops do this now, like a bait house

[RandyD]

We discussed this topic awhile ago, in another thread. I recall there were a lot of interesting comments. There is a clear connection to being burglarized while undergoing fumigation with tents.

The last time we had our house tented, the supervisor demanded to see the inside of my safe. I refused (this guy looked like he just made parole), and we argued. He said he had to verify that no person was inside my safe. I just rolled my eyes at that comment. Then he told me he had to verify that no pets were inside the safe. I told him we don't have any pets. He just kept demanding. I finally told him, I am not opening the safe for him, and he had the choice of doing the job or not, and started calling another company. He relented.

[dominic]

We discussed this topic awhile ago, in another thread. I recall there were a lot of interesting comments. There is a clear connection to being burglarized while undergoing fumigation with tents.

The last time we had our house tented, the supervisor demanded to see the inside of my safe. I refused (this guy looked like he just made parole), and we argued. He said he had to verify that no person was inside my safe. I just rolled my eyes at that comment. Then he told me he had to verify that no pets were inside the safe. I told him we don't have any pets. He just kept demanding. I finally told him, I am not opening the safe for him, and he had the choice of doing the job or not, and started calling another company. He relented.

Yeah, theres no requirement to looking inside a safe. If its a locked room thats a different story, locked free-standing safe. No.

The code someone posted above has absolutely nothing to do with a safe. Its about inspecting for ways the gas can seep off target through conduits, drains, central vacuums, or between construction elements, not an enclosed locked, free-standing safe.

[dominic]

Besides, if they had to inspect inside your safe for a person, why do they still fill the structure with a warning gas first? They used to use CS gas before adding the actual fumigant. I don't know if its still actually done that way or not, its been 20 years since I was in the industry. If they still do it that way, they will tell you that you have to aerate locked items first.

[GM4spd]

I did this last year with Orkin,was never asked about the safe. There were no
guns in it and it was not open. This was from Friday at 1400 till 1000
Monday morning. Pete

[Citadelgrad87]

I knew it was in the codes, as I have heard of this before. Next time use your own Google-fu. I hate wading through lawyer scribblings. lol

Edit: That is not the exact code I was looking for. But you get the idea that they are required to search through EVERYTHING.
http://www.pestboard.ca.gov/pestlaw/pestact.pdf

As other have pointed out, that seems nothing like a requirement that a safe be opened.

It references ways for the poison to exit the structure and enter another.

I'm not going to look for it, because it's not that interesting to me. I don't expect anyone else to look for it for me, but my sense is its a nosy service that is just saying they need to look because they want to look.

I was once canceling a gym membership and the moron on the phone told me state law required them to do it in the most annoying and time wasting way possible.

I said, what luck, I'm a lawyer, I'm on west law right now, tell me what law that is and we can read it together.

There was no such law, of course.

[VictorFranko]

I decided long ago that if my house had to be tented that I was going to be camping out in the back yard the whole time, 24/7.

[heyjerr]

Looks like I may lean on a few of my hunting buddies to see if they'll store stuff for me. Yeah it's a good safe, it's bolted down, and I have an alarm system but I still don't want to look appealing to the stupid types. Now that I think about it, I'll probably hide the ammo as well.

Even then, the fact that I have a large empty safe will still likely draw any bad elements, if present on the crew or in their circles. If anything did ever happen, you can bet I would immediately point fingers at the fumigation company.

Now that I say all that, I do have a separate locked storage shed. Perhaps I should put in the effort to move the safe out there temporarily and avoid the whole damn thing. Let them think that the smaller rifle safe was my big concern all along.

[LowThudd]

Looks like I may lean on a few of my hunting buddies to see if they'll store stuff for me. Yeah it's a good safe, it's bolted down, and I have an alarm system but I still don't want to look appealing to the stupid types. Now that I think about it, I'll probably hide the ammo as well.

Even then, the fact that I have a large empty safe will still likely draw any bad elements, if present on the crew or in their circles. If anything did ever happen, you can bet I would immediately point fingers at the fumigation company.

Now that I say all that, I do have a separate locked storage shed. Perhaps I should put in the effort to move the safe out there temporarily and avoid the whole damn thing. Let them think that the smaller rifle safe was my big concern all along.

You could look into the orange oil treatment. It worked for my parrents and the 90+ year old house I grew up in. So far, so good. http://www.orangeoiltermitecontrol.c...v-tenting.html