Hello,
In our basement of a house from 1919, there are some signs of pests. In the visible center beams, there are minor attacks by woodborers (possibly striped), but also on the lower part of some beams that I have seen when I have lifted the basement ceiling in some places to make holes, as well as around certain windows.
The insurance man has been there and he says it’s probably nothing to worry about. If it does become an issue, we’ll deal with it then, but likely the dehumidifier and possibly higher heat will do the trick. Ideally, he wanted me to install radiators, but that would require insulating the basement, so that will be a future project.
However, I am considering applying Boracol 20, which, when reading the instructions, feels a bit scary, health-hazardous... I can always apply it with a gas mask and protective clothing, but will the toxicity dissipate over time? Partly, there will be some airflow from these areas up into the house and we have a 6-month-old, and partly, for example, the beams are exposed with low ceiling height in the basement, so they will inevitably come into contact sooner or later.
It says that you can move back in after 4-5 days, and that you can enter the spaces after 24 hours… Does this mean that “the toxic" becomes harmless over time? Perhaps it’s mainly the vapors during application that are dangerous...
Thank you in advance/Johan
In our basement of a house from 1919, there are some signs of pests. In the visible center beams, there are minor attacks by woodborers (possibly striped), but also on the lower part of some beams that I have seen when I have lifted the basement ceiling in some places to make holes, as well as around certain windows.
The insurance man has been there and he says it’s probably nothing to worry about. If it does become an issue, we’ll deal with it then, but likely the dehumidifier and possibly higher heat will do the trick. Ideally, he wanted me to install radiators, but that would require insulating the basement, so that will be a future project.
However, I am considering applying Boracol 20, which, when reading the instructions, feels a bit scary, health-hazardous... I can always apply it with a gas mask and protective clothing, but will the toxicity dissipate over time? Partly, there will be some airflow from these areas up into the house and we have a 6-month-old, and partly, for example, the beams are exposed with low ceiling height in the basement, so they will inevitably come into contact sooner or later.
It says that you can move back in after 4-5 days, and that you can enter the spaces after 24 hours… Does this mean that “the toxic" becomes harmless over time? Perhaps it’s mainly the vapors during application that are dangerous...
Thank you in advance/Johan
I received a good response from Lavtox.se:
Once the agent has penetrated, no substances are released into the room, and there is no danger in touching a treated surface. The agent is fully approved, in terms of efficiency, environment, and health, for indoor use!
The active substances migrate into the wood and "bind" to the wood. It combats ongoing infestations and also acts preventively if new moisture should occur, which would otherwise create a favorable environment for new microorganisms and wood-decaying fungi—or for wood-damaging insects.
Once the agent has penetrated, no substances are released into the room, and there is no danger in touching a treated surface. The agent is fully approved, in terms of efficiency, environment, and health, for indoor use!
The active substances migrate into the wood and "bind" to the wood. It combats ongoing infestations and also acts preventively if new moisture should occur, which would otherwise create a favorable environment for new microorganisms and wood-decaying fungi—or for wood-damaging insects.