Pre Construction Termite Treatments
Whether you need to comply with council regulations to get your โCertificate of Occupancyโ or just want to secure your home or building against future termite attack, Sydneys Best Pest Control are the Sydney termite experts to provide you with prompt service. We can access a variety of pre-construction termite control products to suit every situation.
Why Termite Barriers Are Important?
- Termites and white ants are active in all mainland areas of Australia
- 34,000 homes each year are attacked by termites
- The average damage cost is approximately $10,000.00
- Termite damage is not covered by home or contents insurance
- Steel roof homes are not termite proof. Other areas of the home are still vulnerable to termite attack. For example timber floor, kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Even electrical wiring.
For obligation free advice and no pressure quotes, call or email Sydneys Best Pest Control, before you build.
Termite protection for new buildings
In designing a termite protection system for a building, it is necessary to select appropriate products to integrate with the construction features of the building thus, creating an integrated termite barrier system that prevents concealed termite entry into the building.
Termite protection products can broadly be classed as physical termite barriers or chemical termite barriers. In many situations a combination of physical and chemical products may be used.
However, with recent changes to the Building Codes and Australia Standards, you can rely on the expertise of Sydneys Best Pest Control to ensure we design and install a highly efficient and compliant system, ensuring the building is protected and approvals are granted without issue.
ย
Physical termite barriers
There are a range of different physical termite barrier products that provide great flexibility to allow protection of a wide range of construction types and construction elements.ย
- Termite membranes
- Termite collars
- Termite foam and sealants
- Granite aggregate
- Stainless steel mesh
Physical barrier termite treatments are most often used for termite protection in new construction projects. The physical products are integrated into the structural elements of the building to create a complete ad continuous barrier.
When designed and installed correctly, the only way termites can enter the structure is by building a trail over a designated perimeter inspection zone. When they do this, they become visible and can be dealt with.ย
Physical barriers provide the least-toxic method of termite barrier treatment for new buildings.ย
ย
Designing your physical termite barrier
Protecting new homes and extensions from termites requires the termite management products to work in a seamless design with the construction elements to eliminate potential entry points such as joins in concrete slabs or brickwork and around penetration points where utilities enter buildings.
To protect a building,ย a combination of different products is required to protect the various potential termite entry points that are created during construction
Sydneys Best Pest Control use a combination of termite membranes, termite collars, foams and sealants to provide a superior, integrated termite protection system for your home.
There have been a number of recent changes to the Building Codes and Australian Standards, making it more challenging to remain compliant with the governing regulation. Here at Sydneys Best Pest Control, we are up to speed with all the latest developments to ensure we design the best and compliant termite protection systems to protect the home and ensure quick approval on completion.
ย
Methods of physical termite barrier systems
Termite membranes
The modern version of โantโ capping are termite membranes, which are thick, flexible polymer sheeting, containing a long-lasting insecticide.
Being impregnated with insecticide, these membranes provide both a physical and chemical termite barrier, making this method of pre-construction protection safe, affordable and very effective.
Termite membranes are tough plastic sheet membranes, rather like a damp course material. They are impregnated with termiticide, such as bifenthrin or deltamethrin, to make them highly repellent and toxic to termites.ย
Typically, the termite membrane is installed before framing and extends across the wall cavity and though the brickwork. They are odourless and are expected to last at least 50 years and require almost no ongoing maintenance.
Termite collars
In any building construction, the services (water, drainage, electricity, and phone) create a large number of โpenetrationsโ which give termites easy access from the soil to your house.ย
Termites can travel up the inside of the conduit (pipes) or on the outside of the pipes, even squeezing through caps between the pipes and any surrounding concrete.
In houses constructed on a concrete slab, these penetrations are hidden in the slab and so need to be protected during the construction process.
The use of solid plastic termite collars for standard diameter penetrations or collars made of flexible material for a wide variety of installations are required to be but in place prior to the concrete being poured and are vital for termite protection.
Termite foams and sealants
Termite foams and sealants are products that provide a range of flexible protection options to deal with the more awkward construction situations.ย
A variety of products are available to fill awkward gaps in construction and joins in concrete slabs, ensuring a complete termite protection system is put in place.
Termite foam is rather like gap filler foam but contains a repellent termiticide. It is applied as an expanding โtwo packโ within the edge rebate cavity of a wall. A plastic membrane is also laid along the brickwork.
The termite foam system is installed after the framing and needs a base course of bricks laid. The product is expected to last at least 50 years and requires little ongoing maintenance.
Stainless steel mesh
Marine grade stainless steel mesh may also be used as a physical protection barrier to termites. The size of the mesh openings is small enough to prevent termites passing through, this acting as an effective barrier to termites. Mesh is commonly glued to slabs and masonry and may also be used around pipes through slabs. As is the case with granite guard, this particular termite barrier system has mostly become obsolete due to the advancement of termite membranes, which are cheaper and more effective.
Aggregates
Solid materials such as crushed granite of a particular particle shape and size range is also used as a physical termite barrier. The termites are unable to penetrate the layer of granite particles and the particles are too large and heavy to be moved by the termites. Granite is most often used with concrete slabs where it is applied around pipes and behind the lower bricks at the building perimeter; however, this product has largely become obsolete with the introduction of cheaper and more effective termite membranes and other physical termite control methods.
ย
How do physical termite barriers work?
A correctly installed physical barrier, working in conjunction with the construction elements, is designed to prevent concealed termite entry into the home. That is, to get around a physical barrier the termites have to make themselves visible.ย
When the termites become visible they will be spotted during a regular termite inspection, which should be conducted annually to comply with Australian Standards.
ย
Chemical termite treatments
Application of liquid termiticide to soil under the house and around the perimeter of the building can provide a very effective chemical barrier for termites.ย
Although these chemicals last for many years, they donโt last forever! As such, it is important to install a termiticide reticulation system at the time of initial treatment, which allows the termiticide in the soil to be โtopped upโ when required.ย
Liquid termiticide applications are commonly used as they are versatile, less involved to install and cost effective.ย
Termiticides use suspended concentrates that suspend the active ingredient in water which then used to distribute the product. Once the suspended particle comes in contact with the soil it bonds with the soil thus creates a barrier from the soil.
Great problem solver for areas where reapplication can be an issue such as under decks and below hard paved areas,
- Ideal for buildings that are not suited to physical membrane applications,
- Non-invasive maintenance.
ย
Pipe reticulation or Chemically Impregnated Sheets
Pipe Reticulation is an irrigation system designed for termiticide. It allows the easy reapplication of protection, which can be especially useful if the landscaping around the building is to be covered by concrete or paving.
Great problem solver for areas where reapplication can be an issue such as under decks and below hard paved areas
- Ideal for buildings that are not suited to physical membrane applications,
- Non-invasive maintenance.
ย
Termite protection for renovations, extensions, and landscaping
Although builders of new homes are very much aware of the need for termite protection, often termite protection systems are overlooked when carrying out home improvements. Any additions to a home or internal renovation, needs to be assessed at the planning stage to identify potential termite entry points and ensure they are protected.
External additions such as decking and pergolas, and landscaping modifications adjacent to the building such as paths, driveways and garden beds, also all need to be assessed to determine their impact on the termite protection system of the building.
However, with such additions being carried out by the homeowner themselves or by tradesmen with less knowledge of termite protection requirements, it is not uncommon for such improvements to be the route of termite entry โ providing an easy entry point to circumvent the otherwise complete termite protection systems in place.
