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How to Use

The user of this equipment is responsible for verifying the building electrical system is adequate, properly sized

Bed Bug Heat Treatment Preparation: How to Use Our Bed Bug Heater

The user of this equipment is responsible for verifying the building electrical system is adequate, properly sized and installed per NFPA 70: National Electrical Code for the load indicated.  PestPro Thermal Systems is not responsible for damages or non-functionality due to an improper electrical system.  PestPro Thermal Systems recommends consulting with a licensed electrician prior to connecting the heater.
DOWNLOAD Preparation & How To Use Heaters & Fans HERE
DOWNLOAD Heater Toggle Switches Explained  HERE

The main reason safe, electric heat has become the #1 method for killing bed bugs and bed bug eggs is because the 135°F/57°C heat penetrates everything in the infested area and all bed bugs and their eggs die quickly at around 120°F/49°C.

With your bed bug heater, you will be transforming the bed bug-infested room into a deadly “bed bug convection oven,” and nothing escapes heat. For heat to penetrate all the places where bed bugs hide and lay their eggs you must create enough space for the hot air to circulate and penetrate everything in the treatment area: furniture, appliances, clothing, wall hangings, behind electrical outlets and light switch plates, etc.

About Pest Pro Thermal Bed bug Truck Commercial pest heaters

For best results follow these steps:

Bed Bug Heat Treatment Preparation

  1. Safety First: CONFIRM BLACK ON/OFF SWITCH IS IN “OFF” POSITION. Always ensure your building’s electrical circuits can handle the heater’s amperage before starting treatment.
  2. SEAL ALL VENTS, CAULK ALL CRACKS ALONG WALLS and baseboard molding, CAULK ALL GAPS IN BED FRAMES AND OTHER WOODEN FURNITURE, cover all windows and seams/cracks around doors with plastic sheeting (or radiant barrier bubble aluminum foil reflective insulation) and blue painters’ tape – no air gets in, no air gets out during treatment. Turn off whole house HVAC and PTACS. Cover PTACS with plastic and painters tape.
  3. Remove all plates covering light switches and electrical outlets for optimum heat penetration. (It’s warm back there and bugs like warmth).
  4. Move furniture 3 feet away from walls to allow for good air circulation.
  5. SECURE OR TAKE DOWN ANYTHING HANGING ON THE WALL – that may be disturbed by blowing air from convection air movers. Loose papers on the desk should be weighted down.
  6. CLOSETS: separate clothes on hangers so the hot air can circulate between them. Remove some as needed to make enough room for air circulation and drape over furniture or lay them out on the floor or tops of furniture surfaces like dining room tables or backs of non-fabric covered chairs.
  7. DRESSERS: loosen clothes and other items in drawers, remove some as needed and drape over furniture or lay them out on the floor.
  8. WINDOWS: take down and remove vinyl blinds from the treatment area. Cover glass with radiant barrier bubble aluminum foil reflective insulation.
  9. Leave TVs, Radios, Stereos or any older style electronic device where bed bugs may be hiding in the treatment area but make sure they are turned off and unplugged.
  10. REMOVE ALL FLAT SCREEN ELECTRONIC DEVICES INCLUDING LAPTOPS, TABLETS, MOBILE PHONES from treatment area.
  11. REFRIGERATOR -DO NOT UNPLUG – LEAVE PLUGGED INTO THE WALL
  12. REMOVE anything from the area being treated that will melt or explode or be harmed by the heat including pets, plants, crayons, candles, cosmetics, ammunition, fireworks, all pressurized cylinders like fire extinguishers, aerosol cans and oxygen tanks, alcohols, paints, flammable chemicals, lighters, etc. Prescription and non-prescription medications can be put in refrigerator. THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST. PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE OR BEST JUDGEMENT. If you are unsure about an item, play it safe and remove it.  Call us for our opinion at 970-658-9503 as needed. BUT REMEMBER: ANYTHING YOU REMOVE FROM AND THEN REINTRODUCE TO THE AREA MAY CAUSE ANOTHER INFESTATION.
  13. PRE-HEAT the treatment area using the furnace, boiler, PTACs (combined AC/HEAT units found in most hotel rooms), space heaters, etc. Preheat the area using the hottest setting possible for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight when possible. Starting your heat treatment at 80-90°F/27-32°C versus starting at 65°F/18°C will greatly reduce the time it takes to achieve lethal temperatures and improve results. Bed bugs love and gravitate towards warmth (70-85ºF) and go towards it but perish when it gets too hot.
  14. Anything removed from the treatment area before starting a heat job must first be placed into plastic lawn/leaf or contractor bags and sealed tightly to avoid spreading bed bugs and their unhatched eggs into non-infested areas and making the problem worse. Bagged items should be disposed of or put into a dryer on the highest/hottest temperature setting (very dry) for at least 20-30 minutes to kill bed bugs and their eggs.
  15. DO NOT HEAT TREAT BATHROOMS – the wax ring underneath the toilet may melt. If you have seen or suspect bed bugs hiding in items in the bathrooms, move the infested items into the main heat treatment area. Close the bathroom door before starting heat treatment as all the hard surfaces will rob you of critical heat in the rest of the treatment area!

How to Use the bed bug Heater & Fans

  1. CONFIRM BLACK ON/OFF SWITCH IS IN “OFF” POSITION.
  2. Gently tip heater on its back, laying it on floor with LCD panel facing the ceiling. On heater, connect the twist-lock connector at one end of black power cord into the underneath/bottom of the thermostat control panel. You must both push up and twist into locked position. NOT TWISTING THE CONNECTOR INTO THE LOCKED POSITION IS A SHOCK HAZARD, CAN CAUSE DAMAGE AND WILL VOID WARRANTY IF ARCING OCCURS AS A RESULT.  Do not touch the red automatic thermostat buttons. The temperature has been preset at the factory not to exceed 145°F/63°C. Tip heater back up to upright/standing position.
  3. Plug orange heater power cord into 110/120v standard wall outlet. Internal fan will activate and thermostat will display current temperature in the room. This cord only provides power to the built-in fan and the automatic LCD thermostat which regulates the temperature of the heat exiting the heater. It does not provide power to the heater elements that get hot. Unheated air is drawn into the top and directed through the hot finned heater elements and exits out of the bottom of the heater on 3 sides as deadly heat.
  4. Confirm again that black ON/OFF switch is in the “OFF” position.
  5. Plug the other end of the black power cord into a stove receptacle, dryer receptacle, generator receptacle or attach directly to a 60 amp or higher circuit breaker panel (it is recommended that a LICENSED & INSURED electrician be engaged before using this power option).
  6. Once both ends of the black power cord are connected both to the heater and plugged into a power source a GREEN LIGHT will glow green which confirms power is flowing to the heater.
  7. Turn black heater switch to “ON” position to activate heater elements. After 1-2 minutes heat will begin to come out of the bottom of the heater on 3 sides. (This is not immediate due to the heavy-duty nature of the stainless-steel finned heater elements needing time to warm up unlike budget coils which glow hot instantly) Toggle Switches: 3 UP = 10,000 Watts. 3 DOWN = 6,250 Watts – see “Toggle Switches Explained” document included with your heater or downloadable above.
  8. Position blue convection air mover as close to the center of the room as possible and plug it into a standard 110/120v wall outlet 5-10 feet away from the heater and point airflow straight up  towards the ceiling. Never blow air at the heater! The air pressure will cause the heater to shut down. Leave TIMER switch in ON position only. The goal is to distribute the hot air throughout the treatment area as evenly as possible. NOTE: Fans can plug into one another (daisy chain) as needed if wall outlets are limited.

Temperature Monitoring & Heater Shut-Down

  1. Place 1 of the 3 battery operated temperature sensors on the floor, the 2nd sensor on furniture about 4 feet above the floor and a the 3rd sensor as close to the ceiling as possible on top of a ladder or tall furniture. Both the sensors and the readout have been programmed at the factory so do not to push any buttons on either of them.
  2. Run heater and fans until treatment area reaches 120°F/49°C, about 90-120 minutes, and place plastic milk crates or risers in between the mattress and box spring or lean them up against each other in an “A” configuration. This ensures equal heat can penetrate all surfaces from all sides.
  3. Continue treatment for 3-4 additional hours or until internal/core temp of furniture reaches 120°F/49°C for at least 20 minutes.

 HELPFUL HINT: use a digital food thermometer to confirm internal lethal temperatures (>120°F/49°C) in furniture and clothing in drawers.

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Shut-Down Procedure

  1. Turn black switch to “OFF” position to deactivate heater elements. 
  2. Allow internal heater fan (orange heater power cord) to run for 5-10 additional minutes to allow heater elements to cool down.
  3. Unplug orange heater power cord to disconnect internal heater fan.
  4. Turn off and unplug external blue convection air movers.
  5. Open windows and/or turn on AC to bring temperature down to normal or alternatively use blue fans to blow hot air out of open windows or suck cooler outside air into treatment area. 
  6. Re-inspection: Once the area has cooled, thoroughly inspect the treated area for any live bed bugs. Look for signs of bed bugs, such as shed skins or fecal matter. If you find any live bed bugs, you will need to repeat the heat treatment.

As part of the bed bug heat treatment preparation process, the user of this equipment is responsible for verifying the building electrical system is adequate, properly sized and installed per NFPA 70: National Electrical Code for the load indicated.  PestPro Thermal Systems is not responsible for damages or non-functionality due to an improper electrical system.  PestPro Thermal Systems recommends consulting with a licensed electrician prior to connecting the heater(s).

We are honored to have over 1,500+ electric bed bug heaters operating in the USA, Canada, and around the world, including remote locations like Fiji, the Northwest Territories, and above the Arctic Circle.
Call or Text Today if you have any questions (970) 443-8119