REPAIRING YOUR BED BUG HEATER IS EASY
Today’s topic will focus on do-it-yourself parts replacement and repair for the PestPro Thermal electric bed bug heater.
One of the main reasons we designed our industrial electric bed bug heaters to be easily repairable by their owners stems from our first customer and the original motivation behind launching the company. This customer was a third-generation pest control operator working in a remote and challenging environment. He wanted to ensure that he could easily obtain replacement parts and install them with minimal hassle, cost, and downtime.
With these requirements in mind, the founder of the company sourced the highest quality components available, either online or directly from manufacturers. He aimed to create a business model that would never hinder customers from quickly, easily, and affordably replacing damaged or worn-out parts.
Another goal was to construct the industrial electric bed bug heaters in the simplest manner while maximizing heat output in a portable, rugged, all-steel cabinet using best industrial practices.
When I asked the founder why this focus was so important to him, his reply surprised me. He strongly believed that designing products to become obsolete—so that customers would have to buy replacements—was immoral, unethical, and not in the best interest of the customers or PestPro Thermal Systems itself.
I have the right to repair my own electric bed bug heater.
From day one PestPro Thermal has been committed to developing the best, portable, electric bed bug heaters available anywhere. Over time, we continue to make design improvements based on customer feedback. Collaborating with carefully chosen electrical engineers, metal fabricators, and suppliers of electrical components, he has been able to fulfill the promise made to that very first customer.
Unlike many businesses, the founder viewed a separate profit center focused on selling replacement parts or repairing equipment as a negative aspect. He wanted to avoid this, focusing instead on providing support to customers who might need help replacing parts or repairing their equipment over the phone. He believed it was inherently wrong to put customers in a situation that could hinder their ability to quickly eliminate all life stages of bed bugs, including nymphs and eggs. He was committed to empowering customers to be self-reliant after investing in our superior industrial-grade equipment.
Right To Repair Movement Video
WSJ Article on Keeping it Simple
As many of you know, bed bugs can cause extreme emotional distress for those who are bitten or even those who think they might be. PestPro Thermal’s topmost goal is to enable customers to put an end to this suffering as quickly as possible. No one deserves to be bitten by bed bugs, especially those already facing significant life challenges such as mental health issues, poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, and the stress of pandemic lockdowns.
When speaking with friends, family, and former colleagues, I often use this analogy in describing our bed bug heaters compared to alternatives: repairing and replacing parts on our bed bug heaters is similar to changing the oil and replacing the air filter on a 1966 Chrysler Newport (my first car) versus a 2025 Lexus.
Customers have informed me that repairing or replacing parts on their budget-friendly plastic bed bug heaters, which use heating coils, is not feasible. They face the burden of paying for round-trip shipping costs and have to wait for long periods for their heaters, which are still under warranty, to be returned to them. We find that model unacceptable as do our customers.
Is it fair to make me pay round-trip freight charges to get my warrantied bed bug heater repaired and suffer expensive downtime while I wait for it to be returned to me? That's bad for both my reputation and bottom line.
In situations when repairing your bed bug heat treatment equipment is out of the question is it fair to make the customer pay for round trip shipping and downtime because your equipment failed or needed a simple replacement part?
Our Operations Manager, Gary, has decided to start making videos showing how easy it is to replace certain components. His first video appears here and instructs customers how to replace the most important component: finned heater strips that create the heat.
Future videos will guide customers on how to replace the automatic thermostat, internal fan, LED bulbs, fan grills, and inlet flanges where the power cords twist-lock into place.
Here are videos from both Gary and the manufacturer on how to reprogram the built-in automatic thermostats should a customer need to do that.
We considered creating a password-protected page for our customers, dedicated to Parts Replacement & Repairs but the repairs are so easy to perform we scuttled the idea.
We appreciate that time is money and aggravation should always be minimized whenever possible. For these reasons, we provide our customers with parts links to both manufacturers and resellers, including Amazon and Grainger, so they can leverage their already existing memberships and get SAME-DAY OR OVERNIGHT parts delivery.
PestPro Thermal Systems serves customers primarily in North America but also worldwide, including in Fiji, Dubai, France, Japan, the North Slope of Alaska, the Northwest Territories of Canada, and numerous US Naval Air Stations and Air Force Bases. At these locations, pilots are prohibited from being exposed to chemical pesticides, given the significant investment made in their flight training.
We believe it is neither practical nor fair to expect customers in these remote locations to rely solely on our company for parts and repairs. We take pride in knowing that our heaters will continue to support those who serve our country. Our customers can easily keep their bed bug heaters operational, as they made the smart, long-term decision to invest in our bed bug heat equipment.
In addition to our handmade industrial electric bed bug heaters, PestPro Thermal Systems sources only the highest quality convection air mover fans. When these fans are combined with the heat from our heaters, they generate the convection vortex air movement that is crucial for the effective thermal remediation of bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs.
By pointing the fan straight up to the ceiling you create a torus of circulating hot air which forces the hot air coming out of the bottom of the bed bug heater, up to the ceiling where it continues back down again against the walls. See below.
I want to mention that we have discovered a new convection air mover fan supplier in California with a significantly improved design compared to the fans we initially sold. This is but one example of PestPro Thermal’s commitment to Kaizen (Japanese for “continuous improvement”), a philosophy focused on maximizing quality, eliminating waste, and enhancing efficiency in both equipment and work processes.
In closing, I would like to express my gratitude to our loyal customers who continue to share their experiences and satisfaction with their purchases. Some customers have been with us since 2012, when we sold our first electric bed bug heaters.
These customers have learned that bed bugs are not going away and that it is worth investing in reliable, durable, and easy-to-use and repair industrial electric bed bug heaters from the outset. Choosing low-cost alternatives often leads to more expenses in the long run, especially with budget or plastic bed bug heaters. You always get what you pay for and positive, long-term customer/seller relationships matter when it comes to the very serious business of killing bed bugs with heat yourself.
Buying almost anything on the cheap never is. Saving money sometimes costs you money, including on a budget, plastic bed bug heater. You get what you pay for and long-term customer/seller relationships matter when it comes to the very serious business of killing bed bugs with heat yourself.
08OCT 2025 UPDATE
WSJ Articles on Right-to-Repair Industry Initiatives
We Should Be Able to Fix Our Bed Bug Heater and Not Be Forced to Purchase a Replacement When It Fails
Proponents of the Right to Repair movement contend that manufacturers should not be permitted to deny customers the right to repair their products or force customers to use only manufacturer-authorized service centers. In addition, there is pending legislation in many state legislatures across America that would compel companies to make repair materials more widely available to their customers.
PestPro Thermal Systems supports this model which is why from the get-go, we have engineered our electric bed bug heaters to be easily repairable by their owners, thus extending the life of the equipment exponentially compared to our competitors.
These five tenets of the Right to Repair movement, taken from the WSJ 30MAY 2022 outline how PestPro Thermal always has and always will build their products to last a lifetime.
The Elements of Repairable Design – any component critical to keeping a device in service should have a viable repair strategy. Products that do not have these self-repairability features in place will, in effect, appear to be less expensive than they actually are in the long run. Replacing an entire unit when only one component needs to be replaced is wasteful and disrespectful of our customers and their customers.
Modular Parts – all the important parts in your bed bug heater should be accessible, removable and replaceable.
Use Standard Fasteners – “Screws are Better Than Glues” – screws with standard heads, like a Phillips head make the most sense because who doesn’t have a Phillips head screwdriver lying around?
Innovate With Repair in Mind – we are committed to “function over form”. When you are talking about killing bed bugs is it really that important if your bed bug heater looks good doing it? We don’t think so and neither do our customers. If you are looking for a fashionable bed bug heater you have come to the wrong place.
“If you analyze the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious”
– Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the first Porsche 911
Publish a Visual Repair Manual – Designing a product that is easy to repair from one version to the next is not difficult. The difficulty lies in the manufacturer’s willingness and desire to always be looking out for their customer’s best interest.
See how easy it is to replace the finned heater elements in a PestPro Thermal bed bug heater HERE.
For additional information and details on bed bug heating equipment, visit this post: The Ultimate Guide to Bed Bug Heaters: Buying a Bed Bug Heater vs Renting
Call or text 970-443-8119 for meaningful answers to your intelligent questions about our bed bug heat treatment equipment.
We appreciate and thank you for your time.
