Which termite treatment is sufficient?

gsm113

Our house is located in Phoenix, AZ. Subterranean termites are quite common here.

Last week I found two half-inch long free hanging tubes sticking out of the ceiling. I've had 2 companies out to give estimates for treatment.

Company #1 wants to trench all around the house and also do something called angle drilling into the foundation at 45 degrees every 12 inches to inject more termidor. Their estimate comes with a 10 year warranty.

Company #2 want to just trench all around the house. In places they can't trench, like back porch and garage, they will drill straight down. There is no angle drilling involved here. Their warranty is for 1 year, renewable each year thereafter at $150 annually.

Company 1's estimate is about $600 more than Company 2.

Anyone on here familiar with these methods can recommend if angle drilling is necessary or of the cheaper estimate would do the trick?

Snav

Company #1 has a better warrenty offer upfront . . . but Company #2 might do a more thorough job with it's application of the Termidor.

Company #1 might cost more up front but after just four years after the first year (year 5) the #2 Company will exceed that initial cost-savings. In the end - Company #2 will cost more than Company #1 once you breech into year #6.

By year #10 Company #2 will cost $1,350 more than it's upfront cost . . . Company #1 thus will give you a savings of $750 by the time Company #1's warrenty runs out. . . This is if you subtract the extra $600 from the additional $1,350 that is upfront difference between #1 and #2.

Also consider the future opportunities for #2 to hike the cost of it's $150/renewal . . . they could and likely will go up - $175 or $200 . . . and so on.

So: Ask Company #1 about the garage and porch - even if you pay a bit more to have that done if they're not including that in the original estimate - in the end it will still save money so long as their new estimate doesn't exceed the $1,350 additional yearly continuation for the warrenty with Company #2.

so - after year #10 . . . then what are you going to do? Re-treat? What's the fail rate of Termidor? If it tends ot fail before 10 years . . . then going with #1 would be ideal since in the long run it saves you money (in comparison) and there's less chance of a situation arrising in which they won't cover re-treatment.

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gsm113

If both treatment methods were identical then your way would be the best way to evaluate the options.

Does anyone know if angle drilling into the foundation is important enough to justify the higher up front cost? This angle drilling appears to be the only difference in methods offered by the two companies. T

joecaption

Both quotes are going to end up being done about the same way and there going to use the same tools to do it. The only differance I see in there quotes is ones just charging you up front instead of coming back every year, walking around the house a few times and not doing much than charging you all that money for nothing.
I used to work for an exterminater company.
If there's already temites in the ceilings then there has to be some extensive damage to that home, inside the walls and in the ceiling rafters.
May want to have someone take a look into how there getting in.
Siding to close to the ground, wood being stored next to the house, mulch piled up again the foundation, dead tree stumps next to the house, landscape timbers touching the foundation, leaking outside faucet, ect.

PAbugman

Are you sure that #1 isn’t also going to drill vertically thru porch and garage slab as well as angle drill in those areas? Seems like a natural thing to do. I like angle drilling for slabs. We don’t always do it, but when the situation merits we do. Most houses here have basements. Termidor is outstanding material. It will last a long time under the slabs. We use nothing else. I’d go with #1 simply to get the chemical on both sides of the foundation. It sounds like they aren’t afraid of work. If one could tell on which side of the foundation/footer the termite were coming from, that would help make the decision and maybe save $600, but that’s the trouble with a slab. No ability to inspect under a slab. Also, I don’t know how deep your footers are-probably a lot shallower than ours so the termites could be coming up on both sides of footer. I like #1.

cibula11

Make sure both places offer yearly or semi-annual inspections. We had the drilling done on our home before we moved. We moved in and found termites. We paid $1500 to have the come out and exterminate and spray. Now, we pay 65$ every 6 mos. to have them check. If they find ANY, it's no additional charge. I wouldn't go with any company that wants you to pay several K, and then come back 5 years or 10 years later and expect another chunk of change. A good pesticide will keep them away for good.....they provide the service to return just in case.

wildlife dude

Angle drilling also known as cross drilling is required in certain type foundations. Floating slabs and supported slabs require cross drilling in order to get termiticide into block voids as well as under concrete slab. Monolithic slabs do not require cross drilling because they are solid concrete approx. 8-10" thick.

sdsester

Have you checked both out with something like the BBB and your state licensing authority to see about complaints and their resolution? I would ask for references and make a few calls too.

Warranties mean nothing if their is nobody on the other end of the phone calls to honor them!Instinctively, Company #1 strikes me as using the extended warranty as a sales ploy. Not fair to judge from afar though, I know.

I have worked with some delightful exterminators and even a few that just do termite work. That is here though. In California it was an industry comprised of 97 percent scam artists from what I could tell. There you had to tent everything too at great cost. They greased the palms of the title companies so you couldn't close if you didn't play with them.

Terri311

Just make sure the companies are financially stable and don't end up declaring bankruptcy. This happened to friends of mine and they had a useless warranty