This is a question you might be asking if you have recently installed or are looking to install a perimeter soil treatment (aka chemical barrier). A chemical barrier really is the best way to protect your home against termites and since no home insurance covers termite damage or a termite attack it is the only way to cover yourself should a costly termite attack occur.
One of the reasons chemical barriers are so good is because they carry a warranty that is backed by our insurer and that warranty will cover any and all repairs and treatments should subterranean termites penetrate your complete chemical barrier. For more information on chemical barriers and how they work click here. You will notice that this warranty is subject to at least annual warranty inspections and you might be a little confused as to why these are even necessary since you have the barrier... what are the inspections for?
Besides the fact the annual inspections are a requirement from the insurance company that backs the warranty on the chemical barrier they are also recommended by the Australian Standards. The inspections are a chance for the qualified timber pest inspector to check the barrier has not been bridged or breached in any way and your home is still protected.
We have heard plenty of unfortunate stories of home owners who have opted to forgo their warranty inspections and called us a few years down the track with a termite problem. There is one example of a client who had decided to forgo the annual warranty inspections thinking he would simply replenish the barrier when it came due in 5 years time but 3 years into the life of the barrier we get that ill-fated call. Of course we sent our qualified tech straight out, regardless of being out of warranty, to take a look for them free of charge. It turns out the barrier had been breached by a new drainage system they had installed by the back stairs, right where the termites were gaining access to the house. Unfortunately as they had refused the warranty inspections and breached the chemical barrier their warranty was void and they were up for all the costs of the treatments and repairs themselves.
We had another client in North Brisbane who also decided to opt-out of the annual warranty inspections and called in with a termite issue a few years into the life of their barrier. We had a technician out there the same day to find they had installed a new deck at the back of the home and termites had used the deck timbers to bridge the chemical barrier entirely to reach the home. Had they had their annual warranty inspections our technician would have picked this up and told them they needed to treat the new deck posts to keep the barrier continuous and prevent this situation from ever occurring in the first place.
It's for these reasons that it is essential you have your annual warranty inspection done even though you have a chemical barrier system in place. Nothing quite compares to the expertise and qualified advice our highly trained and experienced technicians have to offer. These inspections are full termite inspections so they will help pick up things you as home owner should be aware of like leaks, areas of high moisture and new termites nests in the yard
Of course if you have any questions at all about your chemical barrier's warranty or your obligations always call our friendly team on 3823 2500 they will be more than happy to answer all of your questions!
Looking to install a chemical barrier?
Call us now on 3823 2500 for a free quote! We service all of Brisbane including the Northside and South side suburbs!