boring insect fumigation

[kyle ifft]

i'v been reading about fumigating wood for boring insects and had a thought. i have read about ammonia being used under tarps and remembered what my folks told me about mixing household cleaners. bleach + ammonia = chloramine gas, very toxic. now dose anyone know what this mix would do to the wood? the gasses used to fumigate house is not suposed to leave residue, so i would think all gasses would do the same. any thoughts or ideas on this? for safety i would place a pan of one of the chemicals under the tarp, then with a funnel and hose pour the other.

[Thomas Bank]

I’d be hesitant to even mess with such things: http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicc...nd-Ammonia.htm

And, depending on the wood, ammonia does other things: http://www.leevalley.com/en/shopping...o.aspx?p=47277

[Cody Colston]

Ammonia is nothing to fool with if you aren't experienced/qualified in using it. It will darken some woods and turn others a greenish color. Gustav Stickley began the practice of using ammonia to fume White Oak in an attempt to make it look like English Brown Oak.

Heat (as in a kiln) is the most effective method of sterilizing the wood. Treatment with a borate will prevent future infestation and it's a safe chemical.

[Stan Calow]

I could be wrong, but its not just "chloramine gas" that is created, its chlorine gas and hydrochloric acid fumes. Those things are powerful oxidants and will damage your lungs and soft tissues, and probably not good for wood either.

[kyle ifft]

per the link above "The bleach decomposes to form hydrochloric acid, which reacts with ammonia to form toxic chloramine fumes" it's this next part of the above link that way make for a bad day "If ammonia is present in excess (which it may or may not be, depending on your mixture), toxic and potentially explosive liquid hydrazine may be formed. While impure hydrazine tends not to explode, it's still toxic, plus it can boil and spray hot toxic liquid." i'm sure i am not the first person to look for an inexpensive, effective way to do this. as far as a kiln, the best i can do is an old grain bin with a woodburner for the heat.

[Jim Andrew]

Just put your wood in a metal grain bin during hot weather. I do that to boards infected with powder post beetles, kills them. Gets very hot in the metal bin with the door closed. Did you ever notice that all the bugs you put in a grain bin with the grain are dead in a few days?