I was power spraying behind my cedar shakes like I do every month or two but this time was different. I got your power inj last year and treated a couple of times before winter. I used your base oil too and it was amazing! Wasps and boxelders came out of several areas and were dropping like flies. So then I started using it in other areas but didn’t treat when it got cold. So this March i started again and treated twice before yestrday. Well this time the treatment was coming out of areas away from where I was injecting. It used to be that I could inject for 5-7 seconds and the liquid would go somewhere but I never saw much dripping out. Now after 2-3 seconds its leaking out of gaps 4-5 feet away to the side. I made sure i’m using the same pressure, 40 psi to start, so nothing is different. Any idea why this is happening? I had this happen every row or two. Some areas are still taking it fine but not sure what’s happening in these other areas. I just want to make sure I’ve got these areas properly treated and they stay out. No bugs seen this spring so far, loving it. I have the xempt ec that smells like minty oil.
Great to hear the positive results! Cedar is one of the harder sidings to manage but with the POWER INJECTOR or even better, the SKY-HY NO PUMP, you have a legit chance to get rid of any and all bugs for good!
So here’s what’s probably happening with your recent results when Power Injecting.
Wood like cedar can only absorb so much liquid at one time whether it’s oil or water. This will be true with most all areas you power inject so whether the surface is made of wood, vinyl or some other material, it may not be the same in the space you are injecting. And so that area might have limits to how much it can “accept”.
This is referred to as the saturation coefficient. Basically it’s the amount of moisture (water or base oil) the substrate can take before it gets “filled” with the treatment. Substrates can be wood, cement, mulch like pine straw – it’s where your treatment is going when you inject. And if the hidden area has porous surfaces – like wood for example – it should absorb well. But there are limits.
Now if you are treating with water as the carrier, the water will fill the area quickly and WILL NOT soak in much (compared to base oil). This means in a week or two, that same area will have lost much if not all of the water due to it evaporating so the next time you treat, it will generally still be receptive. When using water to inject, treatments should go the same as they did in the past. And this could happen for a long time, even if you’re treating monthly.
We explain this in our EXPECTED PENETRATION article.
But if you’re using Base Oil as the carrier, not water, there will be a limit or saturation effect that can really help.
This happens because the oil and chemical will be “filling” all the empty wood grain. Over time, it migrates further and further out so you can keep adding. But the effective coefficient (the amount actually absorbed), will get lower and lower. Eventually it will be super low and so you may experience splash backs or even “leaks” like you’re describing. This will be the mixture going past the previously treated areas.
Most people don’t have this happen when treating under baseboards, around windows or under doors due to gravity. But home siding can “leak” the treatment that’s not absorbing as it falls “down”.
Overall, the substrate absorbing the base oil and XEMPT EC is a very good thing. For starters, it means the treatment is locking in. As this happens, that area won’t be able to “house” new insects
The second good thing is that as these areas get clogged with the mixture, your treatment will end up reaching further and further into the void. This will effectively cause you to reach new depths all the while reaching more insects that like to live in these remote locations. This can be critical for ending issues with pests like clover mites or springtails. The strong aroma from the Xempt EC will be detected very quickly by any insect looking to for a new home and will chase them away.
So in this case, the coefficient of that space is definitely beginning to show the net effect of the base oil being absorbed. This means you should plan on using less mixture per treatment in these areas – especially if you’re not seeing pests AND the treatment is mostly leaking away.
On the flip side, if you are injecting under baseboards using the same mixture but it’s not leaking out, that’s super good. These same areas will have a lower coefficient too BUT the mixture is effectively “sliding” over and past the previously treated areas.
This can be super helpful for deep rooted pests like springtails or clover mites who are typically out of reach, deep in the void. These locations can be so remote, you’d never stand a chance of getting them using water. But with Base Oil, at least not you have a chance. Just be aware it can take 4-6 months to reach that point.
In summary, it would appear that you have lowered the coefficient in the areas where your treatments won’t stay. At least enough to where your new treatments are now gliding “over” the previously treated areas and being lost as “runoff”. This is a good thing and though it won’t last forever, you should now be able to go 3-6 months (if not longer) without having to treat there again.
Tech Support
Team Bugspray.com
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