Friday 9 May 2014
Contractors were on site today to install the Kordon anti-termite
barriers to our home’s foundations, before the steel frame work is erected next
week (Tuesday 13 May 2014, all being well).
What is Kordon?
· Kordon is sold and backed by Bayer. Bayer is
one of the world's largest life science and research and development companies.
· Kordon has been extensively tested by the CSIRO
(the [Australian] Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation). It has been
evaluated to have a durability and design life in excess of 50 years.
This represents the life expectancy of a building as deemed by the
Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
· Kordon is flexible and is suited to all building
applications.
· Kordon is allergen-free and classified as
non-hazardous.
· Kordon is installed by a network of accredited
installers.
· Kordon is CodeMark
certified that it meets all the requirements of the Australian Building Code.
· Kordon is installed in over 120,000 Australian buildings
giving home-owners the ultimate peace of mind; and
· Kordon is designed and made in Australia, keeping
our jobs here.
How does it work?
Kordon is a flexible laminate that is installed in the building during
the construction process to prevent concealed access by Subterranean Termites
(termites). Kordon contains Deltamethrin which is highly repellent to
termites.
Termites are social insects that live in a colony like bees and ants.
Typically they form a nest in the soil or near ground level in a stump or
trunk of a tree. They eat cellulose which is found in timber and timber
products such as paper. Attack by termites originates from the nest.
Foraging termites will seek cellulose up to 50 metres or more from their
nest. Wood or timber lying or buried is reached by underground tunnels
built by the termite workers.
Timber above ground may be reached inside the timber or via mud walled
tubes plastered to exposed surfaces. These tubes are built by the
termites to shelter them from the light and maintain humidity. There are
more than 350 species of termites in Australia and about 30 are classified as
“economically important” – that is, they attack timber in buildings.
Termites reportedly cause $900 Million damage annually to Australian
homes. Bearing in mind that our current population here in Australia is
approximately 23 million nationwide.
As well as eating timber, termites can damage non-cellulose materials
such as soft concrete, soft metal and plastic, building sealants and foam
insulation.
Cracks in concrete and the gap around pipes penetrating through the
concrete slab offer easy access to termites. The Kordon anti-termite
barrier is installed where termites may attempt to gain access to the timber in
a building. The Deltamethrin in Kordon is highly repellent to termites
and they will avoid close contact with it. Where Kordon is installed the
termites will seek cellulose elsewhere or seek to go around the Kordon.
When seeking to go around the Kordon the termites will build their mud
tubes which will be detected during an inspection by a suitably qualified
Timber Pest Inspector. Steps can then be taken to eliminate the termite
colony before significant damage can be done. When termites get concealed
access, such as when Kordon is not installed, access is gained for a long
period resulting in significant and expensive damage.
Kordon comprises polyester webbing containing Deltamethrin, a synthetic
Pyrethroid and it is laminated between two UV stable, low-density, Polyehylene
plastic sheets.
When combining the Kordon anti-termite barrier with the McDonald Jones
Homes’ steel framework and steel roof trusses, those destructive little
critters will never get a foothold in
our new home, and we will never need to spend up to $900.00 per year in paying
for toxic chemicals to be sprayed around the home to keep them at bay.
Here’s a diagram that shows a cross section of the Kordon anti-termite
barrier and some photos that I took from outside the front security fencing
earlier today.
(Click on diagram and photos to view enlarged images)
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