Reliability

Mosquito Magnet®, Lentek™ and SkeeterVac® traps all use propane to produce CO₂. Many reviews have positive comments such as “catches and kills thousands of mosquitoes”, “did significantly reduce the number of mosquitoes”. However, there are reviews also expressing frustration with start up issues, propane blockage/clogging issues, regulator problems and the cost of maintaining the traps given that the average tank of propane lasts 21 days of continuous operation Source.

Poor reliability is a common theme with customers who own traps that use propane to generate CO₂. Propane trap owners certainly have a lot to say about the reliability of these traps.

What they Say:

One customer reviewed the new Mosquito Magnet® Executive in July 2010 saying

"The Executives have been a nightmare. I previously sent back two for repairs. The third will go back this week. The more-complex controls seem to be the issue. I've experienced high temperature shut downs when operating in the shade on 70 degree days. The "thermistor" failed in one of them. Another would not operate, was sent back and returned with a notation that everything was operating correctly. source Another customer says: “I had very high hopes for this product. Alas, its a piece of junk. I set it up in May, and its barely worked since. The unit simply does not stay on. Yes, it has a low temperature shut off, but that doesn't explain why it shuts down for no reason in the middle of a warm day. Every time I check the unit its off. Yet it sucks down propane! source

SkeeterVac® by Blue Rhino appear to have had a major reliability issue with their SV-27 model (now replaced with the SV3100) as a customer noted on his review on Amazon.com, “This year it would not start ...They [Blue Rhino] said this model SV-27 had a flaw in the design of the combustion chamber which made it more likely to fail” Source.

A reviewer of the SkeeterVac SV-15 model says “craps out after 1st season, bait and trap refill is expensive” Source.

Another reviewer of the SV5100, heads their review “High malfunction rate” and ends it by saying “Like other similar brands it is expensive and prone to malfunction” Source.

Another reviewer called his SV35 an “unreliable unit after only 2 months” and further comments “I called Blue Rhino, and the first person said the engine was probably bad and I’d need to replace it, which they would do if I had proof of purchase … I called back and they said that I had to take out the fuel filter, even though I could see that it was not clogged …” Source.

When researching the reviews for Flowtron®’s MT-350 and MT-275 models it has become quite clear that there are serious reliability issues with these traps. As mentioned earlier the MT-150 model (we assume is the predecessor to the current models) received critical reviews for both. As these models use propane to generate CO₂, Flowtron® appear not have remedied any design issues that they had with the prior MT-150 when designing the MT-350 and MT-275. One reviewer says in relation to the MT-350 “It worked for a couple of months … however it just quit before the end of the season … haven’t been able to get past the three blinking lights (no propane)” Source.

In reviews of an earlier model, MT-150, reviewers complain of the “unit would not continue to run” (Source) and one indicates a “gas cut off problem” along with poor customer service Source.

In relation to the current MT-350, there are 4 reviews on Amazon.com all having a common theme in their title “worked only one season!” and one reviewer comments “It refused to work … so I sent it to the manufacturer … they sent a rebuilt unit that worked for one day …” Source. Similarly the MT-275 only have 3 reviews and all rating only 1 star.

Mega-Catch™ had an earlier issue with the internal fans in their Premier model but as noted by one reviewer (see After Sales Service page) they appear to have rectified the problem with a new fan design.

Recent reviews of the Dynatrap® by Dynaseal Inc. on Amazon.com and other review websites develop a common theme that there is a problem with the UV bulbs in the traps. One reviewer commented “The product worked well for over a month … but now both the bulbs have blackened and no longer work..." Source. Another reviewer comments :”One of the 2 bulbs burned out in a about 5 weeks. They say that they are rated for 4 months …” Source.

Common Issues

Latest Buzz

Where to Buy:

Did you know?
Female mosquitoes can beat their wings up to 500 times/second.