Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bottom line - these work really great and are well worth the investment. This unit was easy to assemble and quite intuitive to operate. Simply assemble the three-piece base and stand, put the body on top, drop in the net, open up a tank of (sold separately) and voilà - let your vengeance on those backyard bloodsuckers begin! Easy Peasy! So easy my 9 year old did it all for me while simultaneously doing backflips on the trampoline (well almost). Believe you me - it is thoroughly satisfying to empty out a net full of mosquitoes that would have otherwise dined on no small quantity of my b positive blood! Without further ado, here are my essential time and money-saving hacks I've picked up from owning these machines. Mosquito Magnet Hack #1: These units have sophisticated electronic components and self-diagnostics that can be a little on the temperamental side. It's best for initial startup to for it to be warm - or you need to help help it get warm. My first Mosquito Magnet (a different model than this one) didn't want to start up and keep going. As another reviewer of this model said - the LED embedded in the on switch would blink for awhile but wouldn't go steady to indicate that it's fully up and running. I felt frustrated following the directions because I would repeatedly go check it every 15 minutes and it would be off and I was quickly depleting my finite supply of CO2 cartridges trying to purge the system and get it going. I was frankly ready to return the unit but talked to a friend whose had these things for years and passed on the helpful tips and tricks that I'm now sharing with you. These units are sensitive to cooler temperatures and when it's cooler (I know "cooler" is relative - but I'm talking less than 50 degrees), Mosquito Magnets have a hard time starting up. To overcome this just drape a jacket over the whole unit but especially cover the intake. A relatively warm jacket adds insulation to hold in some heat coming from the unit's exhaust and help the unit to get going just fine. You could also start the unit up in a heated garage but since it emits carbon monoxide, I don't recommend that. Plus it would make for a rather embarrassing method of doing yourself in. Though perhaps not as bad as the two college guys I read who died of asphyxiation after losing consciousness INSIDE a gigantic helium balloon that was advertising apartments for rent. It was all fun and laughs and high pitch voices until they succumbed to no oxygen. That struck close to home because it's exactly what I would have done in my college days. But I digress... I'm happy to report that there was no need to use a jacket or more importantly risk carbon monoxide poisoning because this unit started up just fine and within 10 minutes the LED indicator was solid meaning it was warmed up and running without risk of the burner tripping off prematurely. I didn't even have to restart it once or purge the unit with CO2. Mosquito Magnet Hack#2 - propane management. A propane tank should last you 21 days. But tell Siri to remind you in 20 days to change your tank. You can let the tank run empty if you prefer but I find giving up fifty cents worth of fuel is worth it versus running the tank empty and perhaps having to do the whole CO2 purge on the machine. It's better to ensure you change the tank while there's still some in there and the machine keeps running steady. When you change the tank, open the knob s-l-o-w-l-y, as it reduces the chances that the machine will get a hiccup or burp and then you're into the whole CO2 purging nonsense. Which isn't a big deal - but why use those CO2 cartridges on this machine when you could save them for something better - like a paintball gun or those cool jackets that have a CO2 adapter to instantly inflate the jacket in water. Oh and when Siri reminds you to change the tank, replace the mosquito attractant at the same time. Octenol makes a big difference in attracting these but keep it running even if you run out because the carbon dioxide the machine emits will call them even if the Octenol has worn off. Mosquito Magnet Hack #3 - Nothing but net (aka size does matter). This unit has to have the biggest net of any of the mosquito magnets. It's 3 times the size of net versus other units. I mean it's literally a Taj Mahal of mosquito mansions. So what do you do when it's full? Well if you read the manufacturer's claims, the mosquitos are supposed to dry out and die. Maybe that works somewhere but I'm in Alaska and those mosquitos do NOT want to go gentle into that good night. Sure some always die tons of them burn and rave at close of day - nay they even rage, rage against the dying of the light. One vendor who sold Mosquito Magnet supplies suggested I have a second net to swap out and submerge the full one in water to drown them. I tried that once but these water-born beasts live a remarkably long time under water and as soon as they come out of the water they get their second wind and suddenly re-animate and take flight. The better alternative is to recognize these guys have rather fragile wings. So just shake the net vigorously several times -- all the mosquitos crash together and their wings get destroyed and they can't fly anymore. You can simply empty it onto the ground and stamp the life out of any of the strong that remain. Or I've also found it somewhat satisfying to empty it into the backyard fire. Mosquito Magnet Hack #4 - What to do if it dies. These units have a one-year warranty. I'd be really frustrated if it were to quit after one year but with proper maintenance you should get a few years out of it easily. When you amortize the up-front investment of these units over several years, they're well worth the cost of significantly reduced mosquito populations (only female mosquitos bite because they need extra protein from blood for their eggs). BUT if your unit kicks out after the warranty is up - check around to see if there's someone in your area that services the units. Where I live someone has made a business of servicing these units and they offer a flat fee for service and repair to fix whatever tends to go wrong with these machines after a few years - and it's significantly cheaper than buying a whole new machine. Mosquito Magnet Hack #5 - back in black. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors. The machine itself is dark green which helps, but the propane tanks are usually white. I cover my tank with a section of an old trampoline net -- but you could use a large garbage bag and that would be just about as effective. To sum it up, buy one of these units - you're likely to get years of reliable service and more importantly enjoy your backyard a lot more through significantly diminished mosquito populations. In my opinion, units advertised as protecting a whole acre do not perform significantly different from ones advertised as protecting a 1/2 acre (or at least significantly better to justify the increased price), If you choose this unit, you'll be happy with your choice and if you use my hints and hacks, I think you'll thank me later!