Uniflame SkeeterVac Mosquito Eliminator, Covers 1 Acre

List Price: $349.99

Features:

• Outdoor trap for mosquitoes and bighting insects
• Covers 1 acre; propane-powered with no electricity needed for optimal portability
• Up to 35,000 cc's of carbon dioxide output per hour for area-wide coverage
• Adjustable octenol release attracts a variety species for unsurpassed protection
• Dual trapping system with vacuum and sticky paper; instant electronic spark ignition

Accessories:
SkeeterVac TacTrap Replacements	SkeeterVac Fine Tune Biting Insect Lure, Replacements

Customer Reviews:

After One Week -- Still waiting to see... [Posted on 2007-06-27]
I like to start with the good, so I must say installation was a cinch which was a pleasant surprise. Now I'm just waiting for it to work.
In 6 days it hasn't caught hardly any mosquitos, but plenty of other harmless bugs. Plus my kids and wife are still getting eaten up, too.
HOWEVER, I'm not giving up because I heard that in SC the "bait setting" is very important. So I called customer support and they told me to turn it way down because the octenol isn't bait for all types of mosquitos. They also warned it takes a good 3-6 weeks to really get a good hold on the area problem, so we're just getting a late start in the summer. Too bad.
I will keep you posted on the progress in 3 weeks and re-rate the product after then...

----

Had to send it back. Never worked (even after 6 weeks) no matter how much they tried to make me give it more time. So much time that I was barely able to send it back to amazon because now it was past the 30 day refund limit. Amazon was gracious enough to take care of me despite Blue Rhino's "hands off" attitude.

The customer service started great but has quickly deteriorated. I'm assuming they must be dealing with a lot of dissatisfied customers right now because the attitude I got on this last call was ridiculous.

Hope it works better for you!

Very pleased with the results [Posted on 2007-08-12]
After checking out all such units, I decided to give this model a try. Before the unit, we couldn't go in our back yard for more than a few minutes without being eaten alive. We have a 19-month old daughter who loves to go outside, and I didn't want to cover her in toxic insect repellents. It works like a charm. It's pretty strong, too. About the third day we had the unit running, we went out to discover a fistful of feather (VERY LARGE feather) adhered to the paper. Apparently, a curious bird was came down to get a few of the insects swarming the unit when he/she got his/her tail sucked in!!! Must look pretty funny flying around with his/her butt hanging out. We're very pleased with the results.

Works as claimed - no masquitos [Posted on 2007-08-16]
Easy to assemble, a bit tricky to light, works great. We use it on our very large front deck and have only seen a couple of mosquitos. We see quite a few mosquitos on the back deck.

Review after 3 years if use. Works great but unreliable. [Posted on 2008-05-18]
I've had my SkeeterVac for 3 seasons (actually just starting season 3). As far as eliminating mosquitos, it works great. It does take several weeks to get going so give it time. I have the model SV-2000.

I live in NH and the mosquitos are really bad here. Also, I seem to attract them more than most people (not sure why that is). If a group of us are outside, I always get bitten the most unless I am wearing DEET. Before the SkeeterVac, I'd get bitten while grilling at 5PM. Several weeks after setting it up, my wife and I were sitting outside on the deck. I was surprised when it started to get dark because I was not getting a single bite. I never could be out for any length of time without dousing myself with bug spray. I wasn't wearing any that night. After the Vac is running a week or two, I fill the drawer with mosquitos every 2 days. I would have given the unit 5 starts if I had written this review the first year I got it. It really does work better than any of the other units out there. Also, my first unit sipped a tank of propane per month, which was really great. The problem is these units (and all the propane powered mosquito catchers) are unreliable. So it gets 5 stars for how well it works and 1 star for reliability & support.

Here is a run down of my 3 years with the SkeeterVac: It's August of season one and I have a hard time starting the vac after changing the tank (this was the start of tank #3). I let it cool for an hour and try again. It takes a long time but it finally starts. I'm a little worried. September of season 1 rolls around and my SkeeterVac died. It will not light again after changing the tank (would have been tank #4). I decide to shut it down for the season and wait until spring to deal with it, since it is getting cooler anyway. I try starting it in May of Season 2. It won't start. I call Blue Rhino customer service and they have me try blowing out the filter with compressed air. Then they also have me remove the filter entirely. Neither worked; it still won't light. They send me a new engine at no charge. It fires right up. The bad news is the new engine looks like it was VERY used. The aluminum parts are all oxidized, it has dead mosquitos stuck in the fins and it looks like it is several years old. I find a tag with a date code and it is 2 years old. I'm not too happy. The new (used) engine sucks down a tank of propane in 2 weeks! Wow, why the difference? Also the engine gauge is running way up at the top. I call Blue Rhino and they ask if it is catching mosquitos. I say, "Yes". They tell me not to worry about the gauge. I tell them it is sucking down propane twice as fast as the old one. They tell me a tank should last only 2-3 weeks with my model. After a few weeks the fan stops running. I clean the fan really well and it starts running again. This engine last 6 weeks and dies (won't start). I call Blue Rhino and they send me another engine. This one is even older than #2 but look to be in better shape. It works fine until the end of the season but does again and won't start. I call Blue Rhino and they tell me the warranty is up. I argue with them because of all the trouble I've had and they send me another at no charge but tell me next time it fails I will have to pay. I decide not to start it until this year.

2008 Update: The latest engine started fine but I am still on the first tank.

I'm not sure what I will do if this one dies. These units works very well but they are not at all reliable. Also, they are very expensive to run. I bought mine at Sam's Club and it included 3 Octenol lures and 6 sticky traps. These are very expensive to buy however. You'll go through 2 lures and 4 traps per season. That's about $60+ (best price I've found on-line) not including the propane, which up my way is $14/tank refill. My first unit lasted a month on a tank, so that wasn't bad but the others have sucked down a tank in 2-3 weeks. So that is as much as $28/mo. in propane.

Here are some tips if you do decide to buy one:

1) Check the unit daily. If the fan stops running and it goes more than a day like that, the manual says you will burn out the engine. Mine has caught a few frogs, so even if you just cleaned and refueled it, check it daily. You don't have to take it apart to check it like it says in the manual. You can hear the fan running from several feet away so you just need to walk up to it and listen for the fan. If it is running, all is well.

2) When you first fire it up, mark the day in the calendar. Note the day you change the first tank so you can gauge how long it lasts. Every time I've had a problem, it has been when it ran out of fuel or was shut down for whatever reason and it would not re-light. If you change the tank a day before it runs out, you'll waste a little propane but won't have to worry about relighting it. Or better still, get a good gauge. It is $20 well spent. I just mark when I replace each tank and try to keep it from running out. If you change the tank quickly, you don't have to relight it; it will keep running. I set the new tank next to the old (within reach of the gas hose). I quickly turn off the old tank, remove the hose from the old and screw it on to the new and open the valve. Then with the unit running on the new tank, I remove the old tank from the holder and insert the new one. It is pretty easy to do and saves the trouble of relighting the unit.

3) If you have frogs where you live, get a model with the elevated engine. That will make it a little less likely for frogs to jump in it trying to get at the insects. My SV2000 is ground level (the engine is next to the tank rather than above it) and I have caught a few frogs with it. Each time, they clog the fan and they are a pain to dislodge once they are dried out in the unit.

4) Don't run the lawnmower near the unit. The dust you kick up will stick all over the stick trap and as I mentioned, they are expensive ($15 for 2).

5) Empty the mosquito draw in the afternoon. If you do it in the morning, you will release live mosquitos that were caught overnight. Emptying it in the afternoon insures the mosquitos are dead. When you dump the drawer, gently tap it against a tree or something to dislodge all the mosquitos.

6) If you are not catching many mosquitos, experiment with the different settings for the Octenol trap. It varies from location to location and unit to unit. My first engine worked best on 3, others worked better on 4.

7) If you see a decrease in the amount of mosquitos you are catching after 6 weeks or so, don't worry unless you are still getting bitten. It is probably because you are killing off the mosquito population. Also, you will find when it is humid you catch more. If you have a few cold evenings, you will catch less.

That's all I can think of. Good luck and if anyone has taken one of these apart and can offer some advice on how to repair, please let us know. You can reach me at jjmusto at gmail dot com. You can figure it out but hopefully the spambots won't.

Joe

SKEETER VAC REPAIR [Posted on 2008-06-02]
If you are frustrated with your skeeter vac because of its not starting or running poorly, it can be repaired. Please email me at Gkconst@comcast.net. I can let you know a way to get your machine up and running rather than filling up the landfill. Thanks Gregg

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