Are bug zappers safe to use in the bedroom? fire risk?

salthegal

Hi,

as a complete last gasp effort (yes we've tried everything! ) to stop getting eaten alive by mossies everynight (6 bites last night!) me hubby bought a new £10 mini bug zapper off of ebay. It arrived this morning. now the thing is, im a little scared to use it in the bedroom and leave it on through the night. It doesnt have any sort of transformer so runs straight from the mains with no voltage downgrade, so could do with a little advice.

This is the same type of zapper we bought.

Now this may sound silly for those in the know, but im scared that if a moth or other flying bug etc gets caught in it, that they might catch on fire when they are zapped and set the room alight. The gaps surrounding the shocker is fairly small, but im still scared that if something gets near it or touches it, i.e. a big moths wing etc that theres a possibility its gonna catch on fire and burn the house down.

Now, I don’t know whether im being rational or not and whether bugs could actually catch on fire after touching the zapper filaments? maybe ive seen too many films where people catch on fire after getting electrocuted. :eek:

Hope someone in the know can tell me if im being silly or not.

Many thanks

Sal

TrishaM

I have one in kitchen, on 24 seven. Nothing has ever gone on fire. Don't think you need worry.

Volcano

If the mozzies only come out at night then just turn it on when you need it- just before dusk until dawn, a cheap timer will do this for you.

Pink.

I have one in the bedroom and we keep it on 24 hours a day and have done for the last three summers with no problems.

Pink

chardonnay_2

sorry to hijack the thread but we got one from lidl and wondered if anyone knows how to clean it. i don't mean the little tray underneath but the actual wires surrounding the blue tube. ours is covered in flies / moths etc that haven't gone into the tray.

Debt_Free_Chick

chardonnay wrote:

sorry to hijack the thread but we got one from lidl and wondered if anyone knows how to clean it. i don't mean the little tray underneath but the actual wires surrounding the blue tube. ours is covered in flies / moths etc that haven't gone into the tray.

I clean mine with a soft bristle brush - the type you use with a dust pan. But turn it off and let the tubes cool for 10 minutes or so. Ideally, take it outside as you can create quite a dusty mess with it. Just flick the brush across the unit and the soft bristles will get inside the grille - but it must be a soft brush, not a stiff one.

salthegal

ok thanks for the repsponses guy, ours is fairly close to the curtains and I was just worried whether it was possible a bug might catch on fire after getting shocked and setting the room on fire.

I guess this isnt possible then???

ill sleep easier tonight, if i know it cant happen

millie

I bought one from Lidl as well but the flies just seem to ignore it, does it have to be dark for it to work, I have left it on for hours and have not yet got a fly in it. Its not hanging up just on a work surface if that makes any difference. I have given up with it now and put it in the box in the garage

nives316

I think it has to be dark as the bugs are attracted to the light.

chardonnay_2

millie we thought the same until i checked it closely and there were loads of tiny flies caught in it. we just leave it on all the time as it only uses a small amount of electricity. i think it works best at night as the light isn't very bright. some cunning flies still seem to avoid it.

tawnyowls

On a different, but related tack, have you had a look round to see where the little b*****s are coming from? I discovered a colony breeding in our water butt - have now added paraffin to stop that,and make sure not to have water standing in anything else outside. Has cut down the numbers considerably, although the ones that do get through seem to be particularly bloodthirsty this year!