Offhand I would say it is possible, and definitely doable, but you might be better off just purchasing one. Ultimately it depends on what output the fence charger can discharge, you'd need a large enough voltage and current to kill bugs, but not enough to cause the device to arc to anything you don't want shocked. I think that most bug zappers are at least 2000V, unsure about the current. You would need to route the fence charger though a screen small enough so that bugs would hit it, but large enough to prevent arcing. Of course, you could always just run straight 120V power from an outlet through a screen. That would definitely kill bugs. And birds, cows, zombies, and anything else that happened to touch it..
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12:11 AM
Shyster Member
Posts: 1085 From: Conroe, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2005
Originally posted by maryjane: ......bug zapper from a solar powered fence charger?
Really doubt it, not without spending far more than it's worth. The solar panels sold by the company that makes our gate opener (Mighty Mule) come in 5W & 10W versions. The bulbs on the cheap Stingers from the big box boys are 40W, so with even with the more expensive 10W panel, and assuming a 100% (loss-less) storage and release efficiency, you'd need four hours of strong sunlight for every one hour of actual use. Just to power the bulb. Powering the grid is another matter.
It should go without saying that your storage and release efficiency won't be anywhere near 100%.
Powering the grid requires an inverter and a transformer, because you're not going to operate the grid at 20V, and you can't boost it to what you need without converting it to AC from the solar-panel produced DC, then boosting it with a transformer. Again, more power losses as you run through these two devices. Granted, the grid only pulls power when something's getting crisped, but it does pull power.
So you'd likely need a bank of solar panels with unshaded sunlight for most of the day, a voltage regulator, a bank of deer-feeder batteries (at $20 a pop), an inverter, a transformer, the bulb, the grid, and all connections to all of the above.
I got tired of Stingers burning out, especially as their quality control got worse and worse. First one we had lasted years. Next one, six months. Then, weeks. So I quit buying them, but this spring we were so overrun (especially with mosquitoes) that I dug around and found this. 80W rather than Stinger's 40. The grid tines are all parallel, and straight up and down, so it doesn't clog as much as the Stingers did. Added a $10 day-night power controller (things don't do much, if any, good in the daytime, so why burn the bulb?) and we've been good, so far. It's been singing steadily as I write this.
Won't know for some time what I think of its long-term viability, but at least for now I can walk the 200' to the road to get the paper in the morning without being swarmed.
I'm a big believer in getting any use you can of things that are on hand, but in this case, I don't think roll-your-own is the optimal solution.
Ok guys--thanks--another idea down the drain. I was hoping some of you tech types would have an easy "Why yes maryjane- yes you can do this and quite easily--here's how" so I could have a bug free dock to fish off of at night, plus I have a friend that has a zapper over his backyard fish pond and the fish love to gorge on the dead insects falling from miniature Old Sparky. Unfortunately, tho my dock gets full sun from dawn to dusk it is about 600' away from the nearest electrical outlet.
Perhaps a horde of bats tethered to strings........
Shyster--I read the reviews for the 80w Stinger advanced bug burner--it seems to be blessed equally with a mixed bag of adoring love and venomous hate.
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06:14 AM
DeV8er Member
Posts: 747 From: Oak Ridge MO Registered: Oct 2004
Ugh, forgot the light to attract the bugs. If mosquitoes are the problem, set up a yeast/sugar water brew and run a tube from the jug up to the Zapper. The captured CO2 will attract the blood suckers.
P.S. "The only good bug, is a dead bug".*
*Unless they are Dragonflies. They eat mass quantities of mosquitoes in the day time. You could equip some of them with night vision goggles...
[This message has been edited by DeV8er (edited 06-10-2012).]
If you wired it to 2 aluminum window screens and placed them really close almost to the point of letting the current jump across, sure. but how are you going to attract them to it?
Ugh, forgot the light to attract the bugs. If mosquitoes are the problem, set up a yeast/sugar water brew and run a tube from the jug up to the Zapper. The captured CO2 will attract the blood suckers.
Would that really be enough to attract them ? I have heard of people using propane tanks and a small flame. Place it at the base of a traditional zapper.
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11:12 AM
Gokart Mozart Member
Posts: 12143 From: Metro Detroit Registered: Mar 2003
http://www.popularmechanics.../improvement/4323044 Electric bug killers are ineffective because of their nonspecific, kill-all approach to insects, Day says. The attractant—ultraviolet light—lures harmful, neutral and beneficial insects all at once. In fact, harmful insects are the least likely to fall for the lure, Day says. In studies, insects such as mosquitoes and biting flies constitute the smallest portion of insects killed by electric bug traps. In 1996, Douglas Tallamy, an entomology professor at the University of Delaware, collected the remains of insects from six zappers throughout the course of a summer. Of the 13,789 trapped and zapped insects, only 31 were biting flies— mosquitoes, flies and gnats. Two thousand were beneficial insects that attack pests, and the rest were harmless, nonbiting species like fireflies and beetles.
To add to the bug zapper's demerits, carbon dioxide is a more powerful lure for harmful insects than is ultraviolet light. So as zappers draw insects in, nearby humans become the focus of the feast.
Assuming that you're not buying a zapper for the sheer pleasure of watching a bug explode, there are many alternatives to buying an electric zapper. The most effective technique for keeping harmful insects off a deck, Day says, is with a fan—mosquitoes have difficulty flying in wind faster than 1 mph. Wearing clothing that is lightweight and covers the whole body is also an alternative. But if there's exposed skin, apply a personal repellent that contains DEET and promises a protection time of at least 1 hour, Day says. The downside to botanical repellents like citronella is that they have shorter protection times and must be applied to skin more frequently.
Would that really be enough to attract them ? I have heard of people using propane tanks and a small flame. Place it at the base of a traditional zapper.
A small automotive incandescent would provide both light and heat, but consume lots of battery capacity. I don't think the skeeters are attracted to light, just body heat and CO2. The Electric Fly Swatters could be arranged as a square (using 4 of them) and a gallon jug of hot water placed in the center with the CO2 discharge taped to the jug.
I have been wanting to build something like this for a long time. If you build something let us know how it works.
Skeeters; KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL!
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12:03 PM
Shyster Member
Posts: 1085 From: Conroe, TX, USA Registered: Aug 2005
Originally posted by maryjane: Shyster--I read the reviews for the 80w Stinger advanced bug burner--it seems to be blessed equally with a mixed bag of adoring love and venomous hate.
Yeah, and I was a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because of that. Finally decided that some of the comments were just silly (e.g. "It doesn't kill mosquitoes!!!!"). Well, either it does, or they all just left of their own accord. Before we got it, the mosquito population had gone nuts. First week we had it, the nights were really noisy, as it was frying something every two seconds or so. I still hear it, but either I've learned to tune it out for the most part, or the bug population has been cut into significantly.
Only thing I can't attest to is long-term durability, which mainly means overall transformer quality. These are really simple devices. The Stingers I had before died because they fried their transformers.
BTW, it's a "Flowtron," not a Stinger. If the brand name had been Stinger, I never would have touched it. Poured too much money down that rathole, already.
EDIT TO ADD: Sorry, I must have been sleepwalking when I posted before. Ran a search on Amazon for "Flowtron bug zapper" and clicked on the first 80W link I saw, copied the link, and never even looked at the content. Sorry for burning your time. Here's the link to the Flowtron product
[This message has been edited by Shyster (edited 06-10-2012).]
A small automotive incandescent would provide both light and heat, but consume lots of battery capacity. I don't think the skeeters are attracted to light, just body heat and CO2. The Electric Fly Swatters could be arranged as a square (using 4 of them) and a gallon jug of hot water placed in the center with the CO2 discharge taped to the jug.
I have been wanting to build something like this for a long time. If you build something let us know how it works.
Skeeters; KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL!
The propane flame was for CO2 generation, not heat or light.
Believe me. Any light at all will draw bugs by the thousands out here--even moreso down by the pond. Turn on a flashlight, it will be swarming with them--even if you sit it down 30 feet from you.
Are there any other useful diy ideas for projects regarding these solar powered chargers? I have 2 that I've never opened (gifts) and I really have no use for an electric fence.
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12:17 AM
Mickey_Moose Member
Posts: 7570 From: Edmonton, AB, Canada Registered: May 2001
Are there any other useful diy ideas for projects regarding these solar powered chargers? I have 2 that I've never opened (gifts) and I really have no use for an electric fence.
Nope, can't be of any help with this but, if you decide you're gonna get rid (sell) them, I'd be interested in one depending on the price. Doubt you'll do that but, if I don't tell ya, you'll never know.
------------------ Ron The key thing is to wake up breathing! All the rest can be fixed. (Except Stupid - You can't fix that) Always remember these words of wisdom.
"The Lord must truly love fools, for he made them in abundance."
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03:35 PM
jaskispyder Member
Posts: 21510 From: Northern MI Registered: Jun 2002
