Bug Zappers

The tube in your bug zapper is just a fluorescent tube of the 'blacklight' UV type. It will wear out over time, just as is the case with any other fluorescent tube. As it ages, the light output reduces.

FWIW, I rebuilt one of these zappers just over a year ago with new tubes, and the tubes are still attracting insects now.

I agree with Paul for the most part. Some of these Bug Zappers used high voltages produced by the same inductive device from which the ballast was made. Consequently, the ballast could also be affected over some time.

As a general rule of thumb, most fluorescent lamps should last 10,000 hours or so unless they are special purpose cold cathode lamps.

Light output reduction over normal operation should be no more than about 5% after the first 2000 hours. After that, it remains fairly steady but it may also become dirty and covered with butts and guts of all those zapped bugs.

Then again, one of the best natural insecticides is to grind up the bodies of the type of insect you wish to repel. They get the message quite directly that way.

Makes me laugh about...

A year or two ago, one of my "non techie type" co-workers came to me with one of those paddle style bug zappers. He wanted to know if there was a way of reducing the output of the device. I opened it up and disconnected the large capacitor inside the unit. So now it develops just about 3kV at very little current, and without the capacitor, the pulse is very short lived.

Asked him why he wanted to reduce the killing power of the zapper and he replied... "it was a little to intense as a sex toy and the change should make it a lot more fun to play with". Ya gotta love his dedication...

Yes but are you going to "love his children?

No dis-respect intended.

Joe in Texas